Marquesas Palm - Vanuatu

In 1606, Portuguese explorer Pedro de Quiros, sailing for Spain, became the first European to reach the islands of Vanuatu. In 1906, France and Great Britain took a share of the island chain in a joint ownership agreement and named the archipelago the New Hebrides. Independence for Vanuatu was achieved in 1980.

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Pelagodoxa henryana - The Marquesas palm is a critically endangered species considered extinct in the wild. It was once found in the dense humid rainforest of the Marquesas Islands, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. The Marquesas palm has succumb to feral pigs eating the young seedlings and to habitat loss through human encroachment. The slender trunk reaches 10 meters in height and has a diameter of 10 centimeters.  This tree is considered the rarest palm tree in the world.

Chambered Nautilus - Vanuatu

Nautilus pompilius - The blood of the chambered nautilus, containing the protein hemocyanin, is blue when enriched with oxygen; human blood is red. The nautilus is the only species of the cephalopods to rely on its shell for providing protection from predators. The animal has the ability to pull itself completely into its shell and uses a leathery hood to seal the entrance. Cephalopods, such as the octopus and squid, are known for their good eyesight; the nautilus lacks this trait.

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The Vanuatu Archipelago consists of approximately 82 islands and stretches across 1,300 kilometers of ocean. Most of the islands are of volcanic origin. Several volcanoes are currently active, including underwater volcanoes, potential sources in the formation of new islands. The largest volcano in the Vanuatu chain is Lopevi, a stratovolcano active since 1862. A stratovolcano is conical in design and built up over time by several layers of lava, pumice, tephra, and volcanic ash.