I've long been a naturalist and an animal watcher, and the Seychelles provided
opportunities for enjoying exotic critters of all sorts. Here are just a few
from my field book, from the gorgeous Fairy Tern to the world's largest
tortoises, and more.
I've long been a naturalist and an animal watcher, and the Seychelles provided
opportunities for enjoying exotic critters of all sorts. Here are just a few
from my field book. Note the Bradt Seychelles guide is better for amateur
naturalists than any travel guide I've ever used. Kudos to the authors for the
hard work in putting together this formidable resource.
Here are some notes from my field book.
Aldabra Tortoise (Geochelone gigantea): Hundreds of pounds each and bigger than
a typical German Shepherd, these giant tortoises were not far from extinction
in the 18th and 19th centuries but have since rebounded in more enlightened
times. They are thriving in the Seychelles in the Aldabra Atoll, where they
roam in the hundreds of thousands, and elsewhere through the islands. I
photographed these ones in captivity in Mahe, but there's also a pretty fun
population living in La Digue, which are easy to visit. Valentina was
impressed!
Madagascar Fody (Foudia madagascariensis): These gorgeous little birds are
braver than they look, and had little fear flying right up to us to beg for
bread crumbs. It's hard not to be appreciative of the flash of red in the
branches, though, as their whimsical aerial acrobatics were thrilling and
entertaining to watch.
Indian mynah (Acridotheres tristis): These birds were harder to photograph than
I thought they'd be. Easily the most common bird around the Granitic islands
of the Seychelles, their caw was loud and raspy and slightly scary. But the
yellow bands on the beak and the white wing bands make them very flashy fliers
and I never minded having them around.
Fairy Tern (Gygis alba): I'm partial to terns anyway, as they have been
somewhat of a familiar for me for ages. But Fairy Terns, absolutely snow
white, long tail like a jet contrail and flying at an altitude almost too high
to capture, are something truly special. I confess the picture here is scanned
from a magazine. I wasn't once able to capture these gorgeous things on film,
though I tried for two weeks.
Green Gecko (Phelsuma astriati): I've been living with geckos of all sorts and
colors for much of my life, from Indonesia to Nicaragua to Benin. But I'd
never seen a gecko quite as brightly colored as this one. They're all over the
Seychelles, and fast as heck.
The Crab Hassler of La Digue: This one doesn't qualify as exotic, tropical
fauna, but it is a pretty fun story. We were lounging on the sand at Anse
Source de l'Argent, a particularly gorgeous beach (although not great for
swimming). And from somewhere this shaggy dog appeared. Obviously well fed
and cared for but without collar, this island dog started sniffing at a crab
hole, then dug until he was shoulder deep in the sand. Suddenly the crab
popped out and made a beeline for the water's edge. Doggy-dog went happily
after it, barking at it and sniffing it carefully because the crab fought back
with its powerful claws.
Doggy-dog never got the crab, but it began to look like he wasn't trying to eat
it, just having fun with a partner worthy of chasing. Lots of fun.
