animals on Tahiti and her islands
Polynesian fauna is essentially composed of birds and fishes and of some land animals: During their great migrations, the ancient Polynesians brought with them dogs, pigs and chicken which adapted very well to a tropical environment. Two centuries ago, the Europeans brought horses, cats, donkeys, bovines, turkeys, goats (which became wild in the Marquesas). There is no monkeys and no parrots (unlike in the old cliche), no snake or other dangerous species, except for "centipedes" whose bite is painful and, of course, mosquitoes. You will see many small harmless lezards and some geckos, (very useful as they eat mosquitoes) and land crabs ("tupa") living in holes near the lagoons. Some roaches make their home around poorly maintained areas.
<!--[if !vml]-->A hundred species of birds: classified in 2 categories, the sea birds and the land birds. The sea birds include Terns, Frigates, White-tailed tropicbirds, Petrels, Puffins and Boobies. Most of these birds seldom venture far from the shores and feed on fish and crustaceans. Most land birds belong to migrating species. The Kuckoo from New Zealand, the plover, the Alaskan curlew, the knight or the Sanderling sandpiper flock to our islands in August and return to nest in the cold counties of the Northern hemisphere in March. Let us not forget the roosters, introduced by the early Polynesians and found everywhere in the islands, but also ducks, swallows and even some buzards. pigeons and warblers are seen near the shores, while monarchs, Tahitian kingfishers Chattering kingfishers, doves and Tangara, silvereye and warhills (the famous "Vini") prefer the inside of the island.
There are many species of fishes throughout the islands: No less than a thousand species of fishes populate the lagoons (not to mention molluscs and crustaceans) among which many species of Surgeon fish, Demoiselles, Barbillons, Picasso fish, not to mention groupers and parrot fishes which are abundantly fished. Beyond the reef, in the "Big Blue", you can encounter a great variety of sharks, dolphins, swordfishes, tunas and bonitos, not to mention jackfishes, mahi mahi, rays and, in some islands, turtles, whose capture is strictly prohibited. Near the Austral Islands, you frequently encounter whales, especially between August and November. But it is not unusual to see some around Tahiti. Some rivers are home to eels, especially in the Peninsula and in Huahine, but chevrettes, a local variety of fresh water shrimp is regularly fished there.
Tahiti and her Islands now possess a biosphere reserve located in the Tuamotu archipelago in
the commune of Fakarava which has been recognized by UNESCO since 1977. Protecting
whales and dolphins in its entire economic zone of 4 million square kilometres (1,544,402
sq mi), French Polynesia has been classified as a marine mammal sanctuary since
May of 2002.
On August
2003, the Minister of the Environment. Mr. Bruno Sandras, was presented with a
certificate and a World Wildlife Fund cup in international recognition of the
territory’s actions to protect whales in the Pacific Ocean. Since 2002, activities
which include approaching whales and other marine mammals are regulated and
henceforth approach authorizations from the environmental authorities are
mandatory.
