Because of their isolation, islands offer a multitude of ecological opportunities for the creatures capable of reaching them. While many mainland ecosystems are dominated by mammals, islands are environments where insects, reptiles and birds run the show and evolve into fantastical shapes and sizes.
While many of these evolutionary outliers have gone extinct, islands around the world are still home to fascinating creatures like venomous dragons, pint-sized penguins and armies of amorous crabs found nowhere else on earth. But even these remote islands are being threatened by tourists, invasive species and icebergs run amok. Here are six islands still ruled by animals, despite modern-day dangers:
Christmas Island
(Credit: David Stanley/Wikimedia Commons)
