Before the arrival of man some 500 years ago, Mauritius was a reptile dominated island with beautiful giant tortoises, snakes and lizards. Today only a few of these unique reptiles remain.

"Ilot Vacoas Bojer's skink" (Gongylomorphus bojerii sp.)
This rare lizard looks like the Bojer's skinks on the northern islands, but it is a unique form that is now restricted to Ilot Vacoas. Once found on the other islands in the southeast, the skinks disappeared following the introduction of shrews, snakes and rats. Ilot Vacoas has remained free of these introduced species and so the skinks survived. The introduced species have been removed from the small island and the skinks are being moved back to their former homes in an attempt to save this unique lizard from extinction.

"Telfair's skink" (Leiolopisma telfairii)
The biggest of the Mauritian lizards, the Telfair's skink feeds on fruits, insects and sometimes other lizards.
As a fruit eater it disperses endemic plants.
It can be found on Ile aux Aigrettes where it has been re-introduced from Round Island in 2006.

"Lezard vert" or "Gecko" (Phelsuma ornata)
This charismatic gecko carries the colours of the Mauritian flag.
It plays an important role in the ecosystem as it pollinates endemic plants.
It is found on Ile aux Aigrettes as well as on coastal mainland Mauritius.
You can spot it basking in the sun on native plants such as Vacoas, Palmier and Latanier.

"Bouton's skink" (Cryptoblepharus boutonii)
This fast moving skink with its beautiful shiny glow still lives on Ile de la Passe, Ilot Vacoas and Ile aux Fouquets.
It is the only native lizard which can also be found outside Mauritius.
Unfortunately, heating of rocks through barbecuing and dropping of litter causes many skinks to die every year.

Lesser night gecko" (Nactus coindemirensis)
This shy nocturnal gecko lives in the rocks on Ilot Vacoas.
As it lives and lays its eggs in the rocks along the coast it is important not to barbecue there, damage or cover the rocks.
The lesser night gecko is eaten and outcompeted by the introduced house gecko.
The two species look similar but the house gecko is stronger and literally throws the night gecko out of his home.
For this reason the night gecko can only survive on Ilot Vacoas where house gecko has not been introduced.

What threatens our lizards?
- Barbecuing and fire: By heating the rocks in which they live you can fry the lizards, their eggs and offspring. Please use only mobile barbecue sets and take your oil and hot coals home.
- Litter: Reptiles will often get trapped in litter and die. Please take your rubbish home.
- Animals: Rats, shrews, snakes, chameleons, cats, dogs and even the house gecko are a major threat to our reptiles and are one of the main reasons they are no longer found on mainland Mauritius. Just one of these animals can wipe out a whole reptile population. Please make sure you have none on board when setting off on your boat.

Last update: 25 March 2009