Mayotte

África

115

Documented species

Parks and reserves

Dive sites

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Mayotte is the oldest island in the Comoros archipelago and its heavily eroded volcanic relief is surrounded by one of the most extensive lagoons in the world, closed off by a double barrier reef that along some stretches forms a twin alignment rarely found anywhere on the planet. That lagoon of more than a thousand square kilometres holds seagrass meadows, inner reefs, islets and one of the most important green turtle populations in the western Indian Ocean. Mangroves fringe much of the coastline and act as a fish nursery and a sediment filter. Inland, fragments of rainforest remain on the summits, with maquis and ferns, greatly reduced by hillside farming.

The nature of Mayotte

National animal: The maki, or Mayotte brown lemur, the island's emblematic species

Did you know?

On the beaches of southern Mayotte, above all at Saziley and Moya, green turtles come ashore to lay year-round with no marked season, something unusual in the species. Every night several females climb the sand to dig their nests, and those beaches are watched permanently because poaching for meat remains a real threat despite legal protection.

Biodiversity profile

Islas del Índico

Main biomes

•Laguna con arrecife barrera doble
•Manglar costero
•Pradera marina
•Bosque húmedo de cumbre
•Playa de puesta de tortugas
•Islote coralino
•Ladera volcánica erosionada

Flagship wildlife

•Tortuga verde
•Lémur mongoz
•Dugongo
•Ballena jorobada
•Tortuga carey
•Delfín mular
•Zorro volador de las Comoras
•Garza de arrecife
•Manta de arrecife
•Cangrejo violinista

Notable endemic species

•Drongo de Mayotte
•Camaleón de Mayotte
•Zosterops de Mayotte

Notable protected areas

•Parque Natural Marino de Mayotte
•Playa de Saziley
•Islote de Mtsamboro
•Reserva de Moya
•Manglares de Chirongui
•Monte Choungui

Conservation

The marine nature park covers the territory's entire exclusive economic zone and protects the lagoon, its mangroves and its meadows. The dugong is on the brink of local extinction, with very few individuals seen in recent years.

Where and when to watch wildlife

Saziley and Moya year-round, at night, for green turtle laying. The lagoon between July and October for humpback whales. The mangroves at low tide for coastal birds and crabs.