The wildlife of Angola is composed of its flora and fauna.
An atlas of the amphibians and reptiles of Angola was published in 2018, and reported 117 species of amphibians and 278 of reptiles. [1]
A major book on the biodiversity of Angola was published in 2019, and reported more than 2,000 species of organisms (plants, invertebrates and vertebrate animals), [2] and 1,313 fossil species. [3]
 | This section needs additional citations for verification .(May 2021) |
The avifauna of Angola includes a total of 983 species, of which 14 are endemic, 1 has been introduced by humans, and 4 are rare or accidental. 20 species are globally threatened.[ citation needed ]
The western Angola Endemic Bird Area has 14 range-restricted species. Little is known about the conservation status of the region's birds due to the Angolan Civil War from 1975 until 2002. The greatest diversity of restricted-range species is found in Cuanza Sul Province, and given the uncertainty about their current status, many of these species are listed as threatened. Gabela bushshrikes (Laniarius amboimensis) are common and Monteiro's bushshrikes (Malaconotus monteiri) are fairly common in degraded secondary forest, old coffee plantations and primary forest at Kumbira. Pulitzer's longbills (Macrosphenus pulitzeri) are fairly common at higher elevations at Kumbira as well as in the dense understorey of secondary forest west of Seles. Angola cave chats ((Xenocopsychus ansorgei) are found on the rocky slopes above the forest at Kumbira.[ citation needed ]
There are currently 278 species of reptiles recorded in the country. [4]
There are currently 117 species of amphibians recorded in Angola. [5]
Angola had a 2018 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 8.35/10, ranking it 23rd globally out of 172 countries. [6] In Angola forest cover is around 53% of the total land area, equivalent to 66,607,380 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, down from 79,262,780 hectares (ha) in 1990. In 2020, naturally regenerating forest covered 65,800,190 hectares (ha) and planted forest covered 807,200 hectares (ha). Of the naturally regenerating forest 40% was reported to be primary forest (consisting of native tree species with no clearly visible indications of human activity) and around 3% of the forest area was found within protected areas. For the year 2015, 100% of the forest area was reported to be under public ownership. [7] [8]
The southern and central coasts include the welwitschia, a primitive conifer. The grassy savanna around Lobito includes baobab and euphorbia trees. [9]
The Huambo, Benguela and Huíla provinces are home to montane forest with rare flora.[ citation needed ]
The grassy savanna in the north includes miombo woodland and some evergreen forest.[ citation needed ]
Lygodactylus is a genus of diurnal geckos with 82 species. They are commonly referred to as dwarf geckos. They are mainly found in Africa and Madagascar although two species are found in South America. Lygodactylus picturatus, the best known species, is found in Kenya and commonly known as the white-headed dwarf gecko. Recently, illegal importation from Tanzania of brightly colored, Lygodactylus williamsi, known as electric blue geckos, has been gaining attention for Lygodactylus geckos in the reptile trade.
The genus Cordylus includes a wide variety of species of small to medium spiny lizards from Africa, collectively called girdle-tailed lizards or girdled lizards. All are diurnal and ovoviviparous. Most species are rupicolous (rock-dwelling), while a few species are arboreal or live in burrows. They defend themselves with osteoderms and by quickly retreating into rock crevices or burrows. Many species live in groups, and males defend territories.
Panaspis is a genus of skinks, commonly called lidless skinks or snake-eyed skinks, endemic to Sub-saharan Africa.
Atheris anisolepis, otherwise known as the Mayombe bush-viper, is a species of viper endemic to west-central Africa. No subspecies are currently recognized. The Atheris anisolepis is very similar to the Atheris squamigera but it is differentiated by the complete row of scales between the supralabial scales and the ocular scales as well as having enlarged, smooth, and/or weekly keeled scales. However, this differentiation does not always apply and may not always be accurate.
Arthroleptis carquejai is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is known with certainty only from north-western Angola, but there is also a recent record from Gabon. If this is correct, its distribution might also include intervening areas in the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The specific name carquejai honours Bento Carqueja, Portuguese professor, journalist, and philanthropist. The common names Cambondo screeching frog and Carqueja's squeaker have been proposed for it.
Hyperolius maestus is a species of frog of questionable status in the family Hyperoliidae. Described more than a century ago, it is only known from its type locality, Landana, in the Cabinda Province of northern Angola. The holotype was originally deposited in Museo Bouvier and—if it survives at all—now presumably lies unidentified in the National Museum of Natural History, France. Hyperolius maestus might be a synonym of Hyperolius marmoratus.
Hyperolius parallelus, also known as the Angolan reed frog, is a species of frog in the family Hyperoliidae. It is found in Southern and Central Africa. It is part of the so-called Hyperolius viridiflavus species complex and has a complex history of taxonomic treatments.
Hyperolius protchei is a species of frog of questionable status in the family Hyperoliidae. Described more than a century ago, it is only known from its type locality, Landana, in the Cabinda Province of northern Angola. The holotype was originally deposited in Museo Bouvier and—if it survives at all—now presumably lies in the National Museum of Natural History, France. Hyperolius maestus might be a synonym of Hyperolius marmoratus.
Leptopelis marginatus is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is endemic to western Angola and only known from the holotype collected from Quissange. The holotype was lost in the fire of the Natural History Museum of Lisbon in 1978. The validity of this species is in question; it might be a synonym of Leptopelis bocagii or considered a nomen dubium. Common name Quissange forest treefrog has been proposed for it.
Amnirana lepus is a species of frog in the family Ranidae. It is found in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and northern Angola. Common names Andersson's Cameroon frog, Andersson's white-lipped frog, and jumping white-lipped frog have been proposed for it.
Boaedon is a genus of African lamprophiids consisting of the "brown" house snakes. The genus was originally described by Duméril but the species contained were reclassified as Lamprophis by Fitzinger in 1843, this taxonomy remained widely accepted until November 2010 when a phylogenetic study was published by C.M.R Kelly et al. who resurrected the Boaedon clade. Although commonly regarded as belonging to the Colubridae, primary literature usually lists them and related species as belonging to the family Lamprophiidae within the superfamily Elapoidea, which includes the venomous cobras and mambas.
Poyntonophrynus, also known as pygmy toads, are a genus consisting of ten true toad species native to Sub-Saharan Africa. Originally, all Poyntonophrynus species were included in the genus Bufo. The genus was split due to large enough taxonomic divergence as evidenced by molecular markers. The genus is named in honour of John C. Poynton, South African herpetologist, with phrynus being Greek for toad.
Bavayia exsuccida, also known as the sclerophyll bavayia, is a species of geckos endemic to North Province, New Caledonia. As of 2022, it is known from only one locality, with an extent of occurrence of 8 sq km.
Greeff's giant gecko, also known commonly as Greeff's gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is found on islands in the Gulf of Guinea off the east coast of Africa.
Barboza's leaf-toed gecko is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to Angola.
Pedioplanis huntleyi is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to Angola.
Feylinia currori, also known commonly as Curror's skink, the western forest feylinia, and the western forest limbless skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is indigenous to Central Africa.
Feylinia elegans, the elegant feylinia, is an African lizard in the family Scincidae commonly known as skinks. It is found in Equatorial Guinea, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, northernmost Angola, and Central African Republic.
Sepsina copei, also known commonly as Cope's reduced-limb skink or the sepsina skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Angola.
Acontias mukwando, the Serra da Neve lance-skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. It is only known to exist in Serra da Neve in the Angolan Namibe province. The species was first documented by Mariana P. Marques, Diogo Parrinha, Arthur Tiutenko, Manuel Lopes-Lima, Aaron M. Bauer & Luis M. P. Ceríaco in 2023.