Flora and Fauna (Plants and Animals)
The flora and fauna of the islands are unique. Lush green meets white sandy beaches with gigantic granite rock formations and turquoise sea. Of course, the abundance of green does not come from "every day only sunshine"!
Here is a small colourful selection of our flora and fauna
Madagascar Fody
The females and young have a plain brown plumage. The males, on the other hand, have bright orange-red plumage.
Millipede
You meet this nice fellow especially on La Digue when you walk the trail from Grand Anse to Anse Cocos. He is absolutely harmless!
Green Day Gecko
with its beautiful lush green, it blends fantastically into the vegetation. It is often found on banana trees.
Fairy Tern
very numerous on Cousin or Aride Island. These birds do not build a nest, but lay their egg in a branch fork
Aldabra Giant Tortoise
Unfortunately, you see many of them caged in small enclosures. On La Digue, in Anse Severe and Anse Banane, some run around freely. On Curieuse Island, about 200 of the turtles live freely on the island. The best way to get there is by boat from Praslin.
White tailed tropicbird
These beautiful birds can also be found in large numbers on Cousin and Aride. There they breed - as there are no rats on the islands - on the ground.
Sea Turtle
If you are lucky, you can go swimming with them or watch them from the boat. The hotspot for these beautiful animals is off the islands of Coco, Sister and Felicite (half-day or full-day tours are offered from La Digue).
Leaf Insect
difficult to see thanks to their good camouflage
Barringtonia Asiatica / Bonnen kare
This beautiful flower can only be admired at night. The fruits contain saponins which are poisonous to fish. Therefore, the tree is also called "Fishpoison Tree".
Coco Plum
You come across this bush on almost every trail. The pink or white fruits are edible, but have no taste and often leave a floury feeling in the mouth.
red pearl tree
Adenanthera pavonina
These beautiful seeds are often found by the roadside, on trails or made into jewellery in souvenir shops (necklaces, bracelets).
Hibiscus
the most famous tropical flower. found in different colours, but mainly in red
Coco de Mer / Lodoicea Maldivica
the most famous palm tree in the Seychelles. Coco de Mer palms are separate-sex. The seed of the female Coco de Mer can weigh between 10-25 kilos.
Pandanus (Screw Palm)
Nutmeg / Miska
A little bit of nutmeg grated over the dessert or into the cake mixture gives a great extraordinary taste
Papaya
The unripe fruits are processed into the delicious "Satini Papay" - this is often available in takeaways as a side salad.
Lemongras / Sitronel
often found by the side of the trails (on Mahe). Pouring hot water over a small bunch and adding sugar makes delicious lemongrass tea.
Guave /Guayave
also found next to many trails and very tasty when ripe. The trunks of the bushes have a beautiful military pattern.
Centipede
not to be confused with the millipede mentioned above. The Centipede is the nightmare of every Seychelloise, its bite is very painful. They like to hide in damp dark places such as water buckets/ old coconuts lying on the ground or run through the grass. In general, however, they are rather rare.
Seychelles Blue Pigeon
This species is only found in the Seychelles. Its striking markings are reminiscent of the colours of the Dutch flag which is responsible for its Creole name "Pizon Oland" (Dutch dove).
Santol
Inside the velvety yellow fruits you find 5 seeds embedded in a kind of jelly, these can be sucked from the seeds like candy. Very tasty. The seeds themselves are not edible!
March/April is the time for Santol.
Cashew Baum
Cashew Tree
Breadfruit
The round green breadfruit are super delicious. Especially served fresh as breadfruit chips. You can also put them in foil on the grill or in the fire and then enjoy them with salt and butter.
Local-Apple
These beautiful pink flowers can be seen in March/April. Often the ground under the tree is completely covered with a pink "carpet".
Canonball Tree
We know of only a few specimens of this exceptional tree on Mahe (e.g. in the Botanical Gardens). The fruits grow on the trunk just above the ground and have the shape and size of cannonballs.
cinnamon
Cinnamon was imported a long time ago for the spice trade and has been multiplying like a parasite ever since. The leaves can be cooked in curries. The actual cinnamon powder is made from the bark of the trees.
Pitchers Plant (Potao)
this carnivorous plant can be found mainly at the top of the Copolia Trail and on the Trois Freres Trail shortly after crossing the 2 creeks
Cassava
The roots of this tree are edible. Very popular are the cassava chips, they are available in almost every supermarket.
Roz Anmer
The colour of the flowers varies from white to purple to pink. A bitter tea can be made from the leaves - this helps with stomach complaints.
Frangipani
the beautiful pink, yellow or white flowers can be found all over the islands.
Jackfruit
uo to 50 kilo of weight. They are eatable, but have a very strong smell.
Seychelles tree frog
can be found on Mahé, Praslin, La Digue and Silhouette. Size is up to 7,5 cm
Praying mantis
Tiger chameleon
The colouration varies between brown-green-orange-grey, making the tiger chameleon wonderfully camouflaged and very difficult to spot. They are endemic to the Seychelles and can only be found on Mahé, Praslin and Silhouette.
Stick insect
Seychelles wolf snake (Koulev)
This harmless snake species can be seen from time to time during hikes in Morne Seychelloise National Park.
Gardiner's Seychelles Frog
is one of the smallest frogs in the world at about 1cm. They are only found on Mahé and Silhouette.
Brahminy Blind Snake
looks like an earthworm, but is the smallest snake in the world. It is almost blind and spends most of its time underground. It was transported to the Seychelles by imported plants
Banyan Tree
one of the most impressive trees of all. Originally native to South and West India, it is now found throughout the tropics.
It forms aerial roots that develop into a dense network over time. When the roots reach the ground, there is a growth spurt, later the host tree dies (it is crushed by the weight). The trees reach a height of about 20 metres.
Seychelles Palm Spider
is found in large numbers on the islands. The harmless (but palm-sized) spider species likes to make itself comfortable in power lines or bushes. Their webs are very strong.
Seychelles Paradise Flycatcher / Veuve
The males have glossy black plumage with elongated tail feathers, while the females are reddish-brown with pale undersides and no long tail feathers. The birds have been classified as "endangered" and in order to increase the population, some specimens have been relocated to Denis Island.
They are often found in the area around Anse Cocos, or in the park of the same name, Veuve Reserve.
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