Fauna Of Ethiopia
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The richness and variety of the wildlife of Ethiopia is dictated by the great diversity of terrain with wide variations in climate, soils, natural vegetation and settlement patterns.
Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
contains a vast highland complex of mountains and dissected plateaus divided by the
Great Rift Valley The Great Rift Valley is a series of contiguous geographic trenches, approximately in total length, that runs from Lebanon in Asia to Mozambique in Southeast Africa. While the name continues in some usages, it is rarely used in geology as it ...
, which runs generally southwest to northeast and is surrounded by lowlands, steppes, or semi-desert. Ethiopia is an ecologically diverse country, ranging from the deserts along the eastern border to the tropical forests in the south to extensive Afromontane in the northern and southwestern parts. Lake Tana in the north is the source of the
Blue Nile The Blue Nile (; ) is a river originating at Lake Tana in Ethiopia. It travels for approximately through Ethiopia and Sudan. Along with the White Nile, it is one of the two major tributaries of the Nile and supplies about 85.6% of the water to ...
. It also has many
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
species, including 31 mammal species, notably the
gelada The gelada (''Theropithecus gelada'', am, ጭላዳ, translit=č̣əlada), sometimes called the bleeding-heart monkey or the gelada baboon, is a species of Old World monkey found only in the Ethiopian Highlands, living at elevations of above se ...
, the
walia ibex The walia ibex (''Capra walie'', Amharic: ዋልያ ''wālyā'') is an endangered species of ibex. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of the Alpine ibex. Threats against the species include habitat loss, poaching, and restricted range; only ...
and the
Ethiopian wolf The Ethiopian wolf (''Canis simensis''), also called the Simien jackal and Simien fox, is a canine native to the Ethiopian Highlands. In southeastern Ethiopia it is also known as the horse jackal. It is similar to the coyote in size and build, ...
("Simien fox"). There are seven mammal species classified as "critically endangered", and others as "endangered" or "vulnerable". The wide range of altitude has given the country a variety of ecologically distinct areas, and this has helped to encourage the evolution of endemic species in ecological isolation. But some of these habitats are now much reduced or threatened. The nation is a land of geographical contrasts, ranging from the vast fertile west, with its forests and numerous rivers, to the world's hottest settlement of Dallol in its north. The
Ethiopian Highlands The Ethiopian Highlands is a rugged mass of mountains in Ethiopia in Northeast Africa. It forms the largest continuous area of its elevation in the continent, with little of its surface falling below , while the summits reach heights of up to . ...
are the largest continuous mountain ranges in Africa, and the
Sof Omar Caves Sof Omar Caves is the longest cave in Ethiopia at long. When surveyed in 1972, it was the longest cave in Africa. Since then explorations in Algeria (Rhar Bou Ma’za - the Tafna River Cave 18.4 km) and Madagascar (Ambatoharanana - Crocodile C ...
contains the largest cave on the continent. Ethiopia also has the second-largest number of
UNESCO World Heritage Sites A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
in Africa.


Fauna


Mammals


Birds


Fish

About 14 genera of fishes are found. These include primitive bichirs, lung fishes, catfish, cyprinids,
cyprinodonts Pupfish are a group of small killifish belonging to ten genera of the family Cyprinodontidae of ray-finned fish. Pupfish are especially noted for being found in extreme and isolated situations. They are primarily found in North America, South A ...
, cichlids, several caracins and a few spiny rayed families. The following fish families are most peculiar of this region: * Polypteridae:
protopterus ''Protopterus'' is the genus of four species of lungfish found in Africa. ''Protopterus'' was formerly thought to be the sole genus in the family Protopteridae, but more recent studies have classified it with ''Lepidosiren'' in the family Lepi ...
(lung fish) related to
lepidosiren The South American lungfish (''Lepidosiren paradoxa'') is the single species of lungfish found in swamps and slow-moving waters of the Amazon, Paraguay, and lower Paraná River basins in South America. Notable as an obligate air-breather, it ...
(Neotropical lung fish) *
Mormyridae The Mormyridae, sometimes called "elephantfish" (more properly freshwater elephantfish), are a family of weakly electric freshwater fish in the order Osteoglossiformes native to Africa. It is by far the largest family in the order with around 2 ...
or African electric fishes, not related to Gymnotidae (Neotropical electric fishes) * Archaic
bichir Bichirs and the reedfish comprise Polypteridae , a family of archaic ray-finned fishes and the only family in the order Polypteriformes .Helfman GS, Collette BB, Facey DE, Bowen BW. 2009. The Diversity of Fishes. West Sussex, UK: Blackwell Pu ...
s * Gymnorchidae * Isopondyli fishes *
catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive ...
es


Butterflies


Molluscs


Reptiles

*''
Crocodylus niloticus ''Crocodylus'' is a genus of true crocodiles in the family Crocodylidae. Taxonomy The generic name, ''Crocodylus'', was proposed by Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in 1768. ''Crocodylus'' contains 13–14 extant (living) species and 5 extinct spe ...
'', Nile crocodile *''
Rhinotyphlops somalicus ''Letheobia somalica'', also known as the highland beaked snake or Ethiopian blind snake, is a species of snake in the family Typhlopidae. It is endemic to Ethiopia. Geographic range It appears to be endemic Endemism is the state of a spe ...
'', Ethiopian blind snake *''
Homopholis fasciata ''Homopholis fasciata'', a nocturnal vertebrate known as the banded velvet gecko or striped velvet gecko, is a small gecko that lives in East Africa. Description Homopholis Fasciata's are small gecko's with soft, velvet-like skin. They have ...
'', Banded velvet gecko *''
Pelusios adansonii Adanson's mud turtle (''Pelusios adansonii'') is a species of turtle in the family Pelomedusidae. The species is endemic to north-central Africa. Taxonomy and etymology August Friedrich Schweigger first described the turtle in 1812, based on re ...
'', Adanson’s mud turtle *''
Bitis arietans The puff adder (''Bitis arietans'') is a viper species found in savannahs and grasslands from Morocco and western Arabia throughout Africa except for the Sahara and rainforest regions.U.S. Navy. 1991. ''Venomous Snakes of the World''. US Govt. ...
'', Puff adder *''
Dendroaspis polylepis The black mamba (''Dendroaspis polylepis'') is a species of highly venomous snake belonging to the family Elapidae. It is native to parts of sub-Saharan Africa. First formally described by Albert Günther in 1864, it is the second-longest ...
'', Black mamba *''
Bitis parviocula :''Common name: Bale Mountains adder, Ethiopian mountain adder,Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G. 2003. ''True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers''. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. 359 pp. .Spawls S, Branch B. 19 ...
'', Ethiopian mountain adder *'' Lamprophis abyssinicus'', Abyssinian house snake *'' Python sebae sebae'', African rock python


Threatened species

Historically, throughout the African
continent A continent is any of several large landmasses. Generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, up to seven geographical regions In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas t ...
,
wildlife Wildlife refers to undomesticated animal species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wild in an area without being introduced by humans. Wildlife was also synonymous to game: those birds and mammals that were hunted ...
populations have been rapidly declining owing to logging, civil wars, hunting, pollution, poaching and other human interference. A 17-year-long civil war along with severe drought, negatively impacted Ethiopia's environmental conditions leading to even greater habitat degradation. Habitat destruction is a factor that leads to endangerment. When changes to a habitat occur rapidly, animals do not have time to adjust. Human impact threatens many species, with greater threats expected as a result of climate change-induced by greenhouse gas emissions. Ethiopia has a large number of species listed as critically endangered,
endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...
and vulnerable by the IUCN.Massicot, Paul (2005). Animal Info-Ethiopia. Retrieved 24 May 2008, from Animal Info. http://www.animalinfo.org/country/ethiopia.htm To assess the current situation in Ethiopia, it is critical to identify the threatened species in this region. There are 31 endemic species of mammals, meaning that a species occurs naturally only in a certain area, in this case Ethiopia. The African wild dog prehistorically had widespread distribution in Ethiopia; however, with last sightings at Fincha, this canid is thought to be potentially extirpated within Ethiopia. The Ethiopian wolf is perhaps the most researched of all the endangered species within Ethiopia. This, however, is likely not the case as a breeding pack has been seen, and photographed by Bale Mountain Lodge guests inside the park's Harenna Forest in 2015. Several conservation programs are in effect to help endangered species in Ethiopia. A group was created in 1966 called The Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society, which focuses on studying and promoting the natural environments of Ethiopia along with spreading the knowledge they acquire, and supporting legislation to protect environmental resources. There are multiple conservation organizations one can access online, one of which connects directly to the Ethiopian wolf. Funding supports the World Wildlife Fund’s global conservation efforts. The WWF Chairman of the Board, Bruce Babbitt holds this organization accountable for the best practices in accountability, governance and transparency throughout all tiers within the organization.


Flora

There are many types of
vegetation Vegetation is an assemblage of plant species and the ground cover they provide. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic characte ...
,
flowers A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...
, and
plants Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclude ...
in Ethiopia. There are many cactus plants that grow in Ethiopian high lands. Ethiopia has many species of flowers that are used for medication and decoration. Many of the plants are used to make honey and oil. Moreover, many of the floras in Ethiopia can be used flavoring or spice. Ethiopia has different climate and geological zones that provide different types floras. There are different alpines and evergreen floras. There are some plants that Ethiopia exports to other countries like coffee and Kat which is significant to their economy.Harper, Mary”Frenetic pace of Ethiopia's khat boomtown” 28 January 2012,BBC NEWS MAGAZINE, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16756159


Notes


References

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External links

{{WildlifeofAfrica Biota of Ethiopia
Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...