Lakshwadweep Wildlife

Flora and Fauna

What meets the eye at first glance is the lush green colour that gracious tall palm trees paint. Undoubtedly, coconut is the only commercial crop. Deep green shrubs known lacally as Kanni, Cholam, Punna, Cheerani characteristically border the base of coconut palms. Iplomea is a conspicuous ground runner.

Shrubs & runners play a strongrole in preventing erosion. The state tree is the breadfruit tree. Common farms spacies taht people tend, are Cows, Goats & Ducks. Rats as usual rae a menace to coconut crops. There are no Dogs & Snakes on the islands. Only a few islands have Crows. Common sea birds are Taratashi & Karifetu, the farmer being the state bird. Most of them nest on an island called Pitti- a bird sanctuary.

Apart from common froms of life, exotic, kaleidoscopic life under watre is abundent & marvellou. As a result of rich life, there always exists competition for good, shelter & mates. To cope up with this, some day dream & wake up at light allowing others to have their meal by the day. Strikingly the colourful fishes draw one's attention by their interesting behavior, peculiar forms & captivating movements. Gracefully swimming from place to place are the butterfly fishes resembling butterflies in the underwater garden.

Gazers of the green pastures are Surgeonfishes. Of great many varieties of surgeons, the one commonly seen is the Powder Blue Sureonfish. They are called so because of a razor like spine they carry near the tail. Beacuse of strong beaks, the Parrotfishes attained their name. Cute Damselfishes live among branching corals showing territorial behavoir. Earthly pincushions aliens are Porcupine fishes that inflate themselves into a ball, eracting the spines when distributed.

A similar cousin to them is the Pufferfish, snake like resident of dark crevices are Morey Eels which hunt by smell at night & their enemy is the Octipue as it seeks the same dark resting places.Sedentary & slow moving creatures are Sea Cucumbers, shelled animals(Molluses) & Hermit Crabs. A variety of crab, lobstres 7 shrimps inhabit the crevices of corals.

Lots of food fishes inhabit the coral atolls. The Mas-Choorai or Choorai, as people of Lakshadweep call Tuna, is their chicken of the sea & is mainly caught using poles & lines, with live bait to charm them. Playful Dolphins, Turtles, Rays & Flying fishes are occasionally seen by keen observers.