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The islands are a haven for wildlife, particularly birds and tropical fish. The government's conservation policies, which include the formation of several marine and nature reserves, seem to protect the vividness of nature.
Flora
The coconut palm and casuarinas are the most common trees on the islands.
There are also banyans, screw pines (vacoas), bamboo and tortoes tree (so named because the fruit looks like the tortoise that eat it).
Virgin forest now only exists in the higher parts of Mahe and Silhouette, and in the Vallee de Mai on Praslin, one of only three places in the world where the giant coco de mer palms grows. The other two are Silhouette and Curieuse islands. Out of about 200 plant species, 80 are endemic. These include the bois rouge, which has broad, reddish leaves and red wood, the capucin, named because its seed resembles the hood of Capuchin monk.
The capucin features prominently in the paintings of Maianne North, the English artist who visited the islands in 1883 to paint their plant life. Her work was donated to Kew Botanic Garden in London and the
'Seychelles collection' is on view in north Gallery there. In the high, remote parts of Mahe and Silhouette islands you may come across the insect- eating pitcher plant, which either clings to adjacent trees or bushes or sprawls along the ground. On the floral front, there are plenty of orchids, bougainvilleas, hibiscuses, gardenias and frangipan. The Botanical Gardens in Victoria are well kept and provide a pleasant and interesting walk.
Fauna
Common mammals and reptiles around the islands are fruit bat or flying fox, chauves Souris, gecko and skink. Electric wires cause problems for bats: on Mahe, you may see their electrocuted cadavers hanging between the wires. There are also some small snakes, but they are not dangerous.
Insect life on the Seychelles is represented by more than 3000 species. Among the more interesting insects are the lumbering rhinoceros beetle whose larvae cause considerable damage by feeding on young shoots of coconut palms: the giant tenebrionid beetle, a bizarre amalgamation of legs and knobby body, unique to Fregate Island; and the various kinds of wasp, which excel in creating mud pots attached to vegetation rocks and walls.
Despite impressive appearance the giant millipedes, palm spiders and whipscorpian are not life- threatening, but you can expect a nasty reaction if you handle them.
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