[Photo - Parrot Fish found in the Maldives Islands]

The islands have an incredible number of colourful, tropical fish and when you visit you’re bound to see many of them. A few of these include Butterfly fish, Dolphins, Angelfish, Parrot fish and Flutemouth. The colors and shapes of some of these fish are as varied and intriguing as their names would suggest. Divers are sure to have an experience of a lifetime in the Maldives.

While there are a healthy variety of birds inhabiting the islands, there are fewer varieties of land based animals. Common to the islands are flying foxes, geckos and garden lizards. There are also a couple of species of snake (not dangerous).

There are over 100 species of birds so expect to see crows, parakeets, and water hens as well as koel birds. Also present are herons, seagulls and noddys.

Contrary to the first impressions of most people, the Maldives islands are not especially hospitable to plants, mainly because the soil does not have the nutrients to support a large and varied diversity of plant life. The main type of vegetation include coconut trees, vines, banyan trees as well as mangroves. Also found are Breadfruit trees and Bamboos. Flowering plants include Bougainvillaea and Frangipani.

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