Baixo Islet ( pt, Ilhéu de Baixo; ''Lower Islet'' in
English), also known locally as ''Ilhéu do Carapacho''
(''
Carapace
A carapace is a Dorsum (biology), dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tor ...
Islet'') and historically as ''Ilhéu dos Homiziados''
(''Islet of the Fugitives''), is a small uninhabited
islet group located off the southeast coast of the island of
Graciosa in the
Portuguese archipelago of the
Azores. Along with
Praia Islet to its north, Baixo Islet is one of two main breeding places of
Monteiro's storm petrel, an endemic marine bird of the Azores.
Geography
Baixo Islet is in fact two
basaltic islets, one much larger than the other. The islets are the exposed remains of a
Surtseyan cone composed of volcanic
tuff rock, heavily eroded by the ocean and seismic activity.
The larger main islet is located about southeast
of ''Ponta da Restinga'' (''Restinga Point''), which is a small peninsula of Graciosa. It measures or in area, with a highest point of above sea level.
Biome
The islet and its exposed sea cliffs provide a habitat for flowering coastal plants endemic to the Azores, some of which are endangered, including Azorean forget-me-not (''
Myosotis azorica''), Azorean spurge or ''erva-leiteira'' (''
Euphorbia azorica''), ''bracel-da-rocha'' fescue grass (''
Festuca petraea''), ''
Spergularia azorica'', and ''vidália'' (''
Azorina vidalii'').
Thanks to limited human access and a lack of predatory mammals such as
cat
The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...
s,
rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include ''Neotoma'' ( pack rats), ''Bandicota'' (bandicoot ...
s, and
ferret
The ferret (''Mustela furo'') is a small, Domestication, domesticated species belonging to the family Mustelidae. The ferret is most likely a domesticated form of the wild European polecat (''Mustela putorius''), evidenced by their Hybrid (biol ...
s, the islet shelters a variety of marine birds. Along with
Praia Islet to its north, Baixo Islet is one of two main breeding places of
Monteiro's storm petrel, an endemic marine bird of the Azores.
Other marine birds present on the islet include
band-rumped storm petrel
The band-rumped storm petrel, Madeiran storm petrel, or Harcourt's storm petrel (''Hydrobates castro'') is of the storm petrel family Hydrobatidae.
Description
The band-rumped storm petrel is 19–21 cm in length with a 43–46 cm wi ...
,
Barolo shearwater
The Barolo shearwater (''Puffinus baroli''), also known as the North Atlantic little shearwater or Macaronesian shearwater, is a small shearwater which breeds in the Azores and Canary Islands, Canaries of Macaronesia in the North Atlantic Ocean. ...
,
black-headed gull,
Bulwer's petrel,
common tern,
Cory's shearwater,
Eurasian whimbrel
The Eurasian whimbrel or common whimbrel (''Numenius phaeopus'') is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae. It is one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across much of subarctic Asia and Europe as far south as Scotland. This specie ...
,
Fea's petrel,
great black-backed gull,
grey heron,
Kentish plover,
little egret,
ruddy turnstone,
sanderling, and
yellow-legged gull.
This
biodiversity and abundance of endemic species led to the creation of a conservation area around the islet called the ''Zona Especial de Conservação do Ilhéu de Baixo e Ponta da Restinga'' (''Baixo Islet and Restinga Point Special Conservation Zone'').
The conservation zone is part of the Nature Park of Graciosa, one of the locally
protected areas of the Azores The Protected Areas of the Azores ( pt, Rede Regional de Áreas Protegidas) are the basic administrative-territorial and conservation structures in the archipelago of the Azores and the surrounding oceans. The areas integrate the entirety of the Azo ...
. Since March 1990 the islet has been protected through the
European Environment Agency
The European Environment Agency (EEA) is the agency of the European Union (EU) which provides independent information on the environment.
Definition
The European Environment Agency (EEA) is the agency of the European Union (EU) which provides i ...
's
Natura 2000
Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectively ...
initiative under the
Habitats Directive and
Birds Directive.
History
Human access to the islet is infrequent and only possible by small boat.
Historically the islet was known as ''Ilhéu dos Homiziados'' (''Islet of the Fugitives''). According to Azorean chronicler
Gaspar Frutuoso in his publication ''
Saudades da Terra
Saudades da Terra is a manuscript that was published by father Gaspar Frutuoso. It forms a reference work on the knowledge of Macaronesia in the late 16th century.
The manuscript was written between 1586 and 1590, divided into two volumes, bas ...
'', the moniker derived from a possibly
apocryphal 1541 occurrence. Seven young men landed on the island for recreational purposes and were trapped overnight by rough seas. Five of their friends jocularly referred to them as ''os homiziados'' (''the fugitives'') and endeavored to rescue them. Unfortunately, en route to the islet the rescuers' boat capsized, killing four of them.
References
{{Azores Islands
Graciosa Island (Azores)
Islets of the Azores
Uninhabited islands of Portugal