335:
754:
807:
506:
409:
27:
39:
290:"San Pedro is rather high, but not mountainous, and is about 3 leagues in circumference. lies 4 ½ Leagues south of the eastern point of La Dominica and we do not know whether it is inhabited or not, probably not, however, as nature does not seem to have endowed it with anything that men require."
206:
It is reported that at one time the island was inhabited by a clan called the "Moi a Tiu", but that population has long since been wiped out by disease and war, the few survivors having departed for Hiva ʻOa. In pre-European times, the island was considered part of the territory of the province of
388:
Mohotani has been protected since 1971 (French
Polynesia Sites Commission, Order No. 2559 of July 28, 1971). Hunting is regulated and requires a permit, but the remote island is also visited without a permit. In addition, trees are illegally cut down to obtain wood for the souvenir industry.
485:
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
439:
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
416:
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
331:, 21 km east of Tahuata and 47 km north of Fatu Iva. With an area of 15 km, it forms an open crescent to the east, about 8 km long from north to south and 2 km wide at most from east to west.
404:
Mohotani can be divided into three vegetation zones: 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.
260:
found several stone house platforms (paepae) in the arid east of the island during a brief foray in 1938. The island was inhabited by a single clan called "Moi-Atiu," a collateral line of a tribe from Hiva Oa.
255:
Mohotani is uninhabited today, but there is clear archaeological evidence to suggest a permanent
Polynesian settlement. American anthropologist Ralph Linton (1893–1953) located the remains of a settlement.
184:. Early reports describes the island as fertile, with forest and fields. When Thor Heyerdahl visited the island in 1938, there were only a few goats and remains of deserted huts and villages.
272:
de Neyra on his second voyage to Europe. He did not set foot on the island, but named it "San Pedro" in honor of Saint Simon Peter and in reference to the name of its captain,
482:
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).
428:
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.
354:
of 0.150 km with a very steep coastline and a total perimeter of 3.4 kilometers, which is part of the same volcanic complex. It rises 245 meters above sea level.
472:, 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.
286:, passed through the strait between the islands of Hiva Oa and Mohotani on April 7, 1774, but without entering Mohotani. He describes the island as follows.
304:, astronomer aboard the Resolution, Mohotani is marked with the name "Onateayo", probably the name given to it by the inhabitants of the island of Hiva Oa.
915:
377:, about ten kilometers in diameter. This volcano was born from the presence of a hot spot in this part of the world, several million years ago.
315:) to protect its endangered ecosystem. The reserve extends to Terihi islet, which is home to colonies of seabirds such as gannets, terns and
380:
The island was formed in two phases, the most recent of which dates from about 2.2 million years ago. It is composed mainly of basalt.
636:
L'île de
Mohotane (Motane): état de la biodiversité et principales menaces; Contribution à la Biodiversité de la Polynésie française No. 3,
623:
L'île de
Mohotane (Motane): état de la biodiversité et principales menaces; Contribution à la Biodiversité de la Polynésie française No. 3
920:
730:
910:
208:
72:
248:. Decimated by fighting and disease brought by foreign sailors, the few survivors eventually abandoned the island and headed for
342:
It is a high island, with its highest elevation (520 meters) in the south, and its overall shape resembles the back of a whale.
670:
753:
648:
723:
487:
269:
806:
273:
196:
781:
776:
373:
Mohotani corresponds to the west-southwestern part of a collapsed caldera, which belonged to a much larger
716:
301:
136:
276:. Mendana described it as an island "covered with much forest" and could see no signs of inhabitants.
396:
in the second half of the 19th century have run rampant and cause erosion by grazing low vegetation.
180:
goats and sheep, to the extent that following its rare rains, the sea around it is stained red from
235:
491:
457:
223:
176:. It has an area of 15 km. Much of the island's sparse vegetation has been destroyed by
8:
60:
708:
453:
449:
445:
433:
418:
188:
334:
879:
739:
490:), the Marquesas salangana (Aerodramus ocistus), and the Petit-Thouars fruit pigeon (
441:
200:
173:
107:
44:
743:
141:
674:
884:
874:
869:
590:
translated and edited by Sir
Clements Markham, Hakluyt Society London 1904, S. 19
529:
429:
511:
308:
265:
257:
219:
181:
904:
524:
283:
87:
74:
389:
Effective management and monitoring of the protected area is still lacking.
475:
Ten species of seabirds and seven species of land birds, two of which are
240:
Before the arrival of westerners, Mohotani was inhabited by the Moi a Tiu
316:
245:
26:
365:
fragrans var Fatuhivensis, a species endemic to Fatu Hiva and Mohotani.
422:
358:
279:
826:
821:
786:
362:
408:
889:
841:
476:
214:
In 1992, the island and its surrounding smaller islands (including
846:
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505:
469:
393:
374:
328:
249:
192:
169:
165:
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also grow in the few places that are not accessible to animals.
851:
796:
771:
519:
215:
38:
601:
The Journals of Captain James Cook on his Voyages of Discovery
351:
241:
177:
565:, Bertelsmann-Verlag München-Gütersloh-Wien 1956, S. 263–264
766:
357:
The flora is sparse and consists mainly of the hardy grass
738:
588:
The voyages of Pedro Fernandez de Quiros – 1595 to 1606;
576:
Eastern Pacific lands: Tahiti and the Marquesas islands,
700:
Eastern Pacific Lands, Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands
327:
Mohotani is located 17 km south and southeast of
649:"Searching Mohotani Island for the Marquesan Monarch"
501:
264:
Mohotani was discovered by Europeans in 1595 by the
350:At 300 meters to the southeast is Terihi, a rocky
902:
244:. It was the smallest inhabited island in the
724:
460:, and occasional coconut trees among them.
731:
717:
421:), and the herbs Eragrostis xerophila and
361:xerophila and the slow-growing nightshade
37:
25:
392:Sheep introduced by French settlers from
187:Mohotani is administratively part of the
407:
333:
307:In 1992, it was declared "Motane Island
164:) is an uninhabited island southeast of
916:Uninhabited islands of French Polynesia
903:
712:
550:Archaeology of the Marquesas Islands,
313:réserve naturelle de l'île de Motane
651:. Island Conservation. 21 July 2020
13:
921:Former populated places in Oceania
479:, have been observed in Mohotani:
383:
282:, during his second voyage to the
14:
932:
865:Archipelagos of French Polynesia:
911:Islands of the Marquesas Islands
805:
752:
603:, Cambridge 1968, Vol. 2, S. 372
504:
117:15 km (5.8 sq mi)
43:Location of Mohotani within the
663:
641:
628:
615:
606:
593:
581:
568:
555:
542:
468:There are only two species of
300:In the cartographic sketch of
1:
535:
692:
673:. 2013-06-05. Archived from
612:Bois et Forêts des Tropiques
574:Frederic William Christian:
322:
7:
497:
31:Moho Tani viewed from space
10:
937:
492:Ptilinopus dupetithouarsii
368:
233:
229:
222:by the declaration of the
197:administrative subdivision
16:Island in French Polynesia
860:
814:
803:
759:
750:
705:Heyerdahl, Thor: Fatuhiva
345:
274:Pedro Fernández de Quirós
135:
126:
121:
113:
103:
66:
56:
51:
36:
24:
463:
432:, Premna tahitensis and
399:
236:History of the Marquesas
621:Jean-Yves Meyer :
458:Casuarina equisetifolia
456:, Ficus marcuesensis,
413:
339:
298:
671:"Mohotani – Mohotani"
625:, Papeete 1996, S. 16
552:Honolulu 1925, S. 178
488:Acrocephalus mendanae
411:
337:
288:
224:Motane Nature Reserve
815:Southern Marquesas:
760:Northern Marquesas:
578:London 1910, S. 205
88:9.9838°S 138.8296°W
84: /
61:South Pacific Ocean
21:
599:J. C. Beaglehole:
454:Pandanus tectorius
450:Hibiscus tiliaceus
446:Thespesia populnea
434:Morinda citrifolia
419:Portulaca oleracea
414:
340:
338:View of the island
218:) were officially
191:(municipality) of
93:-9.9838; -138.8296
19:
898:
897:
740:Marquesas Islands
698:Christian, F.W.
634:Jean-Ives Meyer:
442:Cordia subcordata
270:Álvaro de Mendaña
201:Marquesas Islands
174:Marquesas Islands
152:(sometimes spelt
147:
146:
108:Marquesas Islands
45:Marquesas Islands
928:
809:
756:
744:French Polynesia
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726:
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702:. London, 1910.
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561:Thor Heyerdahl:
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195:, itself in the
172:in the southern
142:French Polynesia
137:Overseas country
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530:List of islands
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430:Pisonia grandis
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384:Flora and fauna
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548:Ralph Linton:
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512:Islands portal
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425:reptans grow.
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347:
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324:
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309:Nature Reserve
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258:Thor Heyerdahl
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156:; also called
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127:
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122:Administration
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677:on 2013-06-05
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525:Desert island
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336:
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317:frigate birds
314:
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305:
303:
302:William Wales
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40:
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28:
23:
864:
836:
699:
679:. Retrieved
675:the original
665:
653:. Retrieved
643:
638:Papeete 1996
635:
630:
622:
617:
608:
600:
595:
587:
583:
575:
570:
562:
557:
549:
544:
484:
481:
474:
467:
438:
427:
415:
412:Terihi Islet
403:
391:
387:
379:
372:
356:
349:
341:
326:
312:
306:
299:
289:
278:
263:
254:
239:
213:
205:
186:
168:and east of
161:
157:
153:
149:
148:
128:
655:19 February
246:archipelago
104:Archipelago
91: /
79:138°49′47″W
67:Coordinates
905:Categories
681:2021-09-16
536:References
423:Brachiaria
359:Eragrostis
295:James Cook
280:James Cook
268:navigator
234:See also:
885:Societies
880:Marquesas
837:Moho Tani
827:Fatu Huku
822:Fatu-Hiva
787:Nuku-Hiva
693:Resources
563:Fatu Hiva
363:Nicotiana
323:Geography
220:protected
154:Moho Tani
76:9°59′02″S
52:Geography
890:Tuamotus
875:Gambiers
870:Australs
842:Motu Nao
782:Motu One
777:Motu Iti
498:See also
293:—
150:Mohotani
57:Location
20:Mohotani
847:Tahuata
832:Hiva Oa
792:Ua Huka
477:endemic
470:mammals
394:Hiva Oa
375:volcano
369:Geology
329:Hiva Oa
284:Pacific
266:Spanish
250:Hiva Oa
230:History
199:of the
193:Hiva-Oa
189:commune
170:Tahuata
166:Hiva Oa
852:Terihi
797:Ua Pou
772:Hatutu
520:Terihi
346:Terihi
216:Terihi
209:Pepane
182:runoff
162:Motane
158:Molopu
129:France
464:Fauna
400:Flora
352:islet
242:tribe
178:feral
767:Eiao
657:2022
114:Area
742:of
494:).
311:" (
160:or
907::
452:,
448:,
444:,
319:.
252:.
226:.
211:.
203:.
732:e
725:t
718:v
684:.
659:.
486:(
417:(
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