Wildlife of Mauritania

South of this is regarded as being in the Afrotropical biogeographic realm, which means that species of a predominantly Afotropical distribution dominate the fauna.

[4] Wetlands are important and the two main protected areas are the Banc d'Arguin National Park which protects rich, shallow coastal and marine ecosystems which integrate with the arid Sahara desert[5] and the Diawling National Park which forms the northern part of the delta of the Senegal River.

[8] In the area of Diawling National Park, the last lion was shot in 1970 and there have been no sightings of manatees or hippopotamus in recent years.

[13] The coastal wetlands are of immense importance for over two million wintering Western Palearctic waders, from fifteen different species including dunlin, bar-tailed godwit, curlew sandpiper and common redshank each numbering over 100,000 birds.

[15] Other reptiles found include the African chameleon, Senegal chameleon, Nile monitor, various geckos and other lizards, the Mali cobra and black-necked spitting cobra, African rock python, the desert horned viper and the Saharan sand viper, puff adders are among the snakes, as well as terrestrial, freshwater and marine turtles.

[16] Eleven species of amphibian have been confirmed as occurring in Mauritania but another 19 are expected to be recorded, mainly in the south of the country.