Wildlife in the Isles of Scilly

The waters around Scilly are clear and clean and looking into the shallows is like looking through a diamond curtain to the sparkling rubies, sapphires and other precious jewels below. Sea anemones coral and sponges shimmer and sparkle in deep vivid colors, while sea slugs try to hold their own in the colour game, the white background of their bodies standing in stark contrast to the brilliant foreground striations.



Grey seals cruise the bottom looking for likely meals while common dolphins play in the blue depths and fling themselves into the air with wild abandon, flipping and spinning, smacking their tails against the water with resounding splats. Always on the lookout, even when playing, for the voracious killer whales that travel in pods and have a taste for not only dolphins, but also seals.



Basking sharks wheel their way along the bottom, the gunmetal grey of their shimmering with dancing as the rays of the sun stab their way down into the depths. Leatherback Turtles fly through the water, lazily moving their fin shaped legs. The peculiar ocean going Sunfish weaves it's way through the water, it's rearward placed fins slicing through the liquid blue.



On the land, a multitude of flowers bask in the sun, bouncing lightly with the wind while attended to by insects collecting precious pollen to fuel the growth of their bodies and their hives. As the seasons change, one flowering species gives way to another and the land bursts into yet another splash of vibrant color.



The islands are known for their diversity of bird life. If Scilly's own birdlife isn't enough, the islands are also a stop off point for a large diversity of migrating birds.



Sandpipers stroll along the beaches, poking their beaks searchingly into the sand looking for tasty tidbits while falcons turn and wheel in the sky, their sharp eyes focused on the ground below, scanning for an unwary little animal. Sparrows are a common sight on the island among the thrushes, blackbirds and a multitude of other brightly colored birdlife.



Land mammals are not terribly common on the islands and the land mammals that do reside there are small in stature. The Scilly Shrew, also known as the white-toothed shrew is common on the islands and has not been found to inhabit anywhere on the mainland. Many rodent species inhabit the islands including Hedgehogs, brown rats and rabbits. Pipistrelle bats are the only bat species recorded as inhabiting the islands. Canine and Feline species based predators are noticeably absent on the islands.



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This article was written on behalf of Isle of Scilly Travel who can Fly to the Isles of Scilly for amazing Days out in Cornwall.