Wildlife of Mauritania

Mauritania is a country with a very special mix of wildlife because it is located in two different natural regions of the world. The northern part of the country is part of the Palearctic, which stretches down from the Sahara Desert to about 19 degrees north latitude. The southern part of Mauritania is in the Afrotropic realm, which includes much of Africa south of the Sahara.

This unique position makes Mauritania an important place for many birds that travel long distances each year. Each winter, large numbers of birds from the Palearctic fly to Mauritania to find warmer weather and food. This makes the country a key stop or home for many different kinds of birds during their yearly journeys.

Faunal regions and habitats

Most of northern Mauritania, up to about 19° north latitude, is part of the Palearctic region and includes the Sahara desert and nearby coastal areas. The southern part of the country is in the Afrotropical region, where animals from this area are more common. The southernmost part of Mauritania is in the West Sudanian savanna area.

Wetlands are very important in Mauritania. The two main protected areas are Banc d'Arguin National Park, which safeguards shallow coastal and marine environments next to the Sahara desert, and Diawling National Park, which is located in the northern part of the Senegal River delta. Other wetlands in Mauritania usually only exist for a short time and depend on seasonal rains. These wetlands are very important for migratory birds.

Mammals

See also: List of mammals of Mauritania

Many large mammal species are no longer found in Mauritania. Some antelopes such as the scimitar-horned oryx, addax, korrigum, and dama gazelle are gone. Others like the bohor reedbuck, Buffon's kob, dorcas gazelle, and red-fronted gazelle are also no longer seen. The bushbuck and slender-horned gazelle are rarely spotted.

In Diawling National Park, the last lion was seen in 1970. We don't see manatees or hippopotamus there anymore. The Mediterranean monk seal still lives in the coves near Nouadhibou along the Cap Blanc Peninsula.

Today, common mammals in Mauritania include the fennec fox, African golden wolves, warthogs, African wildcats, Cape hares, and patas monkeys.

The waters near Mauritania are home to many types of whales and dolphins. You can find blue whale, sei whale, and Bryde's whale there. Other sea animals include the harbour porpoise, Atlantic spotted dolphin, bottlenose dolphin, sperm whale, short-finned pilot whale, and orca.

Birds

See also: List of birds of Mauritania

Over 500 kinds of birds live or visit Mauritania. Some special birds you can find there are the scissor-tailed kite, Nubian bustard, Arabian bustard, houbara bustard, Egyptian plover, golden nightjar, chestnut-bellied starling, Kordofan lark, and Sudan golden sparrow.

The wetlands along the coast are very important for birds that travel from far away to spend the winter. More than two million birds from fifteen different groups come here, including dunlin, bar-tailed godwit, curlew sandpiper, and common redshank. Some of these birds number over 100,000 each. Other visitors include more than 30,000 greater flamingos. Birds that stay and raise their families in Mauritania include the great white pelican, reed cormorant, gull-billed tern, Caspian tern, royal tern, and common tern. There are also special types of grey heron and Eurasian spoonbill, as well as some western reef heron.

Herpetofauna

Mauritania is home to the West African crocodile, though only in small numbers. The country has many other reptiles, including the African chameleon, Senegal chameleon, Nile monitor, and several types of geckos and lizards. Dangerous snakes such as the Mali cobra, black-necked spitting cobra, African rock python, desert horned viper, Saharan sand viper, and puff adders can also be found. There are also many kinds of turtles in the land, water, and sea.

In total, 86 different reptiles from 21 groups have been seen in Mauritania. Eleven kinds of amphibians live there, with 19 more expected to be found, mostly in the southern part of the country.

Fish

The fish found in the waters near Mauritania are very important for fishing, both for business and for people to feed themselves and have fun. Experts think that up to 700,000 tons of fish could be caught each year. The waters near Mauritania have many types of fish, including some that are usually found in colder, northern areas like the European seabass, European hake, Norwegian skate, and gilt-head bream. There are also fish that live in warmer waters, such as the whale shark, Atlantic bluefin tuna, Atlantic sailfish, tarpon, and Atlantic blue marlin. Scientists have found records of 56 different kinds of freshwater fish in Mauritania, and 50 of these have been seen living there.