Animals in Maldives

The Maldives is a gorgeous island chain made up of over a thousand islands in the Indian Ocean. The islands are made up of approximately ninety-nine percent sea, and therefore most of it's wildlife is connected to the ocean ecosystem.

Only two terrestrial mammals are native to the Maldives, and they are both fruit bats. They are the Indian flying fox and the variable flying fox. These bats are threatened due to being targeted and killed because they are viewed as pests in crops such as mango and guava.

Although the Maldives are a breeding ground for several species of sea birds, the Maldivian pond heron, lesser frigate, the white tern, and the black-naped tern are native on the islands. The later three are sea birds built to fly over the ocean. The white tern is sometimes called the fairy tern, presumably because it is a beautiful white color.

Hypolimnas bolina euphorioides and Junonia villida chagoensis are the names of two butterflies indigenous to the Maldives. They are often referred to as the blue moon butterfly and the meadow argus, respectively. They prefer the island's forested areas for their habitat.

The sea of the Maldives is home to a type of Cuvier's beaked whale that can sometimes be a striking dark red color. The short beaked saddleback dolphin also roams the Maldives ocean waters, and it likes to travel in groups of five or more. Fortunately, unlike many other sea mammals, neither of these wonderful animals are considered to be threatened species.

The remote, tropical islands of the Maldives are home to an abundance of fantastic animals.