Cape Verderava Cape Verderava
Cape Verde Dorfrava 2 Cape Verde Dorfrava 2
Nova Sintrarava Cape Verde Nova Sintrarava Cape Verde
Faja Daguarava Cape Verde Islands 2 Faja Daguarava Cape Verde Islands 2
Cape Verdeaio Beach Cape Verdeaio Beach
Maio Cape Verde Fischer Maio Cape Verde Fischer
Tarrafal Sao Nicolau 2 Tarrafal Sao Nicolau 2
Sao Nicolau Cape Verde Islands Sao Nicolau Cape Verde Islands2
Sao Nicolau Landscape 2 Sao Nicolau Landscape 2
Cape Verde Islands Sao Nicolau Cape Verde Islands Sao Nicolau
Cape Verde Fogo Pico 2 Cape Verde Fogo Pico 2
Cape Verde View Onrava Cape Verde View Onrava
Steep Coast Fogo Cape Verde Steep Coast Fogo Cape Verde
Sao Filipe Fogo Sao Filipe Fogo
Sao Filipe Fogo Cape Verde Sao Filipe Fogo Cape Verde
Pico Fogo Cape Verde 1 Pico Fogo Cape Verde
Lavab Beach Island Fogo 2 Lavab Beach Island Fogo 2
Fogo Caldeira Fogo Caldeira
Coast Fogo Cape Verde Islands Coast Fogo Cape Verde Islands
Fogo Funku Pico Fogo Funku Pico
Santo Antao Cape Verde 1 Santo Antao Cape Verde
Santao Antao Fishermen Cape Verde 2 Santao Antao Fishermen Cape Verde 2
Cape Verde Santo Antao Paul Cape Verde Santo Antao Paul2
Paul Santo Antao2 Paul Santo Antao2
Tarrafal Santo Antao4 Tarrafal Santo Antao4
Mountains Santo Antao 2 Mountains Santo Antao 2 1
Mountains Santo Antao2 Mountains Santo Antao2 1
Sport Fishing Sao Vicente Cape Verde Sport Fishing Sao Vicente Cape Verde
Sao Vicente Sao Pedro Sao Vicente Sao Pedro
Baia Das Gatas 3 Baia Das Gatas 3
Norteaia 2 Norteaia 2
B Beach Tarrafal Island Santiago B Beach Tarrafal Island Santiago
Serraalagueta Santiago Cape Verde Serraalagueta Santiago Cape Verde2
Praia Santiago Cape Verde Islands Praia Santiago Cape Verde Islands
Island Boavista Chaves Beach Island Boavista Chaves Beach
Chaves Beach Island Boa Vista Chaves Beach Island Boa Vista
Dunes Cape Verde Islandsoavista 1 Dunes Cape Verde Islandsoavista
Islandoavista Desert Oase 2 Islandoavista Desert Oase 2
Dunesoa Vista Cape Verde Sonnenuntergang 2 Dunesoa Vista Cape Verde Sonnenuntergang 2
Wreckoa Vista Wreckoa Vista
B Beachoa Vista Cape Verde Islands B Beachoa Vista Cape Verde Islands
B Beach Djeu Cape Verde 2 B Beach Djeu Cape Verde 2
B Beach Onoa Vista 2 B Beach Onoa Vista 2
B Beach Palmsoa Vista B Beach Palmsoa Vista
Saluracona Cape Verde 2 Saluracona Cape Verde 2
Cape Verde Windsurfer 2 Cape Verde Windsurfer 2
Cape Verde Surfer 2 Cape Verde Surfer 2
Cape Verde Sal Santaria Beachoot 2 Cape Verde Sal Santaria Beachoot 2
Cape Verde Sal Espargos 2 Cape Verde Sal Espargos 2
Salines Sal Cape Verde Salines Sal Cape Verde
Salines Cape Verde Salines Cape Verde
Sal Beach Areal View Sal Beach Areal View
Areal View Santaaria Sal Areal View Santaaria Salobile
Buracona Sal Cape Verde Buracona Sal Cape Verde
B Beach Santaaria Island Sal B Beach Santaaria Sal Island 1
Street Santaaria Cape Verde Street Santaaria Cape Verde
Santaaria Sal Beach 2 Santaaria Sal Beach 2
Insal Sal Santaaria Hotels Beach Island Sal Santaaria Hotels Beach2
Tamarinde Cape Verde Tamarinde Cape Verde
B Beach Welle Cape Verde B Beach Welle Cape Verde
Sonnenuntergang Cape Verde Islands Sonnenuntergang Cape Verde Islands
Sonnenuntergang Cape Verde 2 Sonnenuntergang Cape Verde 2
Cape Verde Yacht Cape Verde Yacht
Cape Verde Beach Cape Verde Beach
Cape Verde Beach Schirme Cape Verde Beach Schirme
Cape Verde Steinformationen Cape Verde Steinformationen
Gesteinsformationen Cape Verde Gesteinsformationen Cape Verde
Fischerboote Cape Verde 2 Fischerboote Cape Verde 2
Duenen Sand Cape Verde Duenen Sand Cape Verde
Abendstimmung Beach Cape Verde Islands Abendstimmung Beach Cape Verde Islands
Arial View Santaaria Sal Arial View Santaaria Salobile
Monte Cara2 Monte Cara2

With the exception of the bat, there are no native species of mammals on Cape Verde! This is because there was initially no animal life on the volcanic islands; it was only possible for species that came by water or air to Cape Verde to develop. In the following period, many mammals such as the green vervet monkey, small mice, or even wild rabbits “immigrated.” There are no snakes on the islands, but it has many different species of reptiles such as geckos, frogs and colourful lizards.

Gecko Cape Verde
Gecko in the Cape Verde Islands

You can also observe many species of butterflies on the Cape Verde Islands: Monarchs, blue butterflies, knight butterflies, swallowtails or even colourful iridescent dragonflies that buzz around in swampy places. With around 500 different species of beetles, the archipelago should also be an interesting place for spider lovers.

In addition, Cape Verde naturally has agricultural animals such as goats, horses, donkeys, sheep, cattle and pigs.

Above all, however, the numerous marine species and bird species make the islands very popular with both divers and biologists.

Birds

Cape Verde Fauna
Grey-headed Kingfisher (Passarinha) at home in Cape Verde

Photo series with birds native to Cape Verde – click here

There are numerous migratory birds that make regular stops on the islands on their journey to the south.

Migratory birds:

Sandpiper, black-winged stilt, heron, spoonbill, plover, ruddy turnstone, African broad-billed roller, hoopoe, sanderling, whimbrel, little egret, cattle egret, northern wheatear, blue-headed wagtail, spotted flycatcher, various types of swallows and European bee-eater.
About 50 different species of breeding birds are at home on Cape Verde throughout the year (such as the lark, the cream-coloured courser and the brown-necked raven that live in the dry areas and the grey-headed kingfisher/passarinha that is similar to the halcyon, the common waxbill and the blackcap with its bright red bill, all of which live in the wetlands). Birds unique to Cape Verde (endemic species) are the Raza Island lark, the Cape Verde lark that is pictured on the 1000 ECV bill, the Alexander’s swift and the Cape Verde warbler.
The birds of prey include the peregrine falcon, Eurasian buzzard, Egyptian vulture, kesetrel and osprey and the Cape Verde kite, which is threatened by extinction and can still be found individually on Boa Vista and Maio.

Seabirds:

Species of shearwater and petrel, magnificent frigate bird, red-billed tropic bird and brown booby.

Fish and Aquatic Animals

Golden Tailedoray Cape Verde
Golden-tailed moray (Gymnothorax miliaris) in Cape Verde waters

The vast number of marine animals around Cape Verde is stunning. The special feature here is the cool Canaries current as it meets the warm water of the Gulf of Guinea in the summer. The result is that you can equally find cold-water and warm-water fish.

Some fish species only appear seasonally while others are always present. Examples of commercial fish are tuna, mackerel, moraine, lobster, spiny lobsters and many different species of crab and muscles. In addition, there are about 150 species of small animals on the Cape Verde Islands such as starfish, sea cucumbers, black corals, fire corals, sea urchins and sea turtles, which you can admire mainly on Maio and Boa Vista.

The species of tropical fish are especially interesting for divers:
Parrotfish, silver shimmering sardines, hake, squirrelfish, scorpion fish, false-eyed puffer, butterfly, red trumpet fish, grey mullet, pinkgill, flying fish, East Atlantic surgeonfish, barracuda, angelfish, wrasse, snapper, ballan wrasse, coralfish, hogfish, West African marine angelfish, red soldierfish, striped bream, gilthead seabream and even five different species of bass.

Deep-sea fish, which very frequently appear off the steep coast of Fogo, include:
Barracudas, stingrays, dolphins (which can mainly be seen between Santo Antão and São Vicente), grey shark, hammerhead shark, tiger shark, runners, blue marlins, killer whales, humpback whales grey whales and sperm whales.

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