Mauritius - Marine Life

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Like many reputable holiday companies we are ABTA registered, our ABTA membership number is 65310.

We also use ATOL protected tour operators. However if you wish to use a tour operator who is not ATOL protected then we will take our supplier failure insurance on your behalf.

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The marine life of Mauritius has also suffered since man’s arrival, although it is still an important attraction for visitors.

It is easy to visit coral gardens in depths of 7–20m through hotel diving centres (see Chapter 3, Scuba diving, pages 89–92). The range of fish to be seen, especially those engaging in antics like the boxfish with their curious sculling action and the trumpet fish with their darting movements, is fascinating.

The appeal of the reef is enhanced by the variety of the coral that is among the most beautiful in the world. Because of the sunlight that filters through sea of the right salinity and temperature, the coral thrives better in the waters of Mauritius than elsewhere. There are notable coral gardens at the southern corners of Mauritius, off La Morne Brabant and Blue Bay.

Shell collecting has been rapacious since the 1960s and the Mauritius Scuba Diving Association now considers collecting unacceptable. To meet demand for souvenirs, shells are imported from the Philippines to be sold to tourists who want something pretty.

The rarest and most valuable shells in the world, such as the several varieties of conus, Lambis violacea and Cypraea onyx-nymphal, have been found off Mauritius. There is an extensive collection of shells at the Mauritius Museum Council in Port Louis . A model of the rare cone (Conus milneedwardsi) can be seen among the exhibits. This was brought up in a fisherman’s basket net from a depth of 40 fathoms, off the coast of Black River. Also exhibited is a giant clam (Tridacna gigas), the largest clam ever evolved.

Cone and cowrie shells, while delightful, can be deadly if of the Conus aulieus, geographicus, marmoreus, rattus, textile or tulipa species. Poison injected from their sharp ends can bring death within 150 minutes, with no known antidote. There have been 105 species recorded. Harp shells, four species with ribs resembling the strings of a harp, are attractive to collectors, especially the double harp (Harpa costata), which is not found outside Mauritian waters. There are 135 species of mitre shells (Mitridae), which are spindle- to oval-shaped and notched in front. Murex shells, such as Murex tenuispina with its elongated, jagged stem, are popular. The purple fluid secreted by them was used in ancient times as a dye.

Starfish are common and the presence of the crown of thorns (Achantaster plancei) is destructive to coral. An excellent specimen of the very rare Acanthocidaris curvatispinis, which is known only in Mauritius, is on display at the Natural History Museum in Port Louis. The collection of echinoderms there also contains a remarkable specimen of Chondrocidaris gigantea, exhibited in a special showcase as it is considered to be the most beautiful sea urchin in the world.

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