Animals in Northern Mariana Islands

Northern Mariana Islands is a group of 15 islands in an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The Marianas Trench falls deep along the east side of the islands. The native fauna of Northern Marianas is as varied and diverse as the habitats in which each one dwells.

Marianas Flying Fox Fruit Bats have brownish-black bodies with large dark eyes surrounded by a wolf like head. Some have a stripe of golden or light colored fur crossing their shoulders. They mostly dwell in the forests but have been found in urban areas in search of easy meals.

The Golden White Eye bird dressed in its golden plumage with bright orange beak and feet flies from tree to tree searching for insects to eat. Its trilling warbles and loud whistles are commonly heard throughout the island's forests on the steep mountainsides. This bird is strictly found on the Northern Marianas only.

Marianas Nightingale Reed Warbler bird dwells in the wetlands nesting on the reeds and mountainside forests. They have a brownish-green colored back with a mild yellow chest. Wetlands habitat has allowed the Nightingale Reed Warbler to flourish on this island due to lack of disruption by humans.

The colorful Mariana fruit dove with its iridescent plumage green wings, a red cap on its head is the official bird of Northern Marianas. They only lay a single egg tended to by both parents in wooded forests. Fruit is the main portion of the dove's diet. Mariana Gray Swiftlet and Mariana Crow are also native island residents from urban cities of humans to the mountainside forests.

Slevin's skink is a reptile dwelling on the in tree trunks, grasslands and forest floors hunting snails and insects for its meals. This is a very large lizard up to 4 inches or 95 millimeters. Their body is sleek decorated with brown or tan scales with white spots alternating among them. Their stomachs can be dull to a very bright orange color. Very little else is known about this elusively shy creature.

Most of Northern Mariana's native species are considered threatened or endangered to due disease, chemical pesticides and habitat destruction, introduction of predators which were virtually unknown on the island until humanity landed. Invasive wildlife species are a constant threat of pushing out Northern Mariana's native wildlife as well.