What Animals Live on Easter Island?

Easter Island has surprisingly few land animals, and most of the ones a visitor notices were brought by people rather than evolving there. It is one of the most remote inhabited places on Earth, so very few animals ever reached it on their own. Its richest wildlife lives offshore, in seas where most of the fish are found nowhere else.1USGS. Effects of isolation and fishing on the marine ecosystems of Easter Island and Salas y Gómez, Chile

The Land Animals You Will Actually See

The island, known to its people as Rapa Nui, has no native land mammals. Every mammal on land today came by canoe or ship. The horses and cattle roaming the hills are introduced livestock.2Wildlife Conservation in Chile. Wildlife Conservation in Chile’s Atacama Desert and Easter Island Their grazing changes the vegetation on an island where native plants now cover less than 5% of the land.3Wildlife Conservation in Chile. Wildlife Conservation in Chile’s Atacama Desert and Easter Island Livestock walking through archaeological ground wears down the ceremonial platforms, which is a good reason to keep to paths.

Dogs and cats live on the island too, and both have been seen around nesting seabirds.4Pacific Science. Breeding Status of the Red-Tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon rubricauda) and Threats to Its Conservation on Easter Island (Rapa Nui) Stray and village dogs turn up around towns and sites.

Reptiles are few and tiny. The only native land reptile is a small Pacific skink, and it shares the island with an introduced mourning gecko.5wildwonderswatcher.com. Annotated checklist of the reptiles of Easter Island There are no snakes or large lizards to worry about, so beyond ordinary caution around horses and dogs, no land animal here threatens a hiker.

The Rats That Reshaped the Island

Polynesian rats came with the first settlers around 1200 CE.6Binghamton News. Rats played major role in Easter Island’s deforestation, study reveals They found no predators and plenty of food, and they can have several litters a year.7Binghamton News. Rats played major role in Easter Island’s deforestation, study reveals Within about 47 years they may have numbered around 11.2 million.8Island Conservation. New Research Sheds Light on Invasive Species’ Role in Rapa Nui’s Ecological History

Rats ate up to 95% of the seeds of the island’s native palm.9Island Conservation. New Research Sheds Light on Invasive Species’ Role in Rapa Nui’s Ecological History The palm had evolved with birds and never produced bumper seed years that would let some nuts escape rodents.10Binghamton News. Rats played major role in Easter Island’s deforestation, study reveals So between 1200 and 1650, 15 to nearly 20 million trees were lost.11Island Conservation. New Research Sheds Light on Invasive Species’ Role in Rapa Nui’s Ecological History People did clear forest, but rats were the main force stopping it from growing back.12Island Conservation. New Research Sheds Light on Invasive Species’ Role in Rapa Nui’s Ecological History The popular story says islanders cut every tree and doomed themselves, but the collapse is now described as people and rats working together, not human over-use alone.13Journal of Archaeological Science. Reassessing the role of Polynesian rats (Rattus exulans) in Rapa Nui (Easter Island) deforestation: Faunal evidence and ecological modeling Rats still live on the island today, and they have been seen inspecting seabird nests.14Pacific Science. Breeding Status of the Red-Tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon rubricauda) and Threats to Its Conservation on Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

Birds on Land and the Seabirds Offshore

Every resident landbird on the main island was introduced:

The native birds are seabirds, and they cluster offshore. Six species of petrel breed on Motu Nui, a protected islet off the coast, and four of them seem to have started breeding there only recently.20Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. A melting-pot for Pterodroma petrels on Rapa Nui: ecological divergence and reproductive isolation in a contact zone The island has lost many seabird species over the centuries, though.21Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. Temporal changes in seabird assemblage structure and trait diversity in the Rapa Nui (Easter Island) multiple‐use marine protected area Red-tailed tropicbirds still nest at the Rano Raraku crater, but caracaras take eggs and chicks there, dogs kill fledglings, and ants attack newborn chicks.22Pacific Science. Breeding Status of the Red-Tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon rubricauda) and Threats to Its Conservation on Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

To see seabirds, look out toward Motu Nui from the cliffs at Orongo. Tropicbirds with long red tail streamers can be spotted near Rano Raraku. Bring binoculars for the offshore islets. Keep your distance from nests and keep dogs away.

Insects and Cave Creatures

Of 539 known insects, spiders and their relatives, 411 were brought by people, accidentally or on purpose.23Global Ecology and Conservation. The terrestrial arthropods of Rapa Nui: A fauna dominated by non-native species Only about 52 are native, and 25 are found nowhere else.24Global Ecology and Conservation. The terrestrial arthropods of Rapa Nui: A fauna dominated by non-native species Another 25 native species haven’t been recorded since first described and may be gone.25Global Ecology and Conservation. The terrestrial arthropods of Rapa Nui: A fauna dominated by non-native species Cockroaches, millipedes and other newcomers crowd out and eat native insects.26Island Conservation. Saving Easter Island’s Last Native Species

Caves have been the refuge. Surveys in caves turned up eight species new to science.27Diversity and Distributions. Capturing arthropod diversity in complex cave systems They include tiny springtails, book lice and larger woodlice-like roly polys.28Scientific American. The Hunt for Endemic Insects on Easter Island These animals have survived centuries of upheaval mostly underground.29PubMed Central. The terrestrial Isopoda (Crustacea, Oniscidea) of Rapa Nui (Easter Island), with descriptions of two new species

Lava tubes stay cool, damp and dark when the surface dries out, and fewer invasive species venture deep inside. The native animals there are tiny and easy to overlook, so visitors in caves should avoid disturbing floors and walls.

Life in the Surrounding Ocean

Coastal waters hold relatively few kinds of fish, but many are found nowhere else.30Deep-Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography. Diversity of deep-sea fishes of the Easter Island Ecoregion Unique and regionally unique fish make up about 77% of the fish seen there.31USGS. Effects of isolation and fishing on the marine ecosystems of Easter Island and Salas y Gómez, Chile

For snorkelers and divers, visibility is often excellent because the surrounding water carries few nutrients and little sediment. The same lack of nutrients means fewer corals than tropical reefs, so the scenery is more rock and algae than colourful gardens.

Green turtles live in the island’s waters, and their health is being monitored for mercury exposure.32PubMed Central. Mercury exposure and health challenges in Rapa Nui green turtles: urging conservation and long-term monitoring in the South Pacific They are most often seen where they feed near shore, so calm mornings in sheltered bays give the best chances. Don’t touch or feed them. Young hawksbill turtles have also been confirmed in nearshore waters, suggesting the reefs serve as a feeding and growing ground.33Revista de Biología Marina y Oceanografía. First confirmed report of Hawksbill Sea Turtle Eretmochelys imbricata in nearshore waters of Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

Twelve marine mammal species have been recorded, including blue, humpback and sperm whales.34Latin American Journal of Aquatic Research. Marine mammals of Easter Island, Chile Bottlenose and common dolphins, false killer whales and pilot whales occur too.35Latin American Journal of Aquatic Research. Marine mammals of Easter Island, Chile Southern elephant seals and leopard seals have been recorded as well,36Latin American Journal of Aquatic Research. Marine mammals of Easter Island, Chile but seals are rare visitors, not residents. Sightings of any of these are possible but not guaranteed, and dolphins are more likely than large whales.

The hairy ‘yeti crab’ was discovered in 2005 at deep-sea vents south of Easter Island.37MBARI. Discovery of the “Yeti crab” It lives far below and far away, so visitors won’t see it.

Animals in Rapanui Culture

Turtles were sacred. Turtle bones lie with the oldest human remains in a sacred area.38Island Studies Journal. Cultural role of sea turtles on Rapa Nui (Easter Island): Spatial and temporal contrast in the Pacific island region That suggests their role in ritual goes back to the earliest settlement. Turtles also appear in rock carvings and in rongorongo, the island’s carved script.39Island Studies Journal. Cultural role of sea turtles on Rapa Nui (Easter Island): Spatial and temporal contrast in the Pacific island region Clan leaders wore cloaks decorated with hawksbill shell, and turtles were seen as guardian beings.40Island Studies Journal. Cultural role of sea turtles on Rapa Nui (Easter Island): Spatial and temporal contrast in the Pacific island region

Seabirds drove the famous Birdman contest. Each year contestants competed to bring back the first sooty tern egg of the season.41Marine Ornithology. When ornithology meets ethnology and archeology: The birds of the bird-cult at Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and their demise They had to swim about 1.2 km to an offshore islet through strong currents.42Marine Ornithology. When ornithology meets ethnology and archeology: The birds of the bird-cult at Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and their demise The winner became Birdman for the year, with special privileges.43Marine Ornithology. When ornithology meets ethnology and archeology: The birds of the bird-cult at Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and their demise

You can see this history at Orongo, where petroglyphs of birdmen and turtles are carved into the rock and the contest islet is visible from the cliffs. Sooty terns, the contest bird, have declined on the island, so the birds themselves are harder to see than their carvings.

Protecting What Is Left

After locals rejected an imposed plan, Rapanui groups led creation of the largest marine protected area in the Americas.44Ocean and Coastal Management. A large-scale marine protected area for the sea of Rapa Nui: From ocean grabbing to legitimacy It is co-managed by the Rapanui people and Chile’s government.45Ocean and Coastal Management. A large-scale marine protected area for the sea of Rapa Nui: From ocean grabbing to legitimacy Priority zones are also being mapped to protect top predators like sharks and tuna.46Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. Spatial and seasonal differences in the top predators of Easter Island: Essential data for implementing the new Rapa Nui multiple‐uses marine protected area

On land, controlling invasive predators at Rano Raraku is urgently needed to keep its tropicbird colony.47Pacific Science. Breeding Status of the Red-Tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon rubricauda) and Threats to Its Conservation on Easter Island (Rapa Nui) Livestock erosion of sites and land continues.48Wildlife Conservation in Chile. Wildlife Conservation in Chile’s Atacama Desert and Easter Island

Visitors can help by never bringing plants, soil or animals onto the island, and by keeping to marked paths at sites and nesting areas. Choose local operators that follow reserve rules, and don’t feed stray dogs near bird colonies.