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Gibraltar Chickweed (Cerestium gibraltaricum) |
The British Indian Ocean Territory contains the Great Chagos Bank which is the largest atoll in the world. BIOT has 60sq. km. of land area within an ocean area of 54,500 sq. km. |
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| The Falklands endemic wolf (Dusicyon australis) was hunted to extinction in 1876. |
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The permanent resident populations range from 60 in Pitcairn, 313 in Tristan da Cuhna up to 12,000 in Monserrat and 59,000 in Bermuda. |
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 Ascension Frigate Bird(Fregata aquila) |
There are more than 20 known endemic bird species in the UK Overseas Territories, including the threatened Ascension Frigate Bird (Fregata aquila). |
 Ascension Hedgehog Butterflyfish (Chaetodon dichrous) |
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 Anegada Rock Iguana (Cydura pinguis) |
19 taxa of reptile are endemic to the Cayman Islands, including 2 subspecies of Rock Iguana which are the subject of a conservation programme. The native Crocodile (Crocodyius actutus) is now extinct around the islands. |
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| 18 species of whales, porpoises have been recorded around the Falkland Islands. |
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Islands are fragile ecosystems and are under threat from introduced predators such as cats, rats and non-native weed species especially on St. Helena and Ascension. |
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St. Helena Giant Earwig (Labidura herculeana) |
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So far about 500 endemic invertebrates are known to science from the UK Overseas Territories. Of the 256 beetle species on St. Helena 61% are endemic. |
| Mountain Frog (Leptodactylus fallax) - [Monserrat] |
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| There are more than 200 endemic plant species throughout the UK Overseas Territories, with most occurring on St. Helena (46 species). This includes endemic Olive (extinct in 2003), Rosewood and Ebony trees which are some of the rarest species in the UK Overseas Territories. |
 St. Helena Redwood (Trachetiopsis erythraxilan) |
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59 of 126 species of moss on Tristan da Cunha are endemic. |
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Green Turtle (Chelonia midas) |
The Green Turtle (Chelonia midas) is known to nest within 7 UK Overseas Territories: Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos BIOT, Ascension and Henderson Island(Pitcairn). |
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Apart from military scientific personnel, the British Antarctic Territory, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands and the British Indian Ocean Territory are uninhabited, as are many of the smaller islands of the UK Overseas Territories.
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- - Knowledge of the biodiversity of the UK Overseas Territories is incomplete and more baseline taxanomic research is needed. - -
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