Wildlife of Andaman & Nicobar Islands

The Islands is covered with a unique luxuriant evergreen tropical rain forest. It has around 2200 varieties of plants, out of which 200 are considered as endemic and 1300 do not occur in rest part of India.

The southern part contains on epiphytic vegetation, the middle one harbours mostly moist deciduous forests while the Nicobar is blanketed with lush grasslands. Almost 86.2% of the total land area is covered with diverse kind of vegetation.

As far as mammal in Island is concerned, they are not here in large number. Forest department has reported to have around 50 species of mammals in Andaman & Nicobar.

Some prominent mammals in the park include the sus scrofa Andamanensis, S.S.nicobaricus, Andaman wild boar, feral elephants, 26 species of rodents and 14 species of bat .

The Islands has 270 species of birds including 14 species endemic birds. The endemic birds are Andaman serpent-eagle, Andaman crake, brown coucal, andaman scops-owl, narcondam hornbill, Andaman woodpecker, Andaman drongo, Andaman treepie, Nicobar serpent-eagle, Nicobar sparrowhawk, Nicobar parakeet, Nicobar bulbul, Nicobar scrubfowl, Andaman woodpigeon, Andaman cuckoo-dove, Andaman hawk-owl and white-headed starling.

The island is solely known for having rich and diverse kind of marine life. Out of 1000 marine life on the coral, 135 are of Andaman alone. As you plunge into the water, you will have stunning the coral heads and the amazing variety of fish.

Some frequently found corals in the Island include brain coral, finger coral, antler coral, plate coral, vase coral and leather coral. And butterflies are one more spectacular feature of wildlife at the Islands. It has 225 species of beautiful butterflies, out of which 10 are considered endemic to the Islands.

You can marvel at the flora and fauna of some amazing uninhabited tropical islands by exploring the coast at Wandoor National Park It is located in South Island, 29 km from Port Blair.

Regular boat trips take off from Wandoor village, and take you on a magical ride around lagoons, coral islands, sheltered coves and bays. You can see colourful tropical fish, exquisite coral formations, the giant robber crab, sea anemones, star fish and a myriad of other creatures. On the water surface, you can see dolphins at play.