Seychelles is home to thousands of species some of which are found only in the 115 islands of the archipelago.
The Seychelles has one of the richest flora and fauna in the Indian Ocean. Many tourists have praised the Seychelles for the wild life that it proposes to its visitors.
Different types of orchids such as the fragrant vanilla orchid and many other flowering plants like medusa and the pitcher plant can be found in the islands. There are a variety of exotic flowers like the hibiscus and bougainvillea. These trees vivify the islands and are ideal for your wedding ceremony and a romantic honeymoon.
The Seychelles is a museum and shelter for rare species of fauna and flora. With all the plants and animals living in the region, Seychelles is a real paradise for nature lovers and photographers who want to experience the wildlife up-close and shoot amazing pictures.
Human Settlement in the Seychelles
Since the discovery of the islands in the late 1700’s, a catalogue of all different types of flora and fauna found there. However, as human encroached the islands, some of the unique species in the Seychelles disappeared. The two principal reasons for the extinction of these species were hunting and deforestation.
Today, Seychelles prides itself on its record. The Seychelles is now preserving many of the unique and rare species that are found in the islands. It has an elevate degree of protection for the environment and a variety of ecosystem that it encourages.
Nature Parks
The Seychelles has some unique endemic specimens. There are nature parks accessible to all visitors which you should visit to explore the mountains, take pictures with tortoises from the smallest to the heaviest and birds of different size and colour.
Stepping into those nature parks is like walking through an array of endemic species, with the sight of an exceptional natural beauty while background music of bird singing is being played and other natural sound.
Morne Seychellois National Park
Morne Seychellois National Park lies in an Important Bird Area of 46 kilometre squares occupying about a fifth of the island of Mahé. The national Park is made of steep terrains which are covered by the forest. It would take a whole excursion day to visit Morne Seychellois and you will still not have seen it all. The nature park also includes some unique endemic species such as Vateriopsis Seychellarum, Medusagyne oppositifolia, Northea hornei and Dillenia Ferruginea.
Praslin National Park
The Praslin National Park is situated in the southern region of Praslin. It includes an area of 330 hectares. The nature park is comprised of native plants including the six endemic plants of the Seychelles’ palm species, the Vallée de Mai palm forest, streams and waterfalls.
Birdlife International also listed the Praslin national park as an Important Bird Area (IBA). This is because the park is home to important bird species such as the Seychelles blue pigeons, Kestrels, swiftlets, sunbirds and bulbuls.
Tortoises and turtles
Since the 1960’s, the tortoises and turtles are over the protection of the locals. They look forward for the protection of the environment so that all the natural beauties are well preserved for the future generations.
The Aldabra giant tortoises
The only specie among the other species that remained intact is the Aldabra tortoise. These magnificent creatures are found in the Aldabra Atolls in the Seychelles. The giant tortoises can live over a whole century. They weight over a 500 pounds and flourish on land. These herbivores are diminishing day by day only a small population lives today. They are the most notable of the entire animal living in the lands of the Seychelles.
Seychelles Sea turtles
The hawksbill sea turtles are another noteworthy species in the Seychelles. However, these sea turtles are unique creatures that are extremely vulnerable. If you want to spot a sea turtle in the Seychelles, the Cousin Island is the best place to go to. The largest population of the sea turtles is found there on Cousin Island!
Bird islands
Located 65 miles from Mahé Island lies Bird islands. 3000 years ago, this magnificent island was formed by coral shoal from materials derived from even older coral reefs. Bird Island is also known as ‘ile au vaches’ as it was a shelter to dugongs (vaches marines). Bird Island makes a total area of 94 hectares.
The island is renowned mostly for its thousands of tropical birds, sea tortoises and breathless marine view that it offers to its visitors. It is a paradise for the nature lovers. You can enjoy the tranquil atmosphere and contemplate the ordinary wildlife world. This promising land just brings you to a stress free world. It is a true paradise compared to the busy world that we are actually living in.
Aride Island
The Aride Island is the most ideal place for bird watching in the world. Among all of the 115 islands in Seychelles, the most notable bird population is in the Aride. None of these islands has a variety of birds as much as Aride does. Besides the variety of marvellous birds, there are also amazing bird-eye views.
Plant life
There are 2000 different species of plants that provide shelter to the animals in the Seychelles. Those arrays of trees also provide a variety of hardwood like the mahogany and rosewood.
Among the different types of trees that are found in the Seychelles is shade giving umbrella tree Schefflera actinophylla. You can also find various type of mangoes in the Seychelles and fruits of different size and colours.
The coco de mer has the largest nut in the world and it is one of the most distinct plants found only in the Seychelles. It was considered to be extinct but fortunately some of the coco de mer trees have been discovered in the Seychelles. The nuts coincide to the female pelvis and it is known as love nut. The jellyfish is another unusual tree which has flowers resembles jellyfish tentacles.