The wildlife of

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

is composed of its

flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

and

fauna Fauna (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and '' funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively ...

. Bordering

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

, it is considered one of the wettest parts of Africa and records Africa's second highest concentration of biodiversity. To preserve its wildlife, Cameroon has more than 20 protected reserves comprising national parks, zoos, forest reserves and sanctuaries. The protected areas were first created in the northern region under the colonial administration in 1932; the first two reserves established were Mozogo Gokoro Reserve and the Bénoué Reserve, which was followed by the Waza Reserve on 24 March 1934. The coverage of reserves was initially about 4 percent of the country's area, rising to 12 percent; the administration proposes to cover 30 percent of the land area. The rich wildlife consists of 8,260 recorded plant species including 156

endemic species Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

, 409 species of

mammals A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three middle e ...

of which 14 are endemic, 690 species of

birds Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

which includes 8 endemic species, 250 species of

reptiles Reptiles, as commonly defined, are a group of tetrapods with an ectothermic metabolism and Amniotic egg, amniotic development. Living traditional reptiles comprise four Order (biology), orders: Testudines, Crocodilia, Squamata, and Rhynchocepha ...

, and 200 species of

amphibians Amphibians are ectothermic, anamniote, anamniotic, tetrapod, four-limbed vertebrate animals that constitute the class (biology), class Amphibia. In its broadest sense, it is a paraphyletic group encompassing all Tetrapod, tetrapods, but excl ...

. The habitats of these species include the southern region comprising tropical lowland, coastline on the

Gulf of Guinea The Gulf of Guinea (French language, French: ''Golfe de Guinée''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Golfo de Guinea''; Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Golfo da Guiné'') is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean from Cape Lopez i ...

Mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen a ...

forests, in size, are along the coast line.

Montane forests Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

and

savannas A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient li ...

are in the northern region of the country. Important protected areas for these species are the Mbam Djerem National Park, Benoue National Park,

Korup National Park Korup National Park is in the Southwest Province of Cameroon and extends over 1,260 km2 of mostly undisturbed primary forest. It is reputedly one of Africa's oldest and richest tropical forests in terms of floral and faunal diversity. It is ...

Takamanda National Park The Takamanda National Park is a protected area in Cameroon, set up in 2008 to help protect the endangered Cross River gorilla The Cross River gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla diehli'') is a critically endangered subspecies of the western gorilla ( ...

, and the

Kagwene Gorilla Sanctuary The Kagwene Gorilla Sanctuary was proclaimed by the Cameroonian government on April 3, 2008. It protects of land, and is located between the Mbulu and Nijikwa forests in Northwest region of Cameroon. It consists of rugged, mountainous terrain and ...

. Cameroon is an important breeding area for marine and freshwater species such as

crustacean Crustaceans (from Latin meaning: "those with shells" or "crusted ones") are invertebrate animals that constitute one group of arthropods that are traditionally a part of the subphylum Crustacea (), a large, diverse group of mainly aquatic arthrop ...

mollusks Mollusca is a phylum of protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum after Arthropoda. The num ...

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

, and birds.

Geography

The topography of the country extends from the coastline to hill regions with elevations of up to . The habitat consists of three regions. These are: The dense rainforests in the southern region in the hot and humid climatic conditions; the central region of semi-deciduous forests; and the northern region consisting of semi-deciduous forests of wooded savanna with scattered trees. The climatic conditions are of low to highland with equatorial to tropical climate. Initial coverage of protected areas was in savanna region but it now covers all the ten provinces of the country with all the diversity of its topographic, climatic, hydrological biological features. Mont-Cameroun

The highest mountain in the country is the

Mount Cameroon Mount Cameroon is an active volcano in the Southwest Region of Cameroon next to the city of Buea near the Gulf of Guinea. Mount Cameroon is also known as Cameroon Mountain or Fako (the name of the higher of its two peaks) or by its indigenous ...

with an elevation of . It is located in southwestern Cameroon in the coastal zone close to the

n border. The total forest area coverage is reported to be of which of closed forest and is fragmented forest or degraded forests accounting for 27 percent of the total forest area. The forests are also categorized as part of the "Congolian Coastal Forests, Western Congo Basin Forests, Sudanian Savannas, Sahelian Flooded Savannas, Gulf of Guinea Rivers and Crater Lakes, Guinean-Congolian Coast Mangroves, and Gulf of Guinea

Marine Ecosystems Marine ecosystems are the largest of Earth's aquatic ecosystems and exist in waters that have a high salt content. These systems contrast with freshwater ecosystems, which have a lower salt content. Marine waters cover more than 70% of the sur ...

." One of the important regions is the

Cameroonian Highlands forests The Cameroonian Highlands forests, also known as the Cameroon Highlands forests, is a montane tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion located on the range of mountains that runs inland from the Gulf of Guinea and forms the border between Camer ...

which extends across the

Cameroon Highlands The Western High Plateau, Western Highlands or Bamenda Grassfields is a region of Cameroon characterised by high relief, cool temperatures, heavy rainfall and savanna vegetation. The region lies along the Cameroon line and consists of mounta ...

, covering an area of in western Cameroon and eastern Nigeria. The

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecological and geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and c ...

lies above elevation, and is surrounded at lower elevations by the Cross-Sanaga-Bioko coastal forests at the southern end of the range, and by forest-savanna mosaic along the central and northern ends of the range; the Cameroon Highlands form the boundary between the

Guinean Demographics of Guinea describes the condition and overview of Guinea's peoples. Demographic topics include basic education, health, and population statistics as well as identified racial and religious affiliations. Population According to t ...

and Northern Congolian forest-savanna mosaic ecoregions, consisting of sub-montane to montane forests and finally sub alpine grasslands. The region is categorized as critical/endangered, but the area under full protection is not great. The area is subject to intense population pressure and conversion of forest lands into agricultural areas. Dja River and pirogue

As part of the

Congo Basin The Congo Basin () is the sedimentary basin of the Congo River. The Congo Basin is located in Central Africa, in a region known as west equatorial Africa. The Congo Basin region is sometimes known simply as the Congo. It contains some of the larg ...

, the

Sangha River The Sangha River (, , ), a tributary of the Congo River, is located in Central Africa. Geography The Sangha River is formed at the confluence of the Mambéré River and the Kadéï River at Nola in the western Central African Republic (). The ...

, drained by the tributaries rising in the northern humid region, and flowing into the southern region of the country, is the main water catchment. At the swampy

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime enviro ...

it forms several branches, and is also joined by the

Likouala-aux-Herbes The Likouala-aux-Herbes is a river in the Republic of the Congo. It is a tributary of the Sangha River, which in turn is a tributary of the Congo River. It gives its name to the Likouala Department. Location The Likouala-aux-Herbes is almost lo ...

Likouala-Mossaka The Likouala-Mossaka (or Likouala River) () is a river in the Republic of the Congo. It is a tributary of the Congo River, which it enters to the east of the town of Mossaka. Location The Likouala-Mossaka is a right tributary of the Congo into w ...

, and Ubangi (Oubangui) rivers. Another major river, which joins the Sangha River, is the

Dja River The Dja River (also known as the Ngoko River) is a stream in west-central Africa. It forms part of Cameroon–Republic of Congo border and has a course of roughly . Rising southeast of the southeastern Cameroon town of Abong-Mbang, the Dja Fauna ...

, which rises in west-central Africa and flows forming the border between Cameroon and the Republic of the Congo, and through the

Dja Faunal Reserve Dja Faunal Reserve (), located in southeastern Cameroon, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed in 1987. Causes of inscription include diversity of species present in the park, the presence of five threatened species of mammal, and lack of dis ...

, a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

. The major river drainage is the Chari subbasin of the Congo Basin, which covers Cameroon and the

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to Central African Republic–Chad border, the north, Sudan to Central African Republic–Sudan border, the northeast, South Sudan to Central ...

. It drains into the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

Protected areas

Many protected areas are still in "pristine" condition, mostly because there is less tourism in Cameroon than other regions of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

. According to reported statistics, there were ten protected areas from 1932 to 1960. Six protected areas were added between 1960 and 1980, five more were added between 1980 and 2004, and eight protected areas are under consideration within a final approval process. Mana suspension bridge over Mana river

The protected areas cover of which (81 percent) is part of the border protected area. The distribution of this protected area within Cameroon covers: The Lowland forest zones of Dja () with corridors connecting to the Nki and Minkébé protected areas, the

Nki National Park Nki National Park (Parc national de Nki, also Réserve de Nki) is a List of national parks of Cameroon, national park in southeastern Cameroon, located in its East Province (Cameroon), East Province. The closest towns to Nki are Yokadouma, Molound ...

covering with ecological corridors to Dja and Boumba–Bek, the

Boumba Bek National Park Boumba Bek National Park is a national park in extreme southeastern Cameroon, located in its East Province. History The park was never logged; according to the World Wildlife Fund's scientific advisor in the region, Paul Robinson Ngnegueu, "poac ...

covering , and the

Lobéké National Park Lobéké National Park (alternate: Lake Lobake National Park) is a national park of southeastern Cameroon within the Moloundou Arrondissement of East Province. Located in the Congo Basin, it is bounded on the east by the Sangha River which serv ...

covering (integrated with the Trinational Park of Cameroon, the

, and the

Republic of Congo The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo), is a country located on the western coast of Central ...

and linked with an Eco-corridor to Boumba–Bek Reserve; the

Campo Ma'an National Park Campo Ma'an National Park is a 2,680 square kilometer National Park in Cameroon, located in the South Region in the Océan division. It borders with Equatorial Guinea on the south, the Atlantic Ocean to its west, the Vallée-du-Ntem and the ...

of , which borders with the Rio de Campo of

Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. It has an area of . Formerly the colony of Spanish Guinea, its post-independence name refers to its location both near the Equ ...

; and the Savanna Zone comprising the Waza National Park of near

Chad Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North Africa, North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to Chad–Libya border, the north, Sudan to Chad–Sudan border, the east, the Central Afric ...

border,

Faro National Park Faro National Park is a national park in Cameroon's North Province. It covers an area of and is close to the Nigerian border, surrounded on the eastern side by several hunting reserves. It is home to cheetahs, black rhinoceros, elephants, and ...

of area with common boundary with

, and the Kalamaloué National Park of on the Chad border. Falling Waters in KORUP National park

Cameroon's first protected area in the northern part of the country was established in 1932 under the French colonial administration of the black

francophone Africa African French () is the umbrella grouping of varieties of the French language spoken throughout Francophone Africa. Used mainly as a secondary language or ''lingua franca'', it is spoken by an estimated 320 million people across 34 coun ...

. The first forest reserve created was the Mozogo Gokoro Reserve 12 June 1932 and the second in the same year was the Benue Reserve on 19 November 1932. The third reserve, the Waza Reserve was established on 24 March 1934, initially covering an area of which was extended in 1935 to cover ; this is one of the most popular reserves in the country. Until 1975, there were 9 protected areas with greater focus on the north than the south. Following the Earth Summit of Rio de Janeiro in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

in 1992, the number of protected areas increased substantially and were well distributed covering all the ten provinces of the country in widely differing topographic, climatic, hydrological and biological conditions. There are 20 protected reserves which include national parks, zoos, forest reserves and sanctuaries.

Flora

Gymnosiphon bekensis Korup National Park Cameroon IMG 1736 2

The vegetation varies with elevation. Submontane forests extend from elevation. Above elevation are distinct montane forests and patches of

montane grassland Montane grasslands and shrublands are a biome defined by the World Wildlife Fund. The biome includes high elevation grasslands and shrublands around the world. The term "montane" in the name of the biome refers to "high elevation", rather than t ...

bamboo forest The term bamboo forests is commonly used for bamboo plant communities even though bamboo is a grass, not a tree. Definitions of bamboo forests vary by country and may be contradictory. Overview Bamboos often create communities that are almost en ...

, and subalpine

grasslands A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge ( Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur ...

and

shrub lands A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

. The ecoregion is characterized by the presence of

afromontane The Afromontane regions are subregions of the Afrotropical realm, one of the Earth's eight biogeographic realms, covering the plant and animal species found in the mountains of Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula. The Afromontane regions o ...

species, which have an archipelago-like distribution across the highlands of Africa. Typical afromontane species are ''

Nuxia congesta ''Nuxia congesta'', commonly known as brittle-wood, is a species of tree in the Stilbaceae family, with an extensive range in the Afrotropics. The species is named ''congesta'' for its dense inflorescences. Range The species is native to Eswati ...

Podocarpus milanjianus ''Podocarpus milanjianus'' is a species of conifer in the family Podocarpaceae. It is native to the highlands and mountains of tropical Africa. Description ''Podocarpus milanjianus'' is an evergreen tree which can grow slowly up to 35 meters in ...

Prunus africana ''Prunus africana'', the African cherry, has a wide distribution in Africa, occurring in montane regions of central and southern Africa and on the islands of Bioko, São-Tomé, Grande Comore, and Madagascar. It can be found at above sea level. I ...

Rapanea melanophloeos ''Myrsine melanophloeos'', commonly known as Cape beech, Kaapse boekenhout (Afrikaans), isiCalabi (Zulu language, Zulu) or isiQwane sehlati (Xhosa language, Xhosa) is a dense evergreen tree that is native to the Afromontane, afromontane forests o ...

,'' and '' Syzygium guineense bamendae''. In Cameroon

forest cover Forest cover is the amount of trees that covers a particular area of land. It may be measured as relative (in percent) or absolute (in square kilometres/ square miles). Nearly a third of the world's land surface is covered with forest, with clos ...

is around 43% of the total land area, equivalent to 20,340,480 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, down from 22,500,000 hectares (ha) in 1990. In 2020, naturally regenerating forest covered 20,279,380 hectares (ha) and planted forest covered 61,100 hectares (ha). Around 15% of the forest area was found within protected areas, for the year 2015, 100% of the forest area was reported to be under

public ownership State ownership, also called public ownership or government ownership, is the ownership of an industry, asset, property, or enterprise by the national government of a country or state, or a public body representing a community, as opposed t ...

. The evergreen trees found in the rainforests are

mahogany Mahogany is a straight- grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Universit ...

ebony Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus '' Diospyros'', which also includes the persimmon tree. A few ''Diospyros'' species, such as macassar and mun ebony, are dense enough to sink in water. Ebony is fin ...

obeche ''Triplochiton scleroxylon'' is a tree of the genus ''Triplochiton'' of the family ''Malvaceae''. The timber is known by the common names African whitewood, abachi, obeche (in Nigeria), wawa (in Ghana), ayous (in Cameroon) and sambawawa (in Ivory ...

, dibetu, and sapelli; the trees grow to heights of 200 feet. The trees are also covered with

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular plant, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic phylum, division Bryophyta (, ) ''sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Wilhelm Philippe Schimper, Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryo ...

es,

lichens A lichen ( , ) is a hybrid colony (biology), colony of algae or cyanobacteria living symbiotically among hypha, filaments of multiple fungus species, along with yeasts and bacteria embedded in the cortex or "skin", in a mutualism (biology), m ...

, and other

epiphytes An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphyt ...

. In the drier woodlands above the rain forests are the tall grasslands and also some areas covered with mountain

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...

. In elevations between 2,400 m and 3,000 m, short grasses are the dominant species, particularly in the region of

Fauna

The most endangered species is the

Cross River gorilla The Cross River gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla diehli'') is a critically endangered subspecies of the western gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla''). It was named a new species in 1904 by Paul Matschie, a mammalian taxonomist working at the Humboldt Univers ...

, a great ape, whose last reported count was 300, spread over 11 scattered sites both in Cameroon and Nigeria. For preservation of this species of ape, the

and the

have been specifically established in Cameroon.

Elephants Elephants are the Largest and heaviest animals, largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant (''Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian ele ...

migrate between the

Lake Chad Lake Chad (, Kanuri language, Kanuri: ''Sádǝ'', ) is an endorheic freshwater lake located at the junction of four countries: Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, in western and central Africa respectively, with a catchment area in excess of . ...

region in Chad and Cameroon; 300 to 400 elephants are reported to live here. In the dense forest areas of the rainforest ecoregion the fauna commonly reported are; red and green monkeys,

chimpanzee The chimpanzee (; ''Pan troglodytes''), also simply known as the chimp, is a species of Hominidae, great ape native to the forests and savannahs of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed one. When its close rel ...

s, mandrills, rodents, bats, and large number of birds like the small sunbirds, giant hawks and eagles. Elephants are also reported in small numbers. The grassy woodlands have baboons and many species of antelope. ;Reptiles Albertus Seba Python sebae

Prominent reptiles reported include the

African rock python The Central African rock python (''Python sebae'') is a species of large constrictor snake in the family Pythonidae. The species is native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of 10 living species in the genus ''Python''. Africa's largest snake and ...

(''Python sebae''), the green bush viper (''

Atheris squamigera ''Atheris squamigera'' (common names: green bush viper,David Mallow, Mallow D, David Ludwig (herpetologist), Ludwig D, Göran Nilson, Nilson G (2003). ''True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers''. Malabar, Florida: Krieger ...

'') and the African slender-snouted crocodile (''

Mecistops cataphractus The West African slender-snouted crocodile (''Mecistops cataphractus''), or slender-snouted crocodile, is a critically endangered species of African crocodile. It is one of five species of crocodile in Africa, the other four being the Central Af ...

''). Marine turtles reported near the coasts of Cameroon in the Atlantic Ocean are the loggerhead (''Caretta caretta''), Atlantic green (''Chelonias mydas''), leatherback (''Dermochelys coriacea''),

hawksbill The hawksbill sea turtle (''Eretmochelys imbricata'') is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Eretmochelys''. The species has a global distribution that is largely ...

(''Eretmochelys imbricata''), and the

olive ridley The olive ridley sea turtle (''Lepidochelys olivacea''), also known commonly as the Pacific ridley sea turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Cheloniidae. The species is the second-smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in t ...

(''Lepidochelys olivacea''). Cameroon has enacted legislation to protect all these species of turtles. Olive ridley, leatherback, and green turtles are reported to nest on the sandy shoreline between Equatorial Guinea and the Wouri Estuary in Cameroon during November to January. ;Mammals Primates reported are: De Brazza's monkey ('' Cercopithecus neglectus''), the black colobus ('' Colobus satanas''); the patas monkey (''

Erythrocebus patas The common patas monkey (''Erythrocebus patas''), also known as the hussar monkey, is a ground-dwelling monkey distributed over semi-arid areas of West Africa, and into East Africa. Taxonomy There is some confusion surrounding if there are v ...

''); the

western gorilla The western gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla'') is a great ape found in Africa, one of two species of the hominid genus ''Gorilla''. Large and robust with males weighing around , the species is found in a region of midwest Africa, geographically iso ...

(''

Gorilla gorilla The western gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla'') is a great ape found in Africa, one of two species of the hominid genus ''Gorilla''. Large and robust with males weighing around , the species is found in a region of midwest Africa, geographically iso ...

''); the Angolan colobus ('' Colobus angolensis''); the moustached monkey ('' Cercopithecus cephus''); the Gabon bushbaby ('' Galago gabonensis''); the mona monkey ('' Cercopithecus mona''); and the western needle-clawed galago ('' Euoticus elegantulus''). The

is the most endangered African ape subspecies. Eleven small mammal species are endemic to the ecoregion:

Eisentraut's striped mouse Eisentraut's striped mouse or Eisentraut's hybomys (''Hybomys badius'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Cameroon. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat l ...

(''Hybomys eisentrauti''), the African wood mouse ('' Hylomyscus grandis''), the Mount Oku rat (''Lamottemys okuensis''), Mittendorf's striped grass mouse (''Lemniscomys mittendorfi''), two brush-furred mouse species ('' Lophuromys dieterleni'') and ('' Lophuromys eisentrauti''), the

Oku mouse shrew The Oku mouse shrew (''Myosorex okuensis'') is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae endemic to Cameroon. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. Th ...

(''Myosorex okuensis''), the

Rumpi mouse shrew The Rumpi mouse shrew (''Myosorex rumpii'') is a Myosoricinae shrew only known from the Rumpi Hills, Cameroon. The only known specimen is the holotype, collected around 1967. First described by Heim de Balsac in 1968, it was considered a subspeci ...

(''M. rumpii''), the

western vlei rat The western vlei rat (''Otomys occidentalis'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Cameroon and Nigeria. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland and swamps. It is threatened by habitat los ...

(''Otomys occidentalis''), Hartwig's soft-furred mouse (''Praomys hartwigi''), and Isabella's shrew (''

Sylvisorex isabellae The Bioko forest shrew or Isabella's shrew (''Sylvisorex isabellae'') is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae found in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forest and subtropical o ...

''). Other small mammals present include Stuhlmann's golden mole (''

Chrysochloris stuhlmanni Stuhlmann's golden mole (''Chrysochloris stuhlmanni'') is a species of mammal in the family Chrysochloridae. It is found in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical ...

''); the long-tailed pangolin (''

Manis tetradactyla The long-tailed pangolin (''Phataginus tetradactyla''), also called the African black-bellied pangolin or ''ipi'', is a diurnal, arboreal pangolin species belonging to the family Manidae, in the order Pholidota. They feed on ants rather than ter ...

'') and the African clawless otter (''

Aonyx capensis The African clawless otter (''Aonyx capensis''), also known as the Cape clawless otter or groot otter, is the second-largest freshwater otter species. It inhabits permanent water bodies in savannah and lowland forest areas through most of sub-Sa ...

''). Rodents include the lesser cane rat (''

Thryonomys gregorianus The lesser cane rat (''Thryonomys gregorianus'') is a species of rodent in the family Thryonomyidae. It is found in Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and po ...

'');

Dendromurinae Dendromurinae is a subfamily of rodents in the family Nesomyidae and superfamily Muroidea. The dendromurines are currently restricted to Africa, as is the case for all extant members of the family Nesomyidae. The authorship of the subfamily has ...

(

African climbing mice African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** List ...

fat mice ''Steatomys'' is a genus of rodent in the family Nesomyidae. It contains the following species: * Bocage's African fat mouse (''Steatomys bocagei'') * Northwestern fat mouse (''Steatomys caurinus'') * Dainty fat mouse (''Steatomys cuppedius'') ...

, tree mice, and relatives), and Otomyinae ( vlei rats and whistling rats). Bats include the lesser woolly bat (''

Kerivoula lanosa The lesser woolly bat (''Kerivoula lanosa'') is a species of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae. It is found in Botswana, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liber ...

'') and Franquet's epauletted bat (''

Epomops franqueti Franquet's epauletted fruit bat (''Epomops franqueti'') is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae, and is one of three different species of epauletted bats. Franquet's epauletted fruit bat has a range of habitats, varying from Subsaharan ...

''). In Cameroon, a range of

cetacea Cetacea (; , ) is an infraorder of aquatic mammals belonging to the order Artiodactyla that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. Key characteristics are their fully aquatic lifestyle, streamlined body shape, often large size and exclusively c ...

n species such as

humpback whale The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the monotypic taxon, only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh u ...

right whale Right whales are three species of large baleen whales of the genus ''Eubalaena'': the North Atlantic right whale (''E. glacialis''), the North Pacific right whale (''E. japonica'') and the southern right whale (''E. australis''). They are class ...

sperm whale The sperm whale or cachalot (''Physeter macrocephalus'') is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the Genus (biology), genus ''Physeter'' and one of three extant species in the s ...

fin whale The fin whale (''Balaenoptera physalus''), also known as the finback whale or common rorqual, is a species of baleen whale and the second-longest cetacean after the blue whale. The biggest individual reportedly measured in length, wi ...

sei whale The sei whale ( , ; ''Balaenoptera borealis'') is a baleen whale. It is one of ten rorqual species, and the third-largest member after the blue and fin whales. It can grow to in length and weigh as much as . Two subspecies are recognized: ...

killer whale The orca (''Orcinus orca''), or killer whale, is a toothed whale and the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. The only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'', it is recognizable by its black-and-white-patterned body. A cosmopolit ...

, and

dolphins A dolphin is an aquatic mammal in the cetacean clade Odontoceti (toothed whale). Dolphins belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontopori ...

are reported on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. The African manatee ('' Trichechus senegalensis'') is also present. The Central African cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus soemmeringii'') and West African wild dog (''Lycaon pictus manguensis'') were declared extinct from Cameroon in 2010. ;Avifauna LaniariusAtroflavusSmit

Cameroon has more than 900 bird species which belong to 76 families. Of these 7 are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

and 20 are specialty species. With this rich reporting of birds, they are categorized as resident birds (found throughout the year), breeding birds (which breed during the season), and migrants birds found only during specific the seasons and wintering birds which resided here during winter away from the colder regions of the north. Though the ecoregion is rich in bird species, birdwatching is a very limited activity here. The nearby

Mount Cameroon and Bioko montane forests The Mount Cameroon and Bioko montane forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in central Africa. It occupies the upper slopes of coastal Mount Cameroon in Cameroon, and the mountains of nearby Bioko island in Equatorial Guinea. Ge ...

ecoregion is also known for the endemic species. The seven endemic species are: the Bamenda apalis (''Apalis bamendae''),

Bangwa forest warbler The Bangwa forest warbler or Bangwa scrub warbler (''Bradypterus bangwaensis'') is a species of Old World warbler in the family Locustellidae. It is native to the Cameroonian Highlands forests. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat dest ...

(''Bradypterus bangwaensis''),

white-throated mountain-babbler The white-throated mountain babbler (''Turdoides gilberti'') is a passerine bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It is found in Cameroon and Nigeria. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat ...

(''Kupeornis gilberti''),

banded wattle-eye The banded wattle-eye (''Platysteira laticincta'') is a species of bird in the family Platysteiridae. It is endemic to the Bamenda Highlands in western Cameroon. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. In particular ...

(''Platysteira laticincta''), Bannerman's weaver (''Ploceus bannermani''),

Bannerman's turaco Bannerman's turaco (''Tauraco bannermani'') is a species of bird in the family Musophagidae. It is Endemism, endemic to Cameroon. In French (language), French it is known as ''touraco de Bannerman'' or ''touraco doré''. Its scientific and common ...

(''Tauraco bannermani''), and Mt. Kupe bushshrike (''Telophorus kupeensis''). Fourteen species are endemic to the Cameroon Highlands forests and Mt. Cameroon: '' Andropadus montanus'', '' Phyllastrephus poliocephalus'', '' Laniarius atroflavus'', '' Malaconotus gladiator'', '' Cossypha isabellae'' and the subspecies '' Cisticola chubbi discolor'' (sometimes considered a separate species ''C. discolor''). Nine more montane endemic species are shared with Mt. Cameroon and Bioko: '' Psalidoprocne fuliginosa'', '' Andropadus tephrolaemus'', '' Phyllastrephus poensis'', '' Phylloscopus herberti'', '' Urolais epichlora'', '' Poliolais lopezi'', '' Nectarinia oritis'', '' Nectarinia ursulae'' and '' Nesocharis shelleyi''. ;Molluscs Radix natalensis shell

Some of the non-marine molluscs species found in the wild in Cameroon are: '' Bulinus camerunensis'', an endangered species found in western Cameroon from Barombi Koto and Debundsha, both crater lakes; '' Lymnaea natalensis'', a species of least concern; and '' Sinistrexcisa'', a new genus of

land snail A land snail is any of the numerous species of snail that live on land, as opposed to the sea snails and freshwater snails. ''Land snail'' is the common name for terrestrial molluscs, terrestrial gastropod mollusks that have gastropod shell, shel ...

with four new species.

Endangered species

The ecoregion is home to several critically endangered, endangered and vulnerable species of animals. These are the following. *The

critically endangered An IUCN Red List critically endangered (CR or sometimes CE) species is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. As of December 2023, of t ...

species are: Eisentraut's shrew (''Crocidura eisentrauti'') also endemic,

pitch shrew The Cameroonian shrew (''Crocidura picea'') is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to Cameroon. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destructi ...

(''Crocidura picea'') also endemic, and

(''Myosorex rumpii'') also endemic. Gabon dwarf shrew (''Suncus remyi'') which was earlier rated by IUCN in 2004 as critically endangered is now rated as of least concern. *The endangered species are: arrogant shrew (''Sylvisorex morio'') also endemic,

(''

Pan troglodytes The chimpanzee (; ''Pan troglodytes''), also simply known as the chimp, is a species of great ape native to the forests and savannahs of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed one. When its close relative the b ...

''), crested genet (''Genetta cristata''),

drill A drill is a tool used for making round holes or driving fasteners. It is fitted with a drill bit for making holes, or a screwdriver bit for securing fasteners. Historically, they were powered by hand, and later mains power, but cordless b ...

(''Mandrillus leucophaeus''),

Eisentraut's mouse shrew Eisentraut's mouse shrew (''Myosorex eisentrauti'') is a Myosoricinae shrew found only on the island of Bioko, Equatorial Guinea. It is listed as a critically endangered species due to habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat l ...

(''Myosorex eisentrauti'').

(''Hybomys eisentrauti'') also endemic, giant African water shrew (''Potamogale velox''),

gorilla Gorillas are primarily herbivorous, terrestrial great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or five su ...

(''

''), Hartwig's soft-furred mouse (''Praomys hartwigi''), Mittendorf's striped grass mouse (''Lemniscomys mittendorfi'') also endemic, Mt. Oku rat (''Lamottemys okuensis'') also endemic, Preuss's monkey (or Preuss's guenon) (''Cercopithecus preussi''),

(''Otomys occidentalis''),

wild dog A free-ranging dog is a dog that is not confined to a yard or house. Free-ranging dogs include street dogs, village dogs, stray dogs, feral dogs, etc., and may be owned or unowned. The global dog population is estimated to be 900 million, of whi ...

(''Lycaon pictus''), and Wimmer's shrew (''Crocidura wimmeri''). *The vulnerable species are:

African elephant African elephants are members of the genus ''Loxodonta'' comprising two living elephant species, the African bush elephant (''L. africana'') and the smaller African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''). Both are social herbivores with grey skin. ...

(''Loxodonta africana''),

African golden cat The African golden cat (''Caracal aurata'') is a wild cat endemic to the rainforests of West and Central Africa. It is threatened due to deforestation and bushmeat hunting and listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. It is a close relative o ...

(''Profelis aurata''),

African pygmy squirrel The African pygmy squirrel (''Myosciurus pumilio'') is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is monotypic within the genus ''Myosciurus''. It is found in tropical rainforests in Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, an ...

(''Myosciurus pumilio''),

Allen's striped bat Allen's striped bat (''Glauconycteris alboguttata'') is a species of bat in the family Vespertilionidae, the vesper bats. It is native to Africa, where it occurs in Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This species can be found in ...

(''Chalinolobus alboguttatus''),

black colobus The black colobus (''Colobus satanas''), or satanic black colobus, is a species of Old World monkey belonging to the genus ''Colobus''. The species is found in a small area of western central Africa. Black colobuses are large, completely covered ...

(''Colobus satanas''), Cameroon climbing mouse (''Dendromus oreas'') also endemic,

Cameroon soft-furred mouse The Cameroon soft-furred mouse or Cameroon praomys (''Praomys morio'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threat ...

(''Praomys morio'') also endemic,

cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large Felidae, cat and the Fastest animals, fastest land animal. It has a tawny to creamy white or pale buff fur that is marked with evenly spaced, solid black spots. The head is small and rounded, wit ...

(''Acinonyx jubatus''),

Cooper's mountain squirrel Cooper's mountain squirrel (''Paraxerus cooperi'') is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae found in Cameroon and Nigeria. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, whe ...

(''Paraxerus cooperi'') also endemic, Hun shrew (''Crocidura attila''), Isabella shrew (S''ylvisorex isabellae''),

Ja slit-faced bat The Ja slit-faced bat (''Nycteris major'') is a species of slit-faced bat ''Nycteris'' comprises a genus of bats commonly called slit-faced or hollow-faced bats. They are grouped in the family Nycteridae. The bats are found in East Malaysia, In ...

(''Nycteris major''),

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...

(''Panthera leo''),

mandrill The mandrill (''Mandrillus sphinx'') is a large Old World monkey native to west central Africa. It is one of the most colorful mammals in the world, with red and blue skin on its face and posterior. The species is Sexual dimorphism, sexually ...

(''Mandrillus sphinx''),

(''Myosorex okuensis'') also endemic, red-eared guenon (''Cercopithecus erythrotis''),

red-fronted gazelle The red-fronted gazelle (''Eudorcas rufifrons'') is widely but unevenly distributed gazelle across the middle of Africa from Senegal to northeastern Ethiopia. It is mainly resident in the Sahel zone, a narrow cross-Africa band south of the Sahar ...

(''Gazella rufifrons''),

spotted-necked otter The spotted-necked otter (''Hydrictis maculicollis''), or speckle-throated otter, is an otter native to sub-Saharan Africa. Description The spotted-necked otter is usually chocolate to reddish brown and marked with creamy or white blotches over ...

(''Lutra maculicollis'') and

West African manatee The African manatee (''Trichechus senegalensis''), also known as the West African manatee, is a species of manatee that inhabits much of Western Africa – from Senegal to Angola. It is the only manatee species to be found in the Old World. Ta ...

(''Trichechus senegalensis'').

Threats

The wildlife is under threat due to many factors. These are:

conversion Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''The Convert'', a 2023 film produced by Jump Film & Television and Brouhaha Entertainment * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * ...

of forest land for agricultural use on account of their rich soil derived from volcanic rocks; pressure to meet

firewood Firewood is any wooden material that is gathered and used for fuel. Generally, firewood is not heavily processed, and is in some sort of firelog, recognizable log or branch form, compared to other forms of wood fuel like pellet fuel, pellets. ...

requirements;

forest fire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a bushfire ( in Australia), dese ...

s, particularly in grass land areas; the development of industrial complexes

hydro-electric power plant Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and also mo ...

s and

bauxite mining Bauxite () is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminium content. It is the world's main source of aluminium and gallium. Bauxite consists mostly of the aluminium minerals gibbsite (), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)), and diaspore (α-AlO(OH) ...

and forest land slotted for the purpose; as well as hunting.

Forest loss Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then land conversion, converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or u ...

in the Bamenda-Banso Highlands and also to certain degree in the

Obudu Plateau --> Obudu Plateau is a plateau found on the Oshie Ridge of the Sankwala Mountain range, in Cross River State, in the southeast of Nigeria. The plateau is found in Obanliku local government area of the Cross River State. The plateau extends toward ...

is reported as more than 50% since the 1960s because of conversion to agricultural lands and good rainfall conditions. Hunting is recorded in the cross border regions of Cameroon. Trading in bush meat is common in the Sangha River Region; bush meat trade is reported to be concurrent with the logging operations. Hunting for ivory, skins and other animal parts is also reported in many national park areas in Cameroon, from within the country and also from cross border poachers.

Conservation

Many NGOs are working in Cameroon for the conservation and preservation of wild life. Sangha Tri National Landscape

Conservation efforts in the Sangha River Tri-national Protected Area are in place in a trans-boundary program sponsored by the

World Wide Fund for Nature The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a Swiss-based international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named th ...

(WWF) with participation by the Central African Republic, the Congo and the Cameroon. This covers a total area of encompassing the Dzanga Sangha Special Reserve (the second largest area in the world) in the Central African Republic, which incorporates within its ambit the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in the

(

Brazzaville Brazzaville () is the capital (political), capital and largest city of the Republic of the Congo. Administratively, it is a Departments of the Republic of the Congo, department and a Communes of the Republic of the Congo, commune. Constituting t ...

) and the

in Cameroon. Appropriate actions are under implementation in respect of anti-poaching, research and the promotion of tourism to the rain forests (the mammal species of particular interest are elephants, apes, ranging from

western lowland gorilla The western lowland gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla gorilla'') is one of two Critically Endangered subspecies of the western gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla'') that lives in Montane ecosystems#Montane forests, montane, Old-growth forest, primary and sec ...

s and bongo). The three park-administrations and the prefects of the three countries meet often to ensure proper monitoring of the conservation activities. Patrolling of the parks is a regular joint effort to prevent poaching, smuggling of

ivory Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and Tooth, teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mamm ...

and unauthorized fishing and carriage of fire arms in the reserve park The German Cooperation of Technical Collaboration (GTC) in Central African Republic and Cameroon, and the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) and

Wildlife Conservation Society The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a global 501(c)(3) organization, 501(c)(3) non-governmental organization, headquartered at the Bronx Zoo in New York City, with a mission to save "wildlife and wild places across the globe". Founded in ...

(WCS - New York) in the Congo are providing large funds for conservation of the parks. A particular success story of the enabled protection, particularly in the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park is of the special group of 'eco-guards', who operate under the MFEE (Ministry of Forestry Economy and the Environment), unlike the past practice of deploying

rangers A ranger is typically someone in a law enforcement or military/paramilitary role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called "ranging" or "scouting". The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with prot ...

, which is reported to have stopped illegal human activities taking place in the park such as

poaching Poaching is the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set against the huntin ...

Ape Action Africa Ape Action Africa is a non-profit NGO founded in 1996 dedicated to the conservation of endangered gorillas and chimpanzees, threatened by the bushmeat trade in Central and West Africa. Ape Action Africa manages the rescue and rehabilitation of G ...

is one such non-profit NGO which was established in 1996 with the primary objective of conservation of endangered

s and

s, which are threatened by the

bushmeat Bushmeat is meat from wildlife species that are Hunting, hunted for human consumption. Bushmeat represents a primary source of animal protein and a cash-earning commodity in poor and rural communities of humid tropical forest regions of the worl ...

trade in Central and West Africa. The NGO not only helps in the rescue and rehabilitation of great apes but also helps in management of a large sanctuary in the Mefou forest.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wildlife Of Cameroon Biota of Cameroon