List of mammals of Angola

This is a list of the mammal species recorded in Angola. Of the mammal species in Angola, one is critically endangered, five are endangered, eight are vulnerable, and ten are near threatened.[1]

There are 291 extant species of mammals in Angola[2] and 67 fossil species.[3]

The following tags are used to highlight each species' conservation status as assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature:

EX Extinct No reasonable doubt that the last individual has died.
EW Extinct in the wild Known only to survive in captivity or as a naturalized populations well outside its previous range.
CR Critically endangered The species is in imminent risk of extinction in the wild.
EN Endangered The species is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
VU Vulnerable The species is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
NT Near threatened The species does not meet any of the criteria that would categorise it as risking extinction but it is likely to do so in the future.
LC Least concern There are no current identifiable risks to the species.
DD Data deficient There is inadequate information to make an assessment of the risks to this species.

Some species were assessed using an earlier set of criteria. Species assessed using this system have the following instead of near threatened and least concern categories:

LR/cd Lower risk/conservation dependent Species which were the focus of conservation programmes and may have moved into a higher risk category if that programme was discontinued.
LR/nt Lower risk/near threatened Species which are close to being classified as vulnerable but are not the subject of conservation programmes.
LR/lc Lower risk/least concern Species for which there are no identifiable risks.

Order: Afrosoricida (tenrecs and golden moles)

edit

The order Afrosoricida contains the golden moles of southern Africa and the tenrecs of Madagascar and Africa, two families of small mammals that were traditionally part of the order Insectivora.

Order: Macroscelidea (elephant shrews)

edit

Often called sengi, the elephant shrews or jumping shrews are native to southern Africa. Their common English name derives from their elongated flexible snout and their resemblance to the true shrews.

Order: Tubulidentata (aardvarks)

edit
 
Aardvark

The order Tubulidentata consists of a single species, the aardvark. Tubulidentata are characterised by their teeth which lack a pulp cavity and form thin tubes which are continuously worn down and replaced.

Order: Hyracoidea (hyraxes)

edit

The hyraxes are any of four species of fairly small, thickset, herbivorous mammals in the order Hyracoidea. About the size of a domestic cat they are well-furred, with rounded bodies and a stumpy tail. They are native to Africa and the Middle East.

Order: Proboscidea (elephants)

edit
 
African bush elephant

The elephants comprise three living species and are the largest living land animals.

Order: Sirenia (manatees and dugongs)

edit

Sirenia is an order of fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals that inhabit rivers, estuaries, coastal marine waters, swamps, and marine wetlands. All four species are endangered.

 
Chacma baboon

The order Primates contains humans and their closest relatives: lemurs, lorisoids, tarsiers, monkeys, and apes.

Order: Rodentia (rodents)

edit
 
Typical striped grass mouse

Rodents make up the largest order of mammals, with over 40 percent of mammalian species. They have two incisors in the upper and lower jaw which grow continually and must be kept short by gnawing. Most rodents are small though the capybara can weigh up to 45 kg (100 lb).

Order: Lagomorpha (lagomorphs)

edit

The lagomorphs comprise two families, Leporidae (hares and rabbits), and Ochotonidae (pikas). Though they can resemble rodents, and were classified as a superfamily in that order until the early 20th century, they have since been considered a separate order. They differ from rodents in a number of physical characteristics, such as having four incisors in the upper jaw rather than two.

Order: Erinaceomorpha (hedgehogs and gymnures)

edit

The order Erinaceomorpha contains a single family, Erinaceidae, which comprise the hedgehogs and gymnures. The hedgehogs are easily recognised by their spines while gymnures look more like large rats.

Order: Soricomorpha (shrews, moles, and solenodons)

edit

The "shrew-forms" are insectivorous mammals. The shrews and solenodons closely resemble mice while the moles are stout-bodied burrowers.

Order: Chiroptera (bats)

edit

The bats' most distinguishing feature is that their forelimbs are developed as wings, making them the only mammals capable of flight. Bat species account for about 20% of all mammals.

Order: Pholidota (pangolins)

edit

The order Pholidota comprises the eight species of pangolin. Pangolins are anteaters and have the powerful claws, elongated snout and long tongue seen in the other unrelated anteater species.

Order: Cetacea (whales)

edit
 
Bryde's whale
 
Pygmy sperm whale

The order Cetacea includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. They are the mammals most fully adapted to aquatic life with a spindle-shaped nearly hairless body, protected by a thick layer of blubber, and forelimbs and tail modified to provide propulsion underwater.

Order: Carnivora (carnivorans)

edit
 
African leopard
 
Common genet
 
Spotted hyena
 
Black-backed jackal
 
Bat-eared fox
 
Southern elephant seal

There are over 260 species of carnivorans, the majority of which feed primarily on meat. They have a characteristic skull shape and dentition.

Order: Perissodactyla (odd-toed ungulates)

edit
 
Chapman's zebra
 
Black rhinoceros

The odd-toed ungulates are browsing and grazing mammals. They are usually large to very large, and have relatively simple stomachs and a large middle toe.

Order: Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates)

edit
 
Lichtenstein's hartebeest

]

 
African buffalo
 
Bushbuck
 
Blue duiker
 
Roan antelope
 
Waterbuck

The even-toed ungulates are ungulates whose weight is borne about equally by the third and fourth toes, rather than mostly or entirely by the third as in perissodactyls. There are about 220 artiodactyl species, including many that are of great economic importance to humans.

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ This list is derived from the IUCN Red List which lists species of mammals and includes those mammals that have recently been classified as extinct (since 1500 AD). The taxonomy and naming of the individual species is based on those used in existing Wikipedia articles as of 21 May 2007 and supplemented by the common names and taxonomy from the IUCN, Smithsonian Institution, or University of Michigan where no Wikipedia article was available.
  2. ^ Beja, Pedro; Vaz Pinto, Pedro; Veríssimo, Luís; Bersacola, Elena; Fabiano, Ezequiel; Palmeirim, Jorge M.; Monadjem, Ara; Monterroso, Pedro; Svensson, Magdalena S.; Taylor, Peter John (2019). "The Mammals of Angola". Biodiversity of Angola. Springer International Publishing. pp. 357–443. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-03083-4_15. hdl:10400.5/17770. ISBN 978-3-030-03082-7. S2CID 134372977.
  3. ^ Mateus, Octávio; Callapez, Pedro M.; Polcyn, Michael J.; Schulp, Anne S.; Gonçalves, António Olímpio; Jacobs, Louis L. (2019). "The Fossil Record of Biodiversity in Angola Through Time: A Paleontological Perspective". Biodiversity of Angola. Springer International Publishing. pp. 53–76. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-03083-4_4. ISBN 978-3-030-03082-7. S2CID 133717540.
  4. ^ Gobush, K.S.; Edwards, C.T.T.; Balfour, D.; Wittemyer, G.; Maisels, F.; Taylor, R.D. (2021). "Loxodonta africana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T181008073A204401095. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T181008073A204401095.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  5. ^ Gobush, K.S.; Edwards, C.T.T.; Maisels, F.; Wittemyer, G.; Balfour, D.; Taylor, R.D. (2021). "Loxodonta cyclotis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T181007989A204404464. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T181007989A204404464.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  6. ^ Roux, Jean Paul. Braby, Rod J., Best, Peter B. 2013. Does disappearance mean extirpation? The case of right whales off Namibia.
  7. ^ Duke University (2008). Spatial Ecology of the North Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalaena Glacialis) (book). ISBN 9780549492252. Retrieved 2015-12-04.
  8. ^ Bahaa-el-din, L.; Mills, D.; Hunter, L. & Henschel, P. (2015). "Caracal aurata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T18306A50663128.
  9. ^ Ghoddousi, A.; Belbachir, F.; Durant, S.M.; Herbst, M. & Rosen, T. (2022). "Felis lybica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022: e.T131299383A154907281. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T131299383A154907281.en.
  10. ^ Do Linh San, E. (2015). "Ichneumia albicauda". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T41620A45208640.
  11. ^ IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group (2019). "Alcelaphus buselaphus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T811A143160967.
  12. ^ IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group (2019). "Syncerus caffer". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T21251A50195031.
edit