The woods provide a home for the melodious Magpie Robin, pretty little sunbirds, Kingfishers, Tailor Birds and Flowerpeckers. The Changeable Hawk Eagle is commonly sighted soaring above the island along with the handsome Brahminy Kite. A total of 19 birds have already been identified on the Island. The Great Mormon is one of the common butterflies and a little observation will reveal interesting land snails, the beautiful Golden Web Spider, lizards, grasshoppers and ghost crabs.

Exploring the mangrove will reveal periwinkles, mudskippers, halfbeaks, cardinal fish, and a variety of scurrying crabs. The reef flat at low tide reveals even more treasures with sea cucumbers, stone crabs, anemones, shrimps and sponges to name but a few. Reef-shoes are essential for exploring here; sharp spiny molluscs and even the odd fish can strike the unwary.

The island is surrounded by a shallow fringing reef and snorkellers will find plenty to keep themselves amused. Plate, massive and mushroom corals predominate the reef with patches of staghorn coral, daisy coral, leather corals and the occasional giant clam.

In among the corals more than half a dozen species of damsel fish challenge your skills at identification, along with shuffling goat fish, butterfly fish, snappers, wrasse, rabbit fish and tusk fish. You can look out for at least two species of the playful anemone fish and passing schools of yellow-tailed barracuda, fusiliers, parrotfish and perhaps catch a glimpse of the blue spotted stingray.

Dedicated information on the islands natural history is available on the island along with reference books and maps. Please help us by recording your discoveries and adding to our growing species list.

Survey Record at 20th August 2002 by Subaraj Rajathurai and Helen Newman