Africa

Mammals Birds Reptiles Amphibians Fish Echinoderms Insects Crustaceans Cephalopods Gastropods Bivalves Cnidarians Plants Algae Fungi Bryophites

African Biodiversity

The African continent is filled with an amazingly diverse collection of plant and animal life. The continent is home to more than 50,000 known plant species, 1,000 mammal species, and 1,500 bird species. Traditionally, African societies depended on many of these indigenous species for survival and developed strategies to protect and conserve them for the benefit of their own and future generations. In some cultures, areas that were particularly rich in biodiversity were often designated as sacred groves and protected areas. Eastern Africa has the highest numbers of endemic species of mammals (55%), birds (63%), reptiles (49%) and amphibians (40%), whereas species endemism is relatively low in Northern Africa. Madagascar is the most endemic-rich country in Africa, and the sixth in the world for higher vertebrates (mammals, birds and amphibians), with more than 300 endemic species, and the third-most plant-rich country in Africa after the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania. One of the six most significant concentrations of plants in the world is the Cape Floristic Region in South Africa. Savannahs, the richest grasslands in the world, are the most extensive ecosystem in Africa. They support many indigenous plants and animals as well as the world’s largest concentration of large mammals such as elephants, buffalo, rhinoceros, giraffes, lions, leopards, cheetah, zebras, hippopotami, kudus, waterbucks and oryx…

Amazing Africa – Unique Wildlife in Ethiopia’s Highlands… The Zambezi River: Mozambique’s Force of Life… Madagascar – Wildlife and Green Treasures of the Red Island… Drakensberg – Africas Dragon Mountains… Saint Helena: Breathtaking nature in one of the most remote places on earth…