The east is arid over a wide swath, the north has little vegetation, and the west center of the island is covered by dense forest that remains largely pristine. The entire east is arid due to animal browsing, and vegetation cover is sparse. In favorable locations, Nicotiana fragrans var. fatuhivensis, which belongs to the tobacco plants and is endemic to Fatu Hiva and Mohotani, purslane (Portulaca oleracea), and the herbs Eragrostis xerophila and Brachiaria reptans grow. The northern part of the island is also severely damaged by grazing. The evergreen shrub Arbutilon hirtum, Cordia lutea and Waltheria tomentosa appear as low-growing forms. Pisonia grandis, Premna tahitensis and Morinda citrifolia also grow in the few places that are not accessible to animals. The central plateau, in the west, is covered by a dense forest area that covers about a quarter of the island. It consists of giant Pisonia grandis, which not infrequently reach a height of 30 to 40 meters. Other common trees are Cordia subcordata, Thespesia populnea, Hibiscus tiliaceus, Pandanus tectorius, Ficus marcuesensis, Casuarina equisetifolia, and occasional coconut trees among them. Fauna There are only two species of mammals, neither of which is indigenous: the Pacific rat, probably introduced by Polynesians as a food animal, and sheep, which Europeans settled in the 19th century. Ten species of seabirds and seven species of land birds, two of which are endemic, have been observed in Mohotani: Frigatebirds nest in the large pisonias. Other seabirds found at Mohotani and Terihi include noddi (Anous stolidus), sooty tern (Sterna fuscata) and fairy tern (Gygis alba). Among the landbirds, the Marquesas monarch, in the Pomarea mendozae montanensis variation, and Acrocephalus caffer consobrinus, a subspecies of the long-billed warbler, are endemic. Other rare and threatened species include the Marquesas warbler (Acrocephalus mendanae), the Marquesas salangana (Aerodramus ocistus), and the Petit-Thouars fruit pigeon (Ptilinopus dupetithouarsii). See also Terihi Desert island List of islands References Resources Christian, F.W. Eastern Pacific Lands, Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands. London, 1910. Heyerdahl, Thor: Fatuhiva Islands of the Marquesas Islands Uninhabited islands of French Polynesia Former populated places in Oceania