[1] The islands were connected to New Guinea during the ice ages when the sea level was lower, and shares many plants and animals with the adjacent mainland.

[1] Dominant trees on the coastal strand are Terminalia catappa, Barringtonia asiatica, Calophyllum inophyllum, Artocarpus sp., and Casuarina sp.

Palaquium amboinense, Octomeles sumatrana, Intsia bijuga, Ficus benjamina, and species of Eugenia and Artocarpus cover lowland slopes.

[3] Characteristic trees of the highlands include Pometia acuminata, Palaquium amboinense, and species of Cryptocarya, Tristania, and Calophyllum.

[3] The montane forests are home to the Green-backed robin (Pachycephalopsis hattamensis), which also lives in New Guinea's Central and Vogelkop highlands.