Fauna
Compared with lhe richly varied flora, the range of fauna is quite modest. There are no big land mammals except for domestic animals. Walkers need have no fear of snakes — they had as little success in making the jump over to this remote island as scorpions and other poisonous animals. If there’s a rustling in the bushes it’s more likely to be a harmless lizard.
The offshore rocky islands are an important refuge for sea birds like the yellow-beaked Cory’s shearwater and the Madeiran storm-petrel. Only on Madeira can you find the Madeiran firecrest and a wood pigeon that lives in laurel woods. On the Desertas islands there are still a few Monk seals. These animals, threatened with extinction, also used to inhabit the coasts of the main island in great numbers.
The most important fish is the scabbardfish ( Portuguese espada), a Madeiran delicacy that is caught with long lines in depths of up to 2000m.