The Ethiopian region has a diverse mix of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish. It shares many families with the Oriental region, and has strong affinities with Oriental mammals and birds. The Ethiopian region contains 12 unique mammal families, including giraffes, hippopotamuses, aardvarks and rodents. It also has 6 unique bird families such as hamerkops and touracos. While the fauna shares similarities with the Neotropical region in some fish, amphibians and reptiles, the affinities are strongest with the Oriental and Palearctic regions due to historical connections during the Tertiary period. The fauna diversity reduces northward into

1. Ethiopian Region

3. Southern corner of Arabia

4. Land connection with Northern Neighbour

5. Otherwise isolated by sea

6. Has big rivers, Tropical evergreen forests, mountains and grassy plains like neotropical region but does not reach far into the southern temperate zone.

8. Ethiopian region Mammals

9. Mammals Most varied with 38 fam. excluding bats In no. of unique fam. it rank second to Neotropical Apart from Twelve exclusive fam. , rest of families shared with either palearctic or oriental region

10. Mammals- widely distributed Shrews With a wide distribution:- Shrews Cricetid mice Murid mice Dogs Mustelids Badgers, Otters etc. Cats Bovids(hollow-horned ruminants) Mostly antelopes, Cape buffaloes etc. Badger (Mustelid) Cape Buffaloes

11. Mammals- Palearctic & Oriental Fam. Fam. Shared with both palearctic and Oriental Regions Hedgehogs Porcupines Civets Hyenas Pigs Hyenas Hedgehog Porcupines African Civet

12. Mammals-Palearctic fam. Fam. Shared with Palearctic Dormice Jerboas (Dipodidae) Coneys (e.g. Hyrax called asDassie in S. Africa) Wild Horses Jerboas Dormice Rock Hyrax

13. Mammals- Difference with Palearctic Palearctic fam. not represented in Ethiopian region Moles Beavers Bears Camels (camels seen in Africa are domesticated) Eurasian Mole Eurasian Beaver

14. Mammals- Oriental Fam. 8 families- 3 primates and two large ungulates Pangolins or scaly anteaters, only genus shared by both regions, but all other shared fam. are different at generic level in the two regions. Scaly Anteater

15. Mammals- Oriental Fam. Loxodonta, the African Elephant Huge ears and long tusks Elephas, the Indian Elephant, a smaller animal

16. Mammals- Oriental Fam. African Black Rhino Sumatran Rhino African White Rhino Two oriental genera, one of which two-horned Indian Rhinoceros, Rhinoceros unicornis1 Javan Rhinoceros, Rhinoceros sondaicus1 Sumatran Rhinoceros, Dicerorhinussumatrensis2 White and black African Rhinoceros each with two nasal horns (2)

17. Lorisidae- Slender lorises in Oriental Mammals- Oriental Fam. Pottos Galagos Slender lorises Primate-Pottos (Tailless ape) Galagos (Bush babies, Nagapies, Little night monkeys) lives in Africa

18. Mammals- Oriental Fam. Drill Baboons Hanuman Langur Mangabeys Geladas Guenons Golden Langur Old World Monkeys- More diverse and varied Macaques, drills, baboons, mangabeys, guenons and geladas Less divers- small no. of oriental langurs

19. Mammals- Oriental Fam. Gorilla Orangutan Gibbon Chimpanzee Apes- Gorilla, Chimpanzee in Western and Central Africa Apes- Orangutan and Gibbon in Oriental region

20. Mammals No mammal fam. exclusively in common with either nearctic or neotropical Herds of large herbivorous animals on open plains, zebras, loping giraffes, leaping and springing antelopes, rhinoceros, elephants along with lions and other members of the cat family are commonly seen

21. Mammals- Exclusive Fam. 12 unique fam. Giraffe Hippopotamuses and aardvarks 3 fam. of insectivores 6 fam. Of rodents (interesting comparison with neotropical whose rodents are also diverse and restricted).

22. Mammals- Exclusive fam. Giraffe fam. two genera Okapi Giraffe

23. Mammals- Exclusive fam. Amphibious hippopotamus fam. 2 genera Choeropsisliberiensis or Hexaprotodonliberiensis(Pygmy Hippopotamus) Hippopotamus amphibius

24. Mammals- Exclusive fam. Aardvarks- *Order Tubulidentata – only 1 genus (Cape anteater- size of a small pig with a highly curved back, long snout and long tongue, on the four digits of its front feet and the five of its hind there are sharp hoofs for digging through termites nests) *Exclusive Order Aardvark

25. Mammals- Exclusive fam. Endemic insectivores Otter shrews Golden moles Elephant shrews Elephant shrews Golden Mole Otter Shrews

26. Mammals- Exclusive fam. Endemic rodents Anomaluridae (anomalures or scaly-tailed flying squirrels) Three genera: Anomalurus(Scaly-tailed Flying Squirrels), Idiurus(Flying Mice), Zenkerella(Cameroon Scaly-tail or Flightless Scaly-tailed Squirrel) some are squirrel like but others are more like mice some are gliders like, the gliding Idiurusand the african flying squirrel, Anomalurusbut some are not. Idiurus Anomalurus Zenkerella

27. Mammals- Exclusive fam. Endemic rodents Fam. Pedetidae Pedetescapensis <Spring Haas /Spring Hare (the sole representative)> Pedestes(Spring Haas)

28. Mammals- Exclusive fam. Cave Rat Other Endemic rodents Cave rats and Rock rats (affinities with old world procupines) Gundis and Blesmols(Mole Rats) Rock Rat Gundis Blesmol Naked Mole Rat Blesmol (Mole Rat)

29. Mammals- Overview Diverse mixture of widely distributed fam. Fam. shared with oriental regions Exclusive fam. A few fam. with other relationships Oriental Relationships are relatively stronger than shown for many Ethiopian genera and even some species of mammals also occur in Oriental Region or have some close relatives there

30. Ethiopian Region Birds

31. Birds Numerous having strong affinities with Oriental Region 67 fam., 53 occur all or much of the world Six exclusive fam. Three – honey guides, broad bills and bulbuls shared only or mainly with oriental region Five –crab plover, sand grouse, hoopoes, a doubtful bombycillid and a doubtful honey eaters have special or doubtful relationship

32. Birds- common Cuckoos Woodpeckers Hornbills Sunbirds Orioles Many birds of prey Few pigeons, parrots and pheasants Wood pecker Hornbill Red crested sun bird Oriole

33. Birds- widely distributed fam. Hawks Owls Herons Storks Kingfisher Larks Swallow Thrushes Thrushes Heron Storks Lark Swallow Kingfisher

34. Birds- Old world fam. Bustards Rollers Bee eaters O.world flycatchers Warblers Weaver birds Starlings Kori Bustard Roller Starlings Warblers Weaver Bird Bee eater Blue Fly catcher

35. Birds- Tropical/ Old world tropical fam. Trogons Hornbills Barbets Honey guides Pittas Bulbuls Sunbirds Barbet Trogon Honeyguide Pitta

36. Birds- Exclusive Ostriches Secretary birds Ostrich is the only member of a unique order, doubtfully related to other large flightless birds in other parts of the southern hemisphere Secretary Birds Ostriches

37. Birds- Exclusive Hammer-heads Crested touracos Crested Touracos Hammer-head

38. Birds- Exclusive Mouse birds Helmet shrikes Mouse Birds Helmet Shrikes

39. Birds- exclusive subfam. Or nearly so Guinea fowls Tree hoopoes Bush shrikes Buffalo weavers Widow birds Tick bird Tick bird Guinea Fowl Widow bird Buffalo weavers Tree hoopoes Bush shrike

40. Birds- overview Less distinctive Strongly oriental in their main relationships Few exclusive groups

41. Ethiopian Region Reptiles

42. Reptiles-Snakes Many snakes Constricting pythons Biting poisonous vipers Viper Python

43. Reptiles - Lizards Exclusive fam.- Cordylidae or spinytailed lizards or girdle-tailed lizards Spiny-tailed Lizard

44. Reptiles - Lizards Chameleon fam – nearly exclusive, only 4 of 50 sp. found outside Africa and only one lizard lives as far as India. A few agamid (Agama sp.) and lacertid (wall lizard/ True Lizard) lizards No Iguanids Agama Chameleon

45. Reptiles Crocodiles and turtles abound Pelmedusid turtle- side necks (Neotropical) (Pelomedusaand Pelusios) Trionychids Testudinine land tortoises An emydine in northwestern Africa Pelomedusa Pelusios

46. Ethiopian Region Amphibians

47. Amphibians Less distinctive Widespread frogs and toads Pipid fam. represented by Xenopus, the African clawed toad or Platanna (like neotrop relative aquatic) Hylid tree frogs absent Polypedatids tree frog present No tailed amphibians Xenopus

48. Ethiopian Region Fish

49. Fishes- common Diverse Carps Old world cat fishes Characins Lung fishes

50. Fishes - Endemic Mormyrids Characin From their electric organs in their tails, the mormyrids generate an electric field and they are made aware of prey in their muddy pools when this field is distorted. Not related to electric eels of Amazon A fam. Shared by Ethiopian and Neotropical Mormyrids Characins

51. Fishes - Endemic Lung fish Protopterus Related to Neotropical Lung fish Lepidosiren Protopterus

52. Ethiopian Region Overview

53. Overview Most varied fauna of all region In no of endemic fam. Second to neotropical region In fish, amphibia, reptiles it resembles both neotropical and oriental region In mammals and birds has strong affinity with oriental region. Similarities with both neotropical and oriental regions because all three have a tropical climate Stronger similarities with oriental because its similarities are much more stronger with the tropics of the old world than those of the new world

54. Overview As a whole, vertebrate fauna is most like the Oriental one the two are roughly similar in size and in composition they share many fam., v. many genera and some sp. Parts of the fauna have close relationships with Palearctic principally by northward extension of tropical groups including many migratory birds and certain fam., genera and species of other vertebrates

55. Overview Some parts of fuana more distantly related to Neotropical region Include several imp grps of fishes, certain amphibians and reptiles but v few birds and mammals Hardly any direct relationships b/w Ethiopian and Australian region b/w Ethiopian and Nearctic region.

56. Overview Fauna is richest and most varied in more tropical areas. A strong general reduction of fauna northward into Sahara and less strong reduction and some differentiation southward into South Africa. Some differentiation of a west African wet forest and an east African open forest and steppe fauna, although the two overlap and mix complexly. These general differences led Wallace to divide the region into 3 subregions: West Africa, East Africa and South Africa