Senegal's Wildlife data

Wildlife data

The four major groups of ecosystems in Senegal (terrestrial, river and lake, marine and coastal ecosystems and particular ecosystems such as the Niayes, the Djoudj depression and the mangroves) provide habitat for a rich and varied fauna. Biological diversity in Senegal presents a total of 8221 recorded species. It is distributed among 3,641 plant species, 4,330 animal species and 250 species of fungi. Among the plant species, 33 are endemic.

Diversity of fauna in Senegal

About 4330 animal species are counted in Senegal. These species include invertebrates and vertebrates. Among the invertebrates, we find insects, molluscs and crustaceans with a clear predominance of insects (46%). Molluscs, which represent around 16%, are made up of nearly 40 families, including around 100 species of bivalves, gastropods and cephalopods.

Crustaceans are made up of about fifty species of lobsters, lobsters, shrimps, crabs and stomatopods. The littoral fringe is also full of groups of marine invertebrates still very little inventoried (sponges, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, starfish, copepods, corals, molluscs, various coelenterates). 

Vertebrates, the best known group compared to invertebrates, number around 1,400 species. They include:

• Fish, which make up 799 species, including 652 marine species and 147 freshwater species. Cartilaginous fish (sharks, rays) are represented by 80 species divided into 30 families;

• Amphibians, of which only 02 species have been recorded in Senegal, however have relatively high numbers;

• Reptiles, which are found with about 100 species among which, there are in particular crocodiles, snakes, lizards and turtles;

• Birds, which have a total of 623 species including poultry, are poorly diversified with 8 species, and relatively high numbers. Waterbirds are predominantly represented by gulls, terns, seagulls, cormorants, plovers, egrets and oystercatchers;

• Mammals, which number 192 species divided between 65 genera and 32 families. Included in this group are large wild terrestrial mammals, marine mammals and domestic mammals.

• The terrestrial mammals, the most common, constitute nine species of primates, the spotted hyena, the jackal, the genets and the civets, the warthogs, the harnessed bushbuck, the rodents and other small carnivores.

• Marine mammals are represented by whales (Balaenoptera physalus and Balaenoptera edeni), dolphins (Delphinus, Tursiops, Stenella) and manatees (Trichechus senegalensis). Other mammal species are also reported: porpoise, sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale and monk seal.