What wildlife is in Madeira?

Resident and migrant cetaceans are present in the waters around Madeira, including short-finned pilot whale, common bottlenose dolphin and Atlantic spotted dolphin. Bryde's whale and sperm whale are also recorded in Madeiran waters but you would need to be lucky to see these on a short break to the island.



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Resident and migrant cetaceans are present in the waters around Madeira, including short-finned pilot whale, common bottlenose dolphin and Atlantic spotted dolphin. Bryde's whale and sperm whale are also recorded in Madeiran waters but you would need to be lucky to see these on a short break to the island.

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Fauna and flora There are no dangerous animals such as snakes, scorpions or spiders on the island so it is possible move freely without concern unless you are scared of heights. However, on Deserta Grande you could, with luck, find the highly poisonous Desertas' Tarantula (Lycosa ingens).

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Sharks are widely distributed around Madeira Island with the most abundant species being M. mustelus.

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Calheta Beach is one of the island of Madeira's few yellow sandy beaches. A peaceful swimming experience is guaranteed by two piers, so you can exercise in the sea all year round. Ribeira do Natal Beach enjoys properties that make it one of the best places for swimming. The transparency of its waters is remarkable.

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There are no venomous or dangerous animals on the island. In fact, there are no snakes at all on the island, and the spiders are not venomous. The only venomous spiders are on the Desertas Islands, but not on Madeira.

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Dolphins, Whales and Sea Lions The coastal waters of Madeira Island, are host to at least nine species of dolphins and ten species of migrating cetaceans. These are protected in the 430,000 km2 Madeiran Marine Mammal Sanctuary. The most commun wildlife are dolphins, whales and sea lions.

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The patch of land between the Madeira and Tapajós has high primate diversity and is home to several endemic species, such as the Amazon black howler and the white marmoset. This region is the eastern limit of the brown woolly monkey.

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Assessment Rationale: The Desertas Islands (Madeira, Portugal) are the sole home of one of the largest and rarest wolf spider species worldwide, Hogna ingens (Blackwall, 1857) (Araneae, Lycosidae).

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Violent crime involving tourists is extremely rare in Madeira and so you have little to worry about with regard to personal safety. But as with any travel destination, it's important to take basic travel safety precautions such as keeping your valuables close by and/or hidden, especially at night.

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Madeira is a subtropical island that differs from other locations with similar climates in a very special way. The island has virtually no pests and is free of dangerous insects and bugs. Wild animals are limited to rabbits and birds. There are no snakes and no swarms of irritating mosquitoes!

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Portuguese is the official language in Madeira. It is worth picking up a few key phrases if you want to be polite, such as 'please', 'thank you,' etcetera, although English is widely spoken in tourist areas. People who have visited the Portuguese mainland may notice a thicker accent in Madeira.

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Madeira has a tropical climate and is consistently in the high 20s and early 30s, making it a popular destination year-round. However, the main island is home to several microclimates that are due to its orography.

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Just 5km (3 mi) off the coast of the island, the ocean depths can reach more than 3,000m (9,850ft) making Madeira's surrounding waters ideal for whales, dolphins, and a multitude of other marine species to swim through.

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Phacellophora camtschatica. This species occurs in the Azores and Madeira waters during spring and summer. It is a large jellyfish known as fried egg jellyfish due to the yellow coloration in the center of its body that resembles an egg yolk.

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On March 4th, 1930, a sector of the Cape Girão cliff, located in the southern shore of Madeira Island, collapsed into the sea and generated an 8 m tsunami wave height.

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“Madeira Safe to Discover” As we mentioned above, among the main reasons Madeira was included in the European Best Destination's list of the safest 2021 travel destinations in Europe is the impressive effectiveness of the strict sanitary measures the islands has adopted.

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