Wildlife of Mauritius

During our stay in Mauritius we were completely immersed in the natural world. Whether we were out exploring, chilling by the pool or in the sea, wildlife was all around us. We had some incredible experiences in nature and I want to tell you all about it. From pink pigeons to turtles, the wildlife of Mauritius is a dream for any visitor. Here are some of my most memorable experiences, alongside ones I wish I had.

Birds

Jack and I both love birds, in fact, he actually specialised in them during his studies. Mauritius was the perfect place to unleash my inner-twitcher. On day one, we woke up early and sat by the pool after breakfast. Within only a few minutes, I was surrounded by bulbul birds and sparrows, who would come to the pool for a drink. We also saw the odd red foddy or two hiding in the trees.

The hotel itself was a bit of a magnet for birds. Weaver birds would come by the balcony and strip off pieces of palm, before flying over to build their nests. Their bright yellow plumage and bright red eyes made them a spectacle to us British tourists, even if they were the equivalent of a blackbird to the locals. We enjoyed watching them and were amazed at how intricate their nests were. Soaring above the hotel were the tropic birds, who would loudly squawk as they glided overhead.

On a trip to Île aux Aigrettes, a coral island down south, we again were treated to more birdlife. We saw a Mauritian white-eye and the Mauritius foddy, both rare endemic birds that live here. This foddy was a bit smaller than the ones we saw by the hotel and had been outcompeted in the mainland.

I am still unsure as to whether we spotted the elusive pink pigeon. Our guide pointed one out, but I am 50:50. Lastly, I would have loved to have seen the rare Mauritian kestrel, which apparently live on Île aux Aigrettes, but I will need to go back soon to spot it.

Reptiles

Like any tropical island, there were a fair few reptiles lurking about. Mauritius does not have many snake species (none are venomous) and we sadly did not see any.

We did however see a lot of lizards. The most common ones were the night geckos and the Mauritius ornate day geckos, which would just chill about the hotel, sometimes in our room! Another common sight was the giant day gecko, a large bright green lizard that would climb the walls of the hotel. We also spotted them in the Pamplemousse Gardens! Lastly, the invasive oriental garden lizard would run across the paths. We had actually seen this species in Thailand, but our guides would call it a chameleon. Apparently, there are panther chameleons on the island that have come over from Madagascar, but we did not see any.

One of the most famous sights on the island is the turtle and tortoise population. Other people in the hotel would tell us about the turtles they had swam with during their stay on the snorkel trail, but we did not see any. We did however see a lot of giant tortoises. These are not the endemic species as they went extinct when the first settlers arrived. However, they are a species from neighbouring islands which can be reintroduced in the coming years.

Marine Life

The marine wildlife of Mauritius is perfect for beginner snorkelers and divers. There are very few sharks in the coral reefs and we did not see any. However, the hotel did run trips to ‘Shark Island’ which was visible from our hotel.

We saw a lot of tropical fish species. Parrotfish, sergeant fish and butterfly fish were the most common sightings. However, we did also see a few trumpetfish that would glide over the reef. We did not see barracuda or tuna when we were there, but we did spot a few trevally fish on our exploration.

The coral selection was also good where we were and appeared healthy. Most common were the brown coral species, but there were also some colourful additions. Within them were lots of different crustaceans and other invertebrate species, including sea urchins and cucumbers. I thought that the reefs looked healthier than those we had seen in Thailand, but apparently there is some bleaching down south.

If you are in Mauritius, I would recommend a few snorkelling trips. We only managed the one and I feel like a few more would have given us more of an opportunity to see things. I would also suggest doing it in various places. The west of the island is meant to be the best, according to a few of our local guides.

Mammals and Amphibians

Because of where the island is, there are not many endemic mammal or amphibian species in Mauritius. The most obvious and common mammal is the Mauritian flying fox, which dominates the sky in the evening and at night. Out of all of the wildlife in Mauritius, this is the noisiest. We heard them throughout the night at our hotel and saw them gliding overhead often.

During our time in the ebony forest, we also saw some tenrecs. These are introduced species from the neighbouring Madagascar. We saw a group of young tenrecs, but did not see the mother. Apparently they scream and have a nasty bite if threatened, so we had to move away quite quickly.

In terms of amphibians, there are very few species on the island. We saw a guttural toad when we were in the Pamplemousse gardens, in fact, we almost stood on it! However, aside from that we did not see any other amphibians.

Terrestrial Invertebrates

The invertebrate life in Mauritius is vast and it would be impossible to discuss all of them. We came across mosquitos more than any other species. In the Pamplemousse Gardens and at night, these bit us a lot. There is no malaria on the island but other diseases have been recorded, so make sure you take precaution.

Flying insects were really common and we would often see birds catching them on the wing. By one of the pools was a large yellow oriental paper wasp. These apparently have a nasty sting so we took care not to annoy them. However, they were quite inquisitive and would land on our books regularly. Probably drawn by our sweet ice lattes…

Catching the flying wildlife of Mauritius are, of course, the spiders. We did not see too many and the only large ones were in the Pamplemousse Gardens. Even then, they were orbweavers and were not too scary. Apparently, there are tarantula and huntsman spider species on the island, but we did not see any… Thankfully!

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Wildlife of Mauritius | What to see on the Island