Wildlife of Cameroon - Fauna

Fauna

The most endangered species is the Cross River gorilla, 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 Kagwene Gorilla Sanctuary and the Takamanda National Park have been specifically established in Cameroon. Elephants migrate between the Lake Chad 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, chimpanzees, 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

Prominent reptiles reported include the African rock python (Python sebae), the green bush viper (Atheris squamigera) and the African slender-snouted crocodile (Mecistops cataphractus). 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 (Eretmochelys imbricata), and the olive ridley (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 western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla); 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 Cross River gorilla is the most endangered African ape subspecies.

Eleven small mammal species are endemic to the ecoregion: Eisentraut's striped mouse (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 (Myosorex okuensis), the Rumpi mouse shrew (M. rumpii), the western vlei rat (Otomys occidentalis), Hartwig's soft-furred mouse (Praomys hartwigi), and Isabella's shrew (Sylvisorex isabellae).

Other small mammals present include Stuhlmann's golden mole (Chrysochloris stuhlmanni); the long-tailed pangolin (Manis tetradactyla) and the African clawless otter (Aonyx capensis). Rodents include the lesser cane rat (Thryonomys gregorianus); Dendromurinae (African climbing mice, fat mice, tree mice, and relatives), and Otomyinae (vlei rats and whistling rats). Bats include the lesser woolly bat (Kerivoula lanosa) and Franquet's epauletted bat (Epomops franqueti).

In Cameroon, a range of cetacean species such as humpback whale, right whale, sperm whale, fin whale, sei whale, killer whale, and dolphins are reported on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. The African manatee (Trichechus senegalensis) is also present.

Avifauna

Cameroon has more than 900 bird species which belong to 76 families. Of these 7 are endemic species 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 ecoregion is also known for the endemic species. The seven endemic species are: the Bamenda apalis (Apalis bamendae), forest warbler (Bradypterus bangwaensis), white-throated mountain-babbler (Kupeornis gilberti), banded wattle-eye (Platysteira laticincta), Bannerman's weaver (Ploceus bannermani), Bannerman's turaco (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

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 with four new species.