Thewildlife of Senegal consists of theflora andfauna of this nation in West Africa.Senegal has a long Atlantic coastline and a range of habitat types, with a corresponding diversity of plants and animals. Senegal has 188 species ofmammals and 674 species of bird.
Senegal is bounded by theAtlantic Ocean to the west,Mauritania to the north,Mali to the east, andGuinea andGuinea-Bissau to the south. It has a long internal border withThe Gambia which lies on either side of theGambia River but is otherwise surrounded by Senegal. The four major rivers, theSenegal River, theSaloum River, the Gambia River and theCasamance River, drain westwards into the Atlantic Ocean. TheLac de Guiers is a large freshwater lake in the north of the country whileLake Retba, near Dakar, is saline.[1]
The northern half of the country has an arid or semi-arid climate and is largely desert while south of the Gambia River the rainfall is higher and the terrain consists of savannah grassland and forest. Much of the country is fairly flat and below the 500 m (1,640 ft) contour, but there are some low, rolling hills in the southeast, the foothills of theFouta Djallon in Guinea. The northern half of the coast is sandy and flat, whereas south ofDakar it is muddy and swampy.[2]
The northern part of the country has a semi-arid climate, with precipitation increasing substantially further south to exceed 1,500 mm (60 in) in some areas. Winds blow from the southwest during the rainy season from May to November, and from the northeast during the rest of the year, resulting in well-defined humid and dry seasons. Dakar's maximum temperatures averages 30 °C (86 °F) in the wet and 26 °C (79 °F) in the dry season.[3]
With four main ecosystems (forest, savanna grassland, freshwater, marine and coastal), Senegal has a wide diversity of plants and animals. However, increases in human activities and changes in weather patterns which include increased deficits in rainfall, are impacting and degrading the natural habitats. This is particularly noticeable with regard to forests, which in the five years to 2010, were being lost at the rate of 40,000 ha (100,000 acres) per year.[4]
About 5,213 species, subspecies and varieties of vascular plants had been recorded in Senegal by the end of 2018, of which 515 were trees or woody plants.[5]
TheNiokolo-Koba National Park is a World Heritage Site and large natural protected area in southeastern Senegal near the Guinea-Bissau border. The park is typical of the woodland savannah of the country. About thirty species of tree are found here, mainly from the familiesFabaceae,Combretaceae andAnacardiaceae, and about one thousand species of vascular plant. The drier parts are dominated by theAfrican kino tree andCombretum glutinosum, while the gallery forests beside rivers and streams (many of which dry up seasonally) are largely formed fromErythrophleum guineense andPseudospondias microcarpa, interspersed withpalms andbamboo clumps. Depressions in the ground fill with water in the rainy season and support a wide range of aquatic vegetation.[6] In the coastal zone ofNiayes, a coastal strip of land between Dakar andSaint Louis where a line of lakes lie behind the coastal sand dunes, the predominant vegetation is theAfrican oil-palm, along with theAfrican mesquite andCape fig.[7]
Many of the larger animals of Senegal that used to have a widespread distribution have suffered from loss of habitat, persecution by farmers, and hunting for bushmeat, and are now largely restricted to the national park. TheGuinea baboon is one of these, as are theSenegal hartebeest, thewestern hartebeest, thescimitar oryx, theroan antelope and several species ofgazelle.[8] Habitat degradation has caused populations ofwestern red colobus,elephants,lions, and many other species to decrease heavily.[4] The western subspecies of thegiant eland iscritically endangered, the only remaining known population being in theNiokolo-Koba National Park; the rapid decline in numbers of this antelope has been attributed to poaching.[9]
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Other mammals found in the country include thegreen monkey, theGuinean gerbil and theSenegal one-striped grass mouse.[10]
Some 674 species of bird had been recorded in Senegal by April 2019.[5] Some of the more spectacular include thered-billed tropicbird, theArabian bustard, theEgyptian plover, thegolden nightjar, thered-throated bee-eater, thechestnut-bellied starling, thecricket warbler, theKordofan lark and theSudan golden sparrow.[11]
TheDjoudj National Bird Sanctuary on the south side of the Senegal River Delta is an important site for migrating and overwintering waterfowl. About three million migratory birds spend the winter here.[4] Some birds that nest and breed in the delta include thegreat white pelican,lesser flamingo, themarbled duck,African spoonbill,purple heron,black crowned crane, and others.[8][12] Further south is theSaloum Delta National Park which lies on theEast Atlantic Flyway, along which about 90 million birds migrate annually.[13] Some birds that breed or winter in the park include theroyal tern, thegreater flamingo, theEurasian spoonbill, thecurlew sandpiper, theruddy turnstone and thelittle stint.[14] Another important wetland area is the Niayes, which is an important centre for waterbirds and raptors; large numbers ofblack kites have been recorded here.[7]
Some 244 species of marine fish had been recorded off the coast of Senegal by April 2019.[5] Some freshwater species of fish have been impacted by the creation of dams in the Senegal River Delta and the proliferation of some plants such as thesouthern cattail.[4]