Wildlife of Morocco

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Sand cats live in the desert areas of Morocco Persian sand CAT.jpg
Sand cats live in the desert areas of Morocco

The wildlife of Morocco is composed of its flora and fauna. The country has a wide range of terrains and climate types and a correspondingly large diversity of plants and animals. The coastal areas have a Mediterranean climate and vegetation while inland the Atlas Mountains is forested. Further south, the borders of the Sahara Desert are increasingly arid. Large mammals are not particularly abundant in Morocco, but rodents, bats, and other small mammals are more plentiful. Four hundred and ninety species of birds have been recorded here.

Contents

Geography

Topography of Morocco Morocco Topography.png
Topography of Morocco

Morocco is a country in northwestern Africa; land borders include Western Sahara in the southwest and Algeria to the south and east. To the north and west, Morocco has a long coastline on the Atlantic Ocean; to the north lies the Strait of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean Sea. It encompasses a wide range of terrain types; there is a coastal plain in the north, and many mountain ranges running from east to west across the country, with the Rif Mountains in the northern half and the Atlas Mountains further south. The southern borders are where the Atlas foothills merge into the edges of the Sahara Desert. [1]

The coastal plain has a Mediterranean climate but is affected by the upwelling cold Canary Current close off-shore; this gives it wet winters and warm summers. The Rif Mountains rise to 2,455 m (8,050 ft) and have mountain ridges cut by gorges and valleys and clad with forests of Atlas cedar, cork oak, holm oak, and Moroccan fir. The climate here is the Mediterranean with up to 2,000 mm (79 in) of precipitation, hot summers and mild winters. [2] The Middle and High Atlas mountains have a more continental climate, with colder winters and hotter summers. At elevations above 1,000 m (3,281 ft), the climate is alpine with warm summers and very cold winters. At these altitudes, the forests give way to alpine meadows, and there are flat-topped summits, terraced cliffs, escarpments and deep gorges. [3]

Flora

At one time Morocco formed a land bridge between Africa and Europe and as a result, the flora is very diverse; it includes about 3,900 species of plant in 981 genera and 155 families. The most important families, together constituting over half of the species richness, are Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Brassicaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Liliaceae and Poaceae. The most diverse genera, each containing more than 40 species, are Silene , with about 70 species, followed by Centaurea , Ononis , Teucrium , Euphorbia , Trifolium and Linaria . [4]

More than 20% of the vascular plants in the country (some 607 species) are endemic to Morocco. [4] Of these, the genera Silene and Teucrium each contain over 25 endemic species. Other genera with large numbers of endemic taxa are Ononis, Centaurea, Fumaria , Rhodanthemum , Linaria, Thymus , Astragalus , Bupleurum and Limonium . [4]

The coastal plains and lowlands support a Mediterranean-type community of plants. These areas are heavily cultivated, producing crops of grain, vegetables and fruit. Olives flourish here and there are extensive orchards, and in places, large plantations of non-native eucalyptus transform the landscape. [5]

The central zone with the main ranges of the Atlas Mountains is covered by cedar forest. Prunus amygdalus is grown in the valleys. Present in the subalpine grassland zone are Acantholimon , Astragalus and Onobrychis , many endemic species and plentiful Vicia canescens . [6]

The southern zone of the country consists of the Little Atlas Mountains and the semi-arid and arid fringes of the Sahara Desert. Here the plants are adapted for the harsh environment with scrub and bushes growing in a sandy habitat. Species present include Tamarix , Retama retam , Ziziphus and Pistacia atlantica . Oases occur wherever water is found near the surface. [6]

Fauna

Barbary macaque M sylvanus BarbaryApe.jpg
Barbary macaque
Northern bald ibis, Morocco's only endemic bird species 2011 Geronticus eremita (mirrored).JPG
Northern bald ibis, Morocco's only endemic bird species

One of the best-known mammals of Morocco is the Barbary macaque, the only monkey in Africa to be found north of the Sahara. It is found in the forests and more remote parts of the Rif, Middle, and High Atlas, as well as on the Rock of Gibraltar in extreme Southern Europe. Their numbers are declining in Morocco as their habitat is reduced by logging, clearing for crops and overgrazing. [7]

Other large mammals include the Cuvier's gazelle, Barbary sheep and wild boar, but they are not plentiful. [3] Carnivores include the fennec fox, least weasel, Saharan striped polecat, Egyptian mongoose, striped hyena and Mediterranean monk seal; wild cats include the caracal, wildcat and sand cat. [8] Smaller mammals include cape hares, crested porcupines, ground squirrels, gerbils, jirds, jerboas, rats and mice. There are over twenty species of bat, and a dozen species of whales and dolphins. [9] Morocco is rich in reptiles, with over ninety species being recorded here. [10] These include small snakes, Moorish wall geckos and the Iberian wall lizards. Amphibians include Berber toads and Mediterranean painted frogs. [3]

A migratory route for birds, linking Western Europe with North Africa, passes across the Strait of Gibraltar and through Morocco. 490 species of bird have been recorded in the country, many of them in passage or winter visitors. A single endemic bird species, the northern bald ibis (Geronticus eremita) occurs here, and there are about 12 globally endangered species; the white-headed duck (Oxyura leucocephala), the Balearic shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus), the northern bald ibis, the Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus), the lappet-faced vulture (Torgos tracheliotos), the hooded vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus), the white-backed vulture (Gyps africanus), the Rüppell's vulture (Gyps rueppelli), the sociable lapwing (Vanellus gregarius), the slender-billed curlew (Numenius tenuirostris), the great knot (Calidris tenuirostris) and the saker falcon (Falco cherrug). [11] Other birds with restricted ranges in north Africa include the Levaillant's woodpecker (Picus vaillantii), the Moussier's redstart (Phoenicurus moussieri) and the Tristram's warbler (Sylvia deserticola). [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Morocco</span>

Morocco is the northwesternmost country which spans from the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean on the north and the west respectively, into large mountainous areas in the interior, to the Sahara desert in the far south. Morocco is a Northern African country, located in the extreme northwest of Africa on the edge of continental Europe. The Strait of Gibraltar separates Spain from Morocco with a 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) span of water. Morocco borders the North Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the western Mediterranean Sea to the north, and has borders with Algeria and disputed Western Sahara.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Algeria</span>

Algeria comprises 2,381,740 square kilometres (919,590 sq mi) of land, more than 80% of which is desert, in North Africa, between Morocco and Tunisia. It is the largest country in Africa. Its Arabic name, Al Jazair, is believed to derive from the rocky islands along the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. The northern portion, an area of mountains, valleys, and plateaus between the Mediterranean and the Sahara Desert, forms an integral part of the section of North Africa known as the Maghreb. This area includes Morocco, Tunisia, and the northwestern portion of Libya known historically as Tripolitania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palearctic realm</span> Biogeographic realm covering most of Eurasia

The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mediterranean basin</span> Region of lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have a Mediterranean climate

In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin, also known as the Mediterranean Region or sometimes Mediterranea, is the region of lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have mostly a Mediterranean climate, with mild to cool, rainy winters and warm to hot, dry summers, which supports characteristic Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub vegetation. It was a very important part of Mediterranean civilizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tell Atlas</span> Mountain chain in North Africa

The Tell Atlas is a mountain chain over 1,500 km (932 mi) in length, belonging to the Atlas mountain ranges in North Africa, stretching mainly across northern Algeria, ending in north-eastern Morocco and north-western Tunisia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife of Algeria</span>

The wildlife of Algeria is composed of its flora and fauna. Mountains, chotts, wetlands, and grassy desert-like regions all support a wide range of wildlife. The most commonly seen animals include the wild boars, jackals, and gazelles, although it is not uncommon to spot fennecs and jerboas. Leopards and cheetahs are seldom seen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife of Liberia</span>

The wildlife of Liberia consists of the flora and fauna of the Republic of Liberia. This West African nation has a long Atlantic coastline and a range of habitat types, with a corresponding diversity of plants and animals. Liberia is considered a biodiversity hotspot and has more intact forests characteristic of the Upper Guinea Massif than do neighbouring countries. There are 2000 species of vascular plants, approximately 140 species of mammals, and over 600 species of birds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife of Egypt</span>

The wildlife of Egypt is composed of the flora and fauna of this country in northeastern Africa and southwestern Asia, and is substantial and varied. Apart from the fertile Nile Valley, which bisects the country from south to north, the majority of Egypt's landscape is desert, with a few scattered oases. It has long coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea, the Gulf of Suez, the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea. Each geographic region has a diversity of plants and animals each adapted to its own particular habitat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife of South Africa</span>

The wildlife of South Africa consists of the flora and fauna of this country in Southern Africa. The country has a range of different habitat types and an ecologically rich and diverse wildlife, vascular plants being particularly abundant, many of them endemic to the country. There are few forested areas, much savanna grassland, semi-arid Karoo vegetation and the fynbos of the Cape Floristic Region. Famed for its national parks and big game, 297 species of mammal have been recorded in South Africa, as well as 849 species of bird and over 20,000 species of vascular plants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife of Sudan</span>

The wildlife of Sudan is composed of its flora and fauna. A variety of climate types in Sudan results in a wide range of habitats and the range of wildlife is diverse. Some 287 species of mammal have been recorded in the country and some 634 species of bird.

Mediterranean <i>Acacia–Argania</i> dry woodlands

The Mediterranean Acacia–Argania dry woodlands and succulent thickets is a Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregion in North Africa centered mainly on Morocco but also including northwestern Western Sahara and the eastern Canary Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Saharan steppe and woodlands</span> Ecoregion in North Africa

The North Saharan steppe and woodlands is a desert ecoregion, in the deserts and xeric shrublands biome, that forms the northern edge of the Sahara. It extends east and west across Northern Africa, south of the Mediterranean dry woodlands and steppe ecoregion of the Maghreb and Cyrenaica, which is part of the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome. Winter rains sustain shrublands and dry woodlands that form an ecotone between the Mediterranean climate regions to the north and the hyper-arid Sahara Desert ecoregion to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Permanent Maghreb</span> Freshwater ecoregion of North Africa

The Permanent Maghreb of World Wide Fund for Nature is a freshwater ecoregion of North Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mediterranean woodlands and forests</span> Ecoregion in Northern Africa

The Mediterranean woodlands and forests is an ecoregion in the coastal plains, hills, and mountains bordering the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean in North Africa. It has a Mediterranean climate, and is in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mediterranean conifer and mixed forests</span>

Mediterranean conifer and mixed forests is an ecoregion, in the temperate coniferous forest biome, which occupies the high mountain ranges of North Africa. The term is also a botanically recognized plant association in the African and Mediterranean literature.

Morocco provides a refuge for a rich and diverse flora with about 4,200 taxa, of which 22% are endemic. The phytogeographic zones of Morocco comprise 8 zones: the Mediterranean zone, the Cedar zone (1000-2000m), the sub-Alpine zone (2,000-2,500m), the Alpine zone (2,500m+), the semi-desert scrub zone, the Reg, the sandy desert zone and the oases.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife of Spain</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife of Somaliland</span> Overview of the Wildlife of Somaliland

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References

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  12. "Morocco". African Bird Club. Retrieved 23 December 2016.