Endemic Species
Lord Howe Island has recorded 241 species of indigenous plants of which 113 or 47 per cent are found nowhere else in the world.
Typical of remote oceanic islands, the vertebrate fauna is largely dominated by birds, including the Lord Howe Island Woodhen, which has been the centre of a highly successful captive-breeding program. Fourteen species of seabirds have important breeding populations.
Lord Howe Island is reputed to have more seabird species breeding in higher numbers than anywhere else in Australia.
More than 1,600 terrestrial insect species have been recorded with approximately 60 per cent found nowhere else. (All are harmless to humans). The rate of discovery remains high, indicating that numerous endemic species are yet to be discovered.
One of the most spectacular insects is the Lord Howe Island Phasmid, a large stick insect - thought to be extinct, but rediscovered in recent years on Balls Pryamid, a 550 metre high volcanic stack rising from the sea, 23 km from the island.
Almost half of the island's native plants are endemic. The most famous is the Kentia palm, of which there are four species on the island.
Lord Howe’s underwater world is equally rich and diverse, with new species being regularly discovered.
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