Seychelles is a small island country located in the Sea of Zanj due north of Madagascar, with Antsiranana as its nearest foreign city. Seychelles lies between approximately 4ºS and 10ºS and 46ºE and 54ºE. The nation is an archipelago of 115 tropical islands, some granite and some coral. the majority of which are small and uninhabited. The landmass is only 452 km2 (175 sq mi), but the islands are spread wide over an exclusive economic zone of 1,336,559 km2 (516,048 sq mi). About 90 percent of the population of 90,000 live on Mahé, 9 percent on Praslin and La Digue. Around a third of the land area is the island of Mahé and a further third the atoll of Aldabra.
The Aldabra giant tortoise is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is endemic to the Seychelles, with the nominate subspecies, A. g. gigantea native to Aldabra atoll. It is one of the largest tortoises in the world. Historically, giant tortoises were found on many of the western Indian Ocean islands, as well as Madagascar, and the fossil record indicates giant tortoises once occurred on every continent and many islands with the exception of Australia and Antarctica.
Gryllus campestris, the European field cricket or simply the field cricket in the British Isles, is the type species of crickets in its genus and tribe Gryllini. These flightless dark colored insects are comparatively large; the males range from 19 to 23 mm and the females from 17 to 22 mm.
Gardiner's Seychelles frog is a small frog of the family Sooglossidae and endemic to the Seychelles. It is named after John Stanley Gardiner, English zoologist and oceanographer.
The Seychelles scops owl, also known as bare-legged scops owl or syer is a rare scops owl species, which only occurs in the Morne Seychellois National Park on the Seychelles island of Mahé.
The Seychelles palm frog is a species of frog that is endemic to Silhouette Island in the Seychelles. It is closely related to Gardiner's frog, Sechellophryne gardineri.
The Seychelles white-eye is a rare warbler-like perching bird from the family of white-eyes (Zosteropidae). It is endemic to the Seychelles. At one time thought to be extinct, it was rediscovered and is now listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN.
The Seychelles skink also known as the Mangouya, is a species of skink in the family Scincidae. It is endemic to the Seychelles.
Phoenicophorium, the thief palm, is a monotypic genus of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. The sole species is Phoenicophorium borsigianum.
The East African black mud turtle, also known as the Pan terrapin, is a species of turtle in the family Pelomedusidae, native to eastern and southeastern Africa.
The Seychelles sheath-tailed bat is a sac-winged bat found in the central granitic islands of the Seychelles. They are nocturnal insectivores that roost communally in caves. The species was previously abundant across much of the archipelago, but has since seen a substantial loss of habitat. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed the species as being critically endangered, due to population decline. This is mainly due to an increase in land development and the introduction of invasive species.
The tiger chameleon, also known as the Seychelles tiger chameleon, is the only species in the resurrected genus Archaius. Initially placed into Chamaeleo, it was for some time moved to the genus Calumma by some. It is an endangered species of chameleon, found only on the Seychelles islands of Mahé, Silhouette and Praslin.
Argyrodes fissifrontellus is a species of tangle-web spider that is endemic to the Seychelles, and can be found on Mahé and Silhouette islands. It is found in woodland areas where it spins orb webs in vegetation, or is a keptoparasite in red-legged golden orb-web spider webs. It is threatened by habitat deterioration due to invasive plants, especially Cinnamomum verum.
Seselphisis visenda, the Seychelles predatory bush-cricket, is a species of cricket first described by Bolivar in 1912. It is a member of the family Tettigoniidae in the order Orthoptera. It is found in the forests of the islands of Mahé, Silhouette, Praslin and La Digue in the Seychelles.
Afrolychas braueri, commonly known as the Seychelles forest scorpion, is a species of scorpion in the family Buthidae. It is currently thought to survive only on Silhouette Island, Seychelles, although the species was historically found on two additional Seychellois islands. This scorpion lives in leaf litter in forests that are largely unaffected by invasive plant species. It is a small yellowish-brown scorpion with three prominent keels on the dorsal surface of its mesosoma, which distinguishes it from other scorpions. While not much is known about the Seychelles forest scorpion's ecology due to the paucity of sightings, it is known to rely solely on its venom to capture its prey and defend its young. Its venom is not dangerous to humans.
Carausius scotti, or Scott's stick insect, is an insect species endemic to Silhouette Island in the Seychelles. It was assessed as critically endangered in The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2007 as a restricted range species with an area of occupancy of 10 square kilometres (3.9 sq mi) with an estimated extent of occurrence (EOO) of 18 square kilometres (6.9 sq mi). The species is primarily threatened with declining woodland habitats due to invasive plants and also climactic factors such as droughts. It is present in the protected area of Silhouette National Park as a part of conservation efforts, however more conservation actions are needed, as well as further research to determine population sizes and trends.
