Comoros

The Comoros is an independent country of three islands in Southeast Africa, in the Indian Ocean, at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel. The Comoros forests are a terrestrial ecoregion covering the Comoros Islands. These islands of volcanic origin are rich in wildlife, with endemic species, among them four endangered bird species, living on Karthala Mountain, a big active volcano on Grande Comore. In the past, the natural vegetation of the islands consisted of evergreen tropical moist forests, which extended up to 1800 meters above sea level. Most of the lowland forests up to 500 meters and above have been cleared, but there are still relatively intact mountain forests on Grande Comore, Anjouan and Mohéli, and second-growth mountain forests on all the islands. The islands are home to more birds, mammals and reptiles than you'd expect to find on an Indian Ocean Island. The endemic species comprise 21 bird species and 9 reptile species. Two endemic fruit bat species live on the islands, the Livingstone’s Fruit Bat and the Comoro Rousette. The Pteropus Seychellensis Comorensis is an endemic subspecies of the fruit bat of the Seychelles. Other species include the Mongoose Lemur, introduced to the islands by humans from Madagascar. The islands are home to 21 endemic bird species. Twelve endemic species are restricted to a single island, while the others live on two or more islands. Four endemic birds are found in the Karthala Mountains in the Grande Comores. There are also several endemic butterflies, including the Swallowtail Papilio Aristophontes.