Thewildlife ofSão Tomé and Príncipe is composed of itsflora andfauna.São Tomé andPríncipe are oceanic islands which have always been separate from mainlandWest Africa and so there is a relatively low diversity of species, restricted to those that have managed to cross the sea to the islands. However the level ofendemism is high with many species occurring nowhere else in the world.
The four islands arevolcanic, part of theCameroon Line of volcanoes that extends from Annobón in the southwest, through the islands of São Tomé, Príncipe, and Bioko, and onto the mainland asMount Cameroon and the volcanoes of theCameroon Highlands. The rainfall precipitation is due in part to condensation of the ocean mist.
.jpg)
São Tomé and Príncipe consists of two volcanic islands in the Gulf of Guinea. Rain forests cover almost three quarters of the total area and can be divided into three zones, namedlow altitude rainforest,submontane rain forest andAfromontane evergreencloud forest. Much of the moist lowland forest has been cleared and currently comprises mainly savannah vegetation in the north and palm plantations and coconut tree plantations in the south. Still, the tropical montane cloud forest remains largely unchanged. The cloud forest is home to low tree of open canopy. São Tomé and Príncipe currently do not have any officially protected area. Mostprimary forests are still survived thanks to the inaccessibility of the steep slopes in the humid and inhospitable island, which are not suitable for farming activities or for humans to inhabit them.
Príncipe is the northernmost island, and lies closest to the African mainland, with an area of 128 km2. São Tomé is the larger of the two islands, approximately 836 km2, and lies southwest of Príncipe. Annobón is the southernmost island and lies furthest from the African coast, with an area of 17 km2. The islands are mountainous, with the highest peaks reaching to 2,024 meters on São Tomé (Pico de São Tomé), 948 meters on Príncipe (Pico do Príncipe), and 598 meters on Annobón (Pico Quioveo).
Príncipe is the oldest of the islands, with the oldest rocks dating back 31 million years. São Tomé is 14 million years old, and Annobón 4.8 million years old.[1] None of the islands have been connected to mainland Africa.
The Tinhosas islands are two unvegetated rocky islets lying 22 km south of Príncipe.Tinhosa Grande has an area of 22 hectares, and reaches 56 meters elevation, andTinhosa Pequena is 3 hectares in area and 65 meters elevation.[2]
Bioko andAnnobón areextinct volcanos included in the same ecoregion as São Tomé e Príncipe. Annobon rises 598 m (1961 ft) abovesea level. Both islands are part ofEquatorial Guinea.
The diversity ofmammals is low and there is only one endemic terrestrial mammal, theSão Tomé shrew. There are severalbats, including the recently describedSão Tomé free-tailed bat. Variouscetaceans such as thehumpback whale occur offshore andwhaling formerly took place. A number of species have beenintroduced by man such as themona monkey,rats and feralpigs.
At least 114bird species have occurred on the islands and there are about 26 endemics, depending on taxonomy. At least three have no close relatives and are classified ingenera of their own, theSão Tomé short-tail,São Tomé grosbeak andDohrn's thrush-babbler. The islands' birds include the world's largestsunbird (thegiant sunbird) and the smallestibis (dwarf olive ibis). Largeseabird colonies are found on some of the smaller islets. Several of the country's birds are considered to bethreatened with extinction and three, the dwarf olive ibis,São Tomé fiscal and São Tomé grosbeak, arecritically endangered.
There are seven amphibian species native to São Tomé and Príncipe, all of themendemic: sixfrogs (Leptopelis palmatus,Hyperolius molleri,H. thomensis,Phrynobatrachus dispar,P. leveleve, andPtychadena newtoni) and onecaecilian, the cobra boboSchistometopum thomense.[3][4] Exactly how these species (or their ancestors) have managed to colonize the islands is not obvious as amphibians generally have low tolerance to sea water. Dispersal by birds or storms seems unlikely, especially for the subterranean caecilian. Instead, it has been suggested that the most plausible explanation is rafting, with floating conglomerations of tree trunks, freshwater aquatic plants, and even soil, during periods when sea surface salinity was lower. A possible source of suitable rafts and freshwater plumes is theCongo River.[4]
There are about 895 species ofvascular plant native to the islands, of which 95 are restricted to São Tomé and 37 occur only on Príncipe. The familiesOrchidaceae,Rubiaceae andEuphorbiaceae are well represented, as are the generaCalvoa andBegonia. The giant endemic begoniasBegonia crateris andBegonia baccata can reach three metres in height. The islands are also rich inferns. The onlygymnosperm is a single endemic species from São Tomé,Afrocarpus mannii.[5] Other endemic plants include:
There are four endemic species restricted to the cloud forest environments of thePico de São Tomé, from 1,400 m (4,600 ft) to its peak:Afrocarpus mannii,Balthasaria mannii,Psychotria guerkeana andP. nubicola.[6]
Rainforest covers about 74% of the country. Much of this issecondary forest that has grown on abandonedplantations, known as "capoeiras". In contrast, primary forests are called "obós".[7] A large area of forest is protected byObo National Park. Other habitats includesavanna and small areas of beach sand dunes andmangroves.