Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WILDLIFE
The most obvious natural wonders of Fiji are to be found in its vast ocean habitats,
littered with diverse coral reefs and bursting with over four thousand species of fish.
Equally fascinating are the islands' steamy rainforests and mangroves, thick in vegeta-
tion and home to an elusive and vivid collection of native birds, though, with the excep-
tion of bats, devoid of any native mammals.
As with many isolated island groups, Fiji's terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems are partic-
ularly rich in
endemic species
(unique occurrences of species within a limited geographic
area). Almost a thousand have been documented and over half of the country's plant species
are unique to the islands.
Coral reefs and marine life
Fiji has some of the most accessible
coral reefs
in the world, often starting just metres from
the beach and extending along veins or passages to the steep drop-offs of the fringing reefs
where
reef sharks
or spinner dolphins can often be spotted. Deep, rich currents support large
pelagic fish including tuna and trevally as well as bull, tiger and hammerhead sharks. Hump-
back
whales
, once frequent visitors between May and October, are now seldom encountered,
with only a handful of sightings each year mostly around Lomaiviti, though smaller
pilot
whales
can be seen year-round.
Extensive
barrier reefs
flank most of the larger volcanic islands. The longest is the Great
Sea Reef off Vanua Levu, which has been ranked as globally significant owing to its unique
diversity and exceptional level of endemic species. Other globally important
reef systems
in-
clude the Lomaiviti Triangle in the Koro Sea as well as the isolated reefs of Rotuma which
support unique coral species. Smaller
patch reefs
can be found within the huge lagoon sys-
tem of the Mamanuca Group and make popular snorkelling and diving spots. In the shallow
lagoons of Viti Levu, those reefs not damaged by fishing are increasingly becoming bleached
as a result of rising sea temperatures.
