FLORA AND FAUNA
FLORA
The archipelago of Socotra hosts unique flora, with a high level of endemism. It is sometimes referred to "The Galapagos of the Indian Ocean." Of the island's 825 plant species, an estimated 307 are endemic, found nowhere else on Earth.
The Islands were renowned since the antiquity for the trade of the resins of three very important plants: Aloe, Dragon’s Blood (Dracaena cinnabari) and Frankincense (Boswellia spp.).
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Socotra has been preserved by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and has been declared a WWF global 200 Ecoregion. It is included in the International Center of plant Diversity, in the horn of Africa Biodiversity Hotspot zone. The island has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site and a UNESCO man and Biosphere reserve.
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The most recognizable species are Dracaena cinnabari, the Dragon’s blood tree (as pictured right), and Adenium socotranum, which is called the Bottletree or Desert Rose. However, Soctora has some remarkable beautiful smaller plant species such as Kalanchoe farinacea, which are succulents and Edithcolea grandis, which are Persian carpet flowers. There are also five species of Aloe that are endemic to the island and many other plants for you to discover!
FAUNA
Over 227 species of birds can be found on the islands with ten known endemics. They are the Socotra Sparrow (Passer insluaris), Socotra sunbird (Nectarinia balfouri), Socotra warbler (Incana incana), the black Socotra starling with its orange under wing (Onychognathus frater), Socotra cisticola (Cisticola haesitatus) and Socotra bunting (Emberiza socotrana) with its black distinct –white head stripes.
Local report include the Inner falcon (Falco biarmicus), Socotra buzzard (Buteo socotraensis) considered endemic in 2010, and the Socotran scops-owl (Otus senegalensis).
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The strange eagle looking creature (pictured left) is an Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) which is seen as a symbol of royalty in the Egyptian culture and sacred.
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The island is an important breeding ground for many visiting birds. Among them is the masked booby (Sula dactylatra). This seabird is the largest booby with wingspans of up 152 cm. They can be distinguished by their black wingtips and characteristic mask. The brown booby (Sula leucogaster) also visits Socotra for nesting.
In contrast to the masked booby, the brown booby has rich brown plumage with a white underside. Other regulars on Socotra shores include the Birdled tern (Sterna anaethetus), the Persian shearwater (Puffinus persicus), and the Red-billed tropicbird (Phaeton aethereus). Visitors are quite likely to catch sight of the Socotra cormorant (Phalacrocorax nigrogularis). These large birds are almost black with slight white markings on the wings and eyes, and can have wingspans of up to 300 cm.
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For more information about the birds on Soctora please read the book: Birds of the Middle East by Richard Porter and Simon Aspina.
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Reptile life on Socotra is extremely endemic. Of the 22 known species of reptiles, 19 are unique to the islands. These include several species of gecko and the single species of chameleon (Chamaeleo monachus). Most of the snakes on the islands are small and unobtrusive, such as the several species of blind snakes. These tiny snakes often dwell in termite nests. There is no tortoise on the island, but green turtles (Chelonia mydas) are thought to nest on coast.