10 Wild Animals in Mauritania [Wildlife in Mauritania]

Learn All About Mauritanian Animals

Ready to learn all about Mauritanian animals?

I’ve always been fascinated by animals, and by how they can be so different from one country to another. In this guide, we’ll focus on the many animals Mauritania has on the land, in the sky, and underwater.

I’ve split the guide into 6 categories:

• Native animals from Mauritania
• Endangered animals of Mauritania
• What is the national animal of Mauritania?
• How many animals native to Mauritania?
• Are there elephants in Mauritania?
• Are there lions in Mauritania?

Let’s dive in right away with our first category!

Native Animals from Mauritania

Mauritania is an African country located in the western part of the continent, next to the Atlantic Ocean and the Sahara Desert. It is the eleventh largest country on the continent, has the large majority of its population living in the temperate south, and used to be a French colony. It is bordered by Senegal, Algeria, and Mali, and its capital and largest city is Nouakchott, which counts more than 1,195,000 inhabitants.

An interesting part of the country that I wanted to tackle is its wildlife. In light of that, I have listed the best of it, and I hope you will love learning what animals live in Mauritania.

Here’s the Mauritania animals list.

1. Mediterranean monk seal

• Name: Mediterranean monk seal
• Scientific name: Monachus monachus
• Conservation status: Endangered

The Mediterranean monk seal is a species of seal native to the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern parts of the Atlantic Ocean. This species is seriously threatened, and fewer than 700 mature individuals remain in scattered populations. One of the last strongholds of the Mediterranean monk seal is along the Cap Blanc Peninsula, in northwestern Mauritania.

The main reasons for the rapid decline of this seal are fishing practices, pollution, hunting, and habitat loss.

2. Fennec fox

• Name: Fennec fox
• Scientific name: Vulpes zerda
• Conservation status: Least concern

The fennec fox is a small species of fox native to the deserts of northern Africa, from the western parts of the Sahara to the Sinai Peninsula in the northeastern areas of the continent. Thanks to its unusually large ears used for thermoregulation, it is resistant to heat and can survive in very harsh environments.

In order to subsist, the fennec fox feeds on small rodents, lizards and skinks, but also fruits, eggs, and tubers.

3. West African crocodile

• Name: West African crocodile
• Scientific name: Crocodylus suchus
• Conservation status: Data deficient

Despite being rarer and rarer, the West African crocodile can still be found in small numbers in Mauritanian waters. It is related to, and often confused with, the Nile crocodile, which is larger and more aggressive; however, the West African crocodile already attacked humans several times, including fatal bites.

Aside from Mauritania, this large reptile can be found in much of Central and West Africa, from South Sudan and Uganda to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

4. Golden jackal

• Name: Golden jackal
• Scientific name: Canis aureus
• Conservation status: Least concern

The golden jackal is one of the more common mammals you will find in Mauritania. In fact, on a global scale, it is expanding its range and numbers and is a highly successful species, the reason for that being its high adaptability, not only in terms of habitats but also in dietary habits.

This wolf-like canid inhabits eastern Europe, southwestern, southeastern, and southern Asia, and parts of Africa, including Mauritania.

5. Greater flamingo

• Name: Greater flamingo
• Scientific name: Phoenicopterus roseus
• Conservation status: Least concern

The greater flamingo is the largest and most widespread species of flamingo. It is a migratory bird that spends the winter in warmer parts of the globe, but can also be found in southern Europe and the Indian subcontinent.

There are more than 30,000 greater flamingos that regularly migrate to Mauritania, and its coastal wetlands are incredibly important to this species, but also many others.

6. Common warthog

• Name: Common warthog
• Scientific name: Phacochoerus africanus
• Conservation status: Least concern

The common warthog is a fairly common animal in Mauritania. It is a wild pig from the suid family, and it inhabits savanna, grassland, and woodland in sub-Saharan Africa.

This medium-sized animal is the only pig species adapted to such a harsh habitat as the savanna. It is a powerful digger that uses its snout and feet in order to do so, and it feeds on grasses, berries, eggs, bark, insects, eggs, and carrion: basically anything available.

7. Common patas monkey

transpixt / CC BY

• Name: Common patas monkey
• Scientific name: Erythrocebus patas
• Conservation status: Near threatened

The common patas monkey, also known as the hussar monkey or the wadi monkey, is the most widespread and familiar species of monkey in Mauritania. It lives on the ground and inhabits much of Central and West Africa.

This primate can live up to about 20 years, and it loves open tropical savanna. It lives in multi-female groups of up to 60 monkeys, although much larger gatherings have been recorded.

8. Whale shark

• Name: Whale shark
• Scientific name: Rhincodon typus
• Conservation status: Endangered

While fishing off Mauritania’s coast is of particular importance to the country’s economy, representing about 400,000 to 700,000 tons of potential catch, this large specimen is rarely hunted.

The whale shark is the largest fish in the world and by far the largest non-mammalian vertebrate. It is a filter feeder that poses no threats to humans and can be found in warm waters around the globe.

9. Black-necked spitting cobra

• Name: Black-necked spitting cobra
• Scientific name: Naja nigricollis
• Conservation status: Least concern

Alongside the desert horned viper, the Saharan sand viper, the puff adder, the African rock python, and the Mali cobra, the black-necked spitting cobra is one of the species of snakes that can be found in Mauritania.

It is a medium-sized snake averaging 1.2 to 2.2 m / 33.9 to 7.2 ft in length, and it gets its name from its ability to eject venom when threatened: in perfect accuracy, drops can travel more than 7 m / 23 ft!

10. Cape hare

• Name: Cape hare
• Scientific name: Lepus capensis
• Conservation status: Least concern

The Cape hare is another of the few common land mammals of Mauritania. Also known as the desert hare, it is native to Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, as well as the Indian subcontinent.

This hare species is adapted to leaping and running, and its large eyes and ears are ideal to look for potential threats from its surroundings. It is a nocturnal herbivore that eats a wide variety of shrubs and grasses.

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So there you have them, these were my 10 wild animals in Mauritania. I hope you enjoyed this list and that you learned something new today.

In case you want to learn more about animals in the country, feel free to keep reading, as I still have lots of things to tell you about:

Endangered Animals of Mauritania

This is definitely the saddest part of the list, but it is very important to raise awareness. Because of this, let’s go through the list of endangered animals in Mauritania.

Here are the animals in danger of extinction in Mauritania.

Extinct in the wild

• Scimitar-horned oryx

Critically endangered

• Addax
• Oceanic whitetip shark
• White-backed vulture
• Dama gazelle
• Lusitanian cownose ray
• and 22 more…

Endangered

• African spurred tortoise
• Lappet-faced vulture
• African savanna elephant
• Whale shark
• Northern bald ibis
• and 31 more…

To see the full list of endangered species in Mauritania, head over to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List.

What is the National Animal of Mauritania?

The national animal of Mauritania is the African wildcat.

The African wildcat is a small species of wild cat that can be found in Africa, but also in the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, and Central and West Asia. It is the first known example of a domesticated cat, being found in a burial site in Cyprus next to a human skeleton, which dates back to about 9,500 years ago!

This wild cat is a strong national symbol in Mauritania because of its resistance to harsh conditions, its wisdom, and its strength.

How Many Animals Native to Mauritania?

What is the diversity of native animals in Mauritania?

Let’s look at the total number of species of Chordata (mammals, birds, fishes, and reptiles).

Total number of animal species in Mauritania: 1,770 (14,205 in total in sub-Saharan Africa)

Are there elephants in Mauritania?

While there used to be elephants in Mauritania, the population has disappeared since 1989.

These elephants can still be found in other western African countries such as Senegal or Sierra Leone, but they are severely threatened and on the brink of local extinction. On a larger scale, the African savanna elephant is endangered, mainly due to habitat loss and poaching for its ivory.

Are there lions in Mauritania?

No, there are no more lions in Mauritania, but they were also present in the country. The last lion was shot in 1970.

Despite being one of the most widely represented animals in human culture, not only in Africa but also in the eastern and western world, the lion is still facing serious threats in other areas than Mauritania, mostly because of disease outbreaks and human interference.

More About Animals in the World!

Loved these Mauritania animal facts? Want to see what animals live in other countries?

Then check out these posts:

• Wild Animals in Mali
• Wild Animals in Niger
• Wild Animals in Burkina Faso

Or click here to see ALL the facts up on the blog! Spoiler alert: there’s A LOT of them.

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