Wildlife of Mozambique

The Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany hotspot, with significantly high levels of biodiversity, stretches from the southern tip of Mozambique into northeastern South Africa.

To the north of the Zambezi, the narrow coastal strip gives way to inland hills and low plateaus.

[3] Most of the terrain of Mozambique is covered by wooded savanna, grassland with a scattering of trees but an open canopy.

[4] The Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany Hotspot in southern Mozambique and northeastern South Africa, is a biogeographic region with significantly high levels of biodiversity and plant endemism.

Ten different species of mangrove have been recorded here, including Lumnitzera racemosa and Xylocarpus granatum.

[7] Ungulates found here include the common warthog, the hippopotamus and the South African giraffe and around twenty species of antelope including the common eland, the Lichtenstein's hartebeest, the greater kudu, the sable antelope, the nyala, the waterbuck, the blue wildebeest and the Cape bushbuck.

[9] Some notable examples include the lesser jacana, the crab-plover, the mangrove kingfisher, the Böhm's bee-eater, the racket-tailed roller, the African pitta, the green-headed oriole, the collared palm thrush, the pale batis, the lowland tiny greenbul, the lesser seedcracker and the locust finch.

The savannah monitor is the largest lizard in the country, but more common are the much smaller skinks, agamas, chamaeleons and house geckos.

In reality, many of these have little protection and many animals were severely depleted as a result of the Mozambican Civil War (1977–1992) and the increase in poaching which took place at that time.

More recently, efforts are being made to restock some of the protected areas with animals brought in from elsewhere, and facilities for visitors have improved, particularly at Gorongosa National Park.