The diverse vegetation in the Maldives
Not every plant loves the lime-rich soil of the coral islands, which is the ideal breeding ground for the coconut palm. It can therefore be found on every island and is an indispensable source of food and raw materials. The coconut palm can live up to 100 years and produces a yield of 50 to 80 nuts per year.
The second most common representative of the tree flora is the screw palm. Typical features are the stilt roots - long, spirally arranged stems and the edible fruits the size of a child's head, which are similar in appearance to the pineapple, but are a vegetable.
A third type of palm is the betel nut palm, which provides betel nuts, which are essential for Maldivians.
The largest tree species is the banyan tree, whose trunk can be up to 5 m in diameter.
Bananas, papayas and breadfruit trees with their knobby fruits can be found on every inhabited island. Mango trees, on the other hand, can almost only be seen on Malé.
The Indian almond tree as well as mangroves and scaevola bushes can be found near the beach. They form a dense, head-high bush with evergreen, leathery leaves and are resistant to the effects of salt water. The wood from the mangroves is used for construction and charcoal production.
In the northern and southern atolls, where the soil is more fertile, sweet potatoes, cassava, taro and, as cereals, millet and corn are grown more extensively. Hibiscus, bougainvillea and pagoda bushes, whose yellowish-white flower stars look like delicate porcelain structures, are often found as ornamental plants, especially on holiday islands.
The diverse fauna of the atolls
Larger mammals that inhabit mainland India and Sri Lanka can swim a maximum of 40 km and therefore cannot reach the Maldives by sea. Smaller mammals, isolated in small numbers, could come from neighboring countries on driftwood with the current of the northeast monsoon. However, their number is limited. Birds are primarily found above water and can easily colonize the islands. 113 bird species (mostly seabirds) have been recorded. Of these, only 20 species stay in the Maldives all year round. Predominantly there are herons, shearwaters, boobies, frigate birds, seagulls, terns, rails, lemicoles, cuckoos and crows.
One of the most common animals on the islands comes - no surprise - from the water. It's the hermit crab. You don't even need five fingers on one hand to list the mammals. The main ones worth mentioning are the black rat and the flying fox, a species of bat. On some islands there are feral rabbits and cats and on the local islands you can occasionally find goats. Snakes and scorpions are extremely rare. However, lizards and geckos are often found. Despite their somewhat frightening appearance, geckos are absolutely harmless and should be handled with care as they are reliable mosquito killers.
Coral is the main element of the underwater world. Almost 70 genera of this animal species are known here. Each coral stock consists of a colony of countless polyps that live in a self-made calcareous cell. New generations settle on the shells of dead polyps, and in this way the calcareous structure grows and enlarges.
The species diversity of fish is even greater. To cover them all would require an entire book. You can see parrotfish, rays, small surgeonfish, lionfish and the inconspicuous pufferfish and porcupinefish, which inflate themselves when threatened. Some caves serve as shelter during the day for moray eels and turtles, some of which are huge. At depths of 20 to 30 m you can come across all kinds of large fish. Some, like the devil ray known as the manta ray, are 5 to 7 m long. In some places it is almost certain that sharks of considerable size will be encountered. But don't worry: sharks are fish eaters and live in the Maldivian waters like the proverbial maggot in bacon.
