Endemic Animals of Palau

The Palau nautilus, Nautilus belauensis, is mainly found in Palau in the Western Carolines as its name suggests. It can be found on fore reef slopes in depths ranging from 95m to 504m but typically prefers to remain within 150-300m where water temperatures range between 16.6 to 9.4ºC. N. belauensis are highly mobile epibenthic scavenging herbalist and opportunistic predators that rely mostly on scent detection. They are active both diurnally and ...
nocturnally within the preferred depth range although most shallow-water-incursions are usually nocturnal events that coincide with greatly diminished fish activities. Less

The rusty-capped kingfisher or Palau kingfisher (Todiramphus pelewensis ) is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae. It is endemic to Palau. The natural habitat of this species is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the Micronesian kingfisher.This is a brilliantly colored, medium-sized kingfisher. Adults are characterized by white underparts with long black eyestripes, while ...
juveniles are cinnamon below. They have large laterally-flattened bills and dark legs. Kingfishers defend permanent territories as breeding pairs and family groups. Both sexes care for young, and some offspring remain with parents for extended periods.Little has been published about the status of rusty-capped kingfisher populations, although the US Fish and Wildlife Service has bird survey data for the region. Less

The Palau ground dove (Pampusana canifrons ) is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to Palau, living in forests. The IUCN has assessed it as an endangered species. Less

The Palau fantail (Rhipidura lepida ) is a species of bird in the fantail family Rhipiduridae. It is endemic to Palau. Less

The Palau bush warbler (Horornis annae ) is a species of Old World warbler in the family Cettiidae.It is found only in Palau. Less

The dusky white-eye (Zosterops finschii ) is a species of bird in the family Zosteropidae. It is endemic to Palau.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. Less

The giant white-eye, or Palau greater white-eye (Megazosterops palauensis ) is a species of bird in the family Zosteropidae. It is monotypic within the genus Megazosterops. It is endemic to Palau, where its natural habitat is tropical moist lowland forest. The species is currently classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN due to likely habitat loss and the possibility of the establishment of the invasive brown tree snake on the island. Less

The Micronesian megapode or Micronesian scrubfowl (Megapodius laperouse ) is an endangered megapode which inhabits islands of the Western Pacific Ocean. Less

The Palau owl (Otus podarginus ) is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. Palau owls are dark reddish brown with small white dots scattered across their feathers. They are endemic to the Pacific Palau Islands, where they are found in woodland and lagoon trees, ravines and mangrove swamps. Palau owls nest in hollows of trees, live in groups and are territorial.The Palau owl was formerly placed in the monotypic genus Pyrroglaux. It was moved ...
to Otus based on the results of a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2019. Less

The Palau flycatcher (Myiagra erythrops ) is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is endemic to Palau. Less

The Palau swiftlet (Aerodramus pelewensis ) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae.It is endemic to Palau.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. Less

The sooty shrikethrush (Colluricincla tenebrosa ) is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae.It is found in the New Guinea Highlands.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. Less

Cornufer pelewensis, commonly known as Palau frog or Palau wrinkled ground frog, is a species of frog in the family Ceratobatrachidae.It is endemic to Palau.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical mangrove forests, dry savanna, moist savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, rocky areas, caves, plantations, ...
rural gardens, urban areas, heavily degraded former forest, and man-made karsts. Less

The Palau Island dtella (Gehyra brevipalmata ) is a species of gecko. It is endemic to the Palau Islands. Less

The Palau Island blind snake (Ramphotyphlops acuticauda ) is a species of snake in the Typhlopidae family. Less

The Pelew flying fox (Pteropus pelewensis ) is a species of megabat in the genus Pteropus found in the Palau Islands. A subspecies found on Yap, the Yap flying fox, is considered as a separate species by some authorities. The species is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN due to commercial and small-scale hunting; commercial hunting for the species was banned in 1994, but local exploitation is commonplace. The species is listed on CITES appendix I. Less

Nautilus stenomphalus, also known as the white-patch nautilus, is a species of nautilus native to the Great Barrier Reef. N. stenomphalus is very similar to N. pompilius and may in fact represent a subspecies. It is separated by the absence of a thickened callus and the presence of white patches in the umbilical and shoulder regions of the shell. The sheaths of this species have scalloped edges compared with the smooth sheaths of N. pompilius. ...
N. stenomphalus also differs slightly in hood ornamentation. The shell is usually up to around 180 mm in diameter, although the largest specimen ever recorded measured 201 mm. Less

Aaadonta constricta is a species of land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Endodontidae. It is endemic to Palau, where it is known from the islands of Babeldaob, Ngemelis, Peleliu and Koror. It may be extirpated from Koror. It is threatened by habitat destruction and modification.In 1976, Solem described two subspecies of Aaadonta constricta : A. c. babelthuapi A. c. constricta A. c. komakanensis Less

Aaadonta fuscozonata is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Endodontidae. This species is endemic to Palau, where it is known from Koror and Peleliu, and the small islands of Ngemelis and the northern Rock Islands. This snail inhabits tropical moist lowland forest, and is threatened by the destruction and modification of its habitat.A subspecies was identified by Alan Solem in 1976, ...
Aaadonta fuscozonata depressa. Less

Aaadonta irregularis is a species of snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Endodontidae. It is endemic to Palau, where it was only known from Peleliu, but has only been found recently on the very small island of Omekang. It is threatened by the destruction and modification of its tropical moist lowland forest habitat. Less

Aaadonta constricta babelthuapi is a subspecies of land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Endodontidae. It is endemic to Palau, where it was previously known from Babeldaob and Ngemelis. It is now only known from Ngatpang. It is threatened by destruction or modification of its habitat. Less

Aaadonta constricta constricta is a subspecies of land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Endodontidae. It is considered an alternate representation of Aaadonta constricta (Semper, 1874)It is endemic to Palau. It is threatened by destruction or modification of its habitat. Less