10 Wild Animals in Micronesia [Wildlife in Micronesia]

Learn All About Micronesian Animals

Ready to learn all about Micronesian animals?

I’ve always been fascinated by animals, and by how they can be so different from one country to another. In this guide, we’ll focus on the many animals Micronesia has on the land, in the sky, and underwater.

I’ve split the guide into 4 categories:

• Native animals from Micronesia
• Endangered animals of Micronesia
• What is the national animal of Micronesia?
• How many animals native to Micronesia?

Let’s dive in right away with our first category!

Native Animals from Micronesia

Micronesia, formally known as the Federated States of Micronesia and not to be confused with Oceania’s subregion Micronesia, is an Oceanian island country located in the northeastern part of the continent, in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of the smallest countries in all of Oceania, but its control over huge areas of water gives it the 14th-largest exclusive economic zone in the world, and it used to be a United Nations Trust Territory under the United States administration. It is made of 4 states (Kosrae, Pohnpei, Chuuk, and Yap), and although its largest city is Weno, its capital city is Palikir (on the highly volcanic island of Pohnpei), which counts more than 6,600 inhabitants.

An interesting part of the country that I wanted to tackle is its wildlife. In light of that, I have listed the best of it, and I hope you will love learning what animals live in Micronesia.

Here’s the Micronesia animals list.

1. Chuuk flying fox

• Name: Chuuk flying fox
• Scientific name: Pteropus pelagicus
• Conservation status: Endangered

The Chuuk flying fox is one of the only land mammals that you will find in Micronesia, the vast majority of its wildlife being made of birds or marine animals.

This flying fox is endemic to Micronesia and is the symbol of the country. It is seriously threatened by habitat loss, typhoons due to climate change, and introduced predators such as cats and dogs, as well as mangrove monitors.

2. Mangrove monitor

Σ64 / CC BY

• Name: Mangrove monitor
• Scientific name: Varanus indicus
• Conservation status: Least concern

The mangrove monitor, also known as the Western Pacific monitor lizard or the mangrove goanna, is a species of monitor lizard that can be found in much of Oceania and the western Pacific, where it was introduced.

As you know, it was introduced in Micronesia and has sometimes had negative effects on local biodiversity. Besides, populations from the Mariana Islands, the Caroline Islands, and the Marshall Islands are now considered to be made of 2 species.

3. Micronesian myzomela

Tony Morris / CC BY-NC

• Name: Micronesian myzomela
• Scientific name: Myzomela rubratra
• Conservation status: Least concern

The Micronesian myzomela is a species of honeyeater bird that can be found in Pohnpei, Chuuk, Yap, and Kosrae in Micronesia, but also on other islands such as the Northern Mariana Islands (Rota, Saipan, and Tinian); and while it occurred on Guam (the westernmost point of the United States), this population is most likely extinct.

Despite its name, this bird mainly feeds on nectar and not honey, as well as small invertebrates and insects.

4. Pohnpei lorikeet

• Name: Pohnpei lorikeet
• Scientific name: Trichoglossus rubiginosus
• Conservation status: Near threatened

The Pohnpei lorikeet, also known as the serehd in Pohnpeian, is a species of parrot endemic to the island of Pohnpei and the Ahnd Atoll, both within Micronesia. Its former range used to be wider, and was found at least near Chuuk; now, after habitat loss and predator introduction, it is listed as near threatened with extinction.

This parrot inhabits the plantations and tropical moist lowland forests of Pohnpei, and mainly feeds on pollen and nectar, as well as insect larvae and fruit.

5. Pohnpei starling

• Name: Pohnpei starling
• Scientific name: Aplonis pelzelni
• Conservation status: Critically endangered

The Pohnpei starling, also known as the Ponape mountain starling or the Pohnpei mountain starling, is a species of birds endemic to the island of Pohnpei. It is either extremely rare or already extinct, and while its head, bill, and feet are black, most of its plumage is dark brown.

This bird inhabits dark, damp mountain forests above 425 m / 1,394 ft, and the last seen specimen was shot in 1994, which is why it is most likely already extinct.

6. Green sea turtle

• Name: Green sea turtle
• Scientific name: Chelonia mydas
• Conservation status: Endangered

The green sea turtle, also known as the Pacific green turtle, the black sea turtle, or the green turtle, is a large species of sea turtle that inhabits subtropical and tropical oceans and seas around the world. It is seriously endangered by hunting for its body parts (and use in decoration), as well as pollution and fishing accidents.

In Micronesia, it can be found nesting in colonies in outer Yap, although these colonies are becoming both smaller and rarer over time.

7. Hawksbill sea turtle

• Name: Hawksbill sea turtle
• Scientific name: Eretmochelys imbricata
• Conservation status: Critically endangered

Despite being more threatened, the hawksbill sea turtle is the second most common species of sea turtle you will find in Micronesia, after the green sea turtle. Other species include the olive ridley turtle, and rarely the leatherback sea turtle.

The hawksbill sea turtle has a flattened body shape and lives most of its life in coral reefs and shallow lagoons. Its main threat is the illegal wildlife trade.

8. Whale shark

• Name: Whale shark
• Scientific name: Rhincodon typus
• Conservation status: Endangered

The whale shark is definitely one impressive creature. It is the largest fish in the world and can be found in warm waters, above 21 °C / 70 °F. Despite its fantastic size of up to 18.8 m / 61.7 ft, it poses no threat to humans whatsoever and is a filter-feeder that almost exclusively eats fish and plankton.

In some countries such as the Philippines, whale sharks are fed shrimp to return every day for divers and tourists!

9. Kosrae crake

• Name: Kosrae crake
• Scientific name: Zapornia monasa
• Conservation status: Extinct

Since the arrival of Europeans in Micronesia, more than 25 species of endemic bird have gone extinct, and the Kosrae crake, also known as the Kusaie Island crake or Kittlitz’s rail, is one of them.

This bird was found on the island of Kosrae, obviously, but also on Ponape, one of the Caroline Islands. It used to live in marshland and coastal swamps and had a size of about 18 cm / 7 in.

10. Mangrove crab

• Name: Mangrove crab
• Scientific name: Scylla serrata
• Conservation status: Least concern

The mangrove crab is particularly important to the economy of Micronesia, aside from rabbitfish and mullets, which share its habitat. Also known as the mud crab or the black crab, it can also be found in many other regions, such as Asia and Africa.

This crab is ecologically important, and it is naturally highly cannibalistic: when some crabs undergo molting… some others attack and devour them! Also, females can give birth to a million offspring!

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So there you have them, these were my 10 wild animals in Micronesia. I hope you enjoyed this list and that you learned something new today.

In case you want to learn more about animals in the country, feel free to keep reading, as I still have lots of things to tell you about:

Endangered Animals of Micronesia

This is definitely the saddest part of the list, but it is very important to raise awareness. Because of this, let’s go through the list of endangered animals in Micronesia.

Here are the animals in danger of extinction in Micronesia.

Extinct in the wild

• Kosrae crake
• Kosrae starling

Critically endangered

• Beck’s petrel
• Hawksbill turtle
• Pohnpei starling
• Mortlock Islands scaly-toed gecko

Endangered

• Japanese eel
• Whale shark
• Chuuk monarch
• Caroline ground-dove
• Pohnpei cicadabird
• and 23 more…

To see the full list of endangered species in Micronesia, head over to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List.

What is the National Animal of Micronesia?

The national animal of Micronesia is the Chuuk flying fox.

As you know, Chuuk is one of four states of Micronesia, and the Chuuk flying fox can be found in 3 locations within Micronesia, to which it is endemic: the Chuuk Lagoon, the Nomoi Islands, and the Namonuito Atoll.

This flying fox is very large, and although endemic and emblematic of the archipelago, it is disdained by local inhabitants, who consider it a rat-like vermin because they urinate on themselves. It is listed as endangered, mainly due to habitat loss.

How Many Animals Native to Micronesia?

What is the diversity of native animals in Micronesia?

Let’s look at the total number of species of Chordata (mammals, birds, fishes, and reptiles).

Total number of animal species in Micronesia: 1,530 (9,917 in total in Oceania)

More About Animals in the World!

Loved these Micronesia animal facts? Want to see what animals live in other countries?

Then check out these posts:

• Wild Animals in Australia
• Wild Animals in New Zealand
• Wild Animals in Nauru

Or click here to see ALL the facts up on the blog! Spoiler alert: there’s A LOT of them.

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