Mal di Ventre Island

Mal di Ventre Island ( Isula de Malu Entu in Sardinian language) is located in the homonymous Marine Protected Area, on the middle west coast of Sardinia. Malu Entu in Sardinian Language means "bad wind" in fact the main wind which blows on the Island is the Mistral.

FLORA

The typical vegetation of this area is the Mediterranean scrub which is formed by essences such us mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus, rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) and the small palm tree (Chamaerops humilis)as well as short grass.

FAUNA

The Island is populated by sea turtles Caretta caretta species and cetaceans. One time, according to what the explorer Alberto La Marmora says, there were also the seals (Monachus monachus. The only mammals which live in the Island are the wild rabbits(Oryctolagus cuniculus. There are also a lot of seabirds like cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo, the Calonectris diomedea, the Puffinus puffinus, the herring gull (Larus michahellis), the Corsican seagull (Ichthyaetus audouinii, the Queen's falcon (Falco eleonorae. The common reptils are the tortoises.


The Island is made up of little beaches with medium-faint sand created by the current alteration of the same Island, the quartz sand is in the underwater opposite to the beaches, at 15 metres of profundity.
The sea bottom of the island is charaterized by rocky sections and sandy sections.
The most famous site visited by the scuba divers are: the “Secca Ettore” and the “Secca Geppetto” which are in the shallows, and the ship wrecks called “Relitto del Vaporetto” and “Relitto del Joyce”.