The eels are highly prized by the locals
These Solomon Islanders hand feed them, not to fatten them up for dinner
but to encourage them to stick around
By scavenging on whatever's decaying here
the eels clean the islanders' precious pools of drinking water
And over time, the honorary guests have become tame
One day, these adult freshwater eels will return to the sea to spawn
after which they'll die
For now, they're as good as pets
Away from the coast, animals are thin on the ground
The Solomons have only a quarter of the reptiles and birds that New Guinea has
For mammals like echidnas and kangaroos
the water proved too great a hurdle
But some mammals did make it here
When it comes to reaching new islands
flying must surely have been the easiest way to get there
But the 60 miles between New Guinea and the Solomons still proved a formidable challenge for many winged creatures
With their four-foot wingspans
giant fruit bats succeeded where other fliers failed