Mauritius - Reptiles

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The endemic birds – and to a lesser extent, plants – of Mauritius have received much international press coverage, but few people know that a fascinating ensemble of endangered reptiles exists there also, most significantly on a small chunk of volcanic rock called Round Island, 22km north of Mauritius.

Other offshore islets and the mainland itself support four endemic day geckos (genus Phelsuma), two more night geckos (genus Nactus) and two small skink species (genus Gongylomorphus).

Round Island is a tilted volcanic cone rising 278m above the sea. Its surface area covers 219ha. Surrounded by rough seas and often buffeted by strong winds, the island has remained uninhabited by man and rats, allowing reptiles, seabirds and plants that have perished elsewhere to survive. Five of Round Island’s eight reptile species are now endemic to the island and endangered: the large Telfair’s skink (Leiolopisma telfairi); the strangely nocturnal Round Island ‘day’ gecko (Phelsuma guentheri); the tiny nocturnal Durrell’s night gecko (Nactus durrelli); and the remarkable keel-scaled boa (Casarea dussumieri). The fifth, the Round Island burrowing boa (Bolyeria multocarinata), was last seen in 1975 and is sadly presumed extinct. (For more information on Round Island.

In recent years, a number of initiatives have been implemented to improve the long-term outlook for these species. As part of the Darwin Initiative Reptile Conservation Project, Telfair’s skink was reintroduced to Ile aux Aigrettes and Coin de Mire. In January 2008, the MWF announced that the first of a new generation of Telfair’s skinks had been discovered on Ile aux Aigrettes. This was the first time for 150 years that the skink had been known to reproduce naturally in the wild, outside of Round Island. Since 2008, the MWF has translocated 382 orange-tail skinks (Gongylomorphus fontenayi spp.) from Flat Island to Coin de Mire. Initial observations show that they are doing well and starting to produce offspring.

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Mauritius - Reptiles

Natural History

Mauritius - Reptiles