Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The only terrestrial
mammals
native to Fiji are
bats
, of which there are two endemic species
- the Fijian flying fox and the small Fiji blossom bat. Otherwise the islands' largest land-
based species are comprised solely of reptiles and amphibians. These include the
crested
rowing snake - two frogs and a variety of tiny geckos or skinks. Fiji's forests support a huge
range of
insects
including 44 recorded varieties of
butterflies
; most have simple brown and
black colourings in order to blend in with the dark foliage. Much more vivid are the
dragon-
flies
, which are commonly seen at streams within the forest.
The
mongoose
, often seen scuttling across roads between cane fields, was introduced from
India in the 1880s to control rats that were damaging sugar plantations. Without a natural
predator they thrived and along with the
mynah
, an aggressive and chatty black and white
bird introduced at the same time, they have been responsible for chasing much of Fiji's native
birdlife away from the coastal areas and into the deep forest. The best islands for
birdwatch-
ing
are Kadavu and Taveuni which remain free of the mongoose. The introduction of the
exceptionally ugly
cane toad
from South America in the 1930s to check the spread of cane
beetles was similarly short-sighted. When threatened, the cane toad and its tadpoles excrete a
milky poison from glands on the back which can kill native wildlife. Unfortunately, the toad
is now prolific around Fiji's countryside.