The wildlife of São Tomé and Príncipe

São Tomé and Príncipe

São Tomé and Príncipe, officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, is a Portuguese-speaking island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa. It consists of two islands: São Tomé and Príncipe, located about apart and about , respectively, off...

is composed of its flora

Flora

Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...

 and fauna

Fauna

Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...

. São Tomé

São Tomé Island

São Tomé Island, at , is the largest island of São Tomé and Príncipe and is home in 2009 to about 157,000 or 96% of the nation's population. This island and smaller nearby islets make up São Tomé Province, which is divided into six districts. The main island is located 2 km north of the...

 and Príncipe

Príncipe

Príncipe is the northern and smaller of the two major islands of the country of São Tomé and Príncipe lying off the west coast of Africa. It has an area of 136 km² and a population of approximately 5,000. The island is a heavily eroded volcano over three million years old, surrounded by other...

 are oceanic islands which have always been separate from mainland West Africa

West Africa

West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...

 and so there is a relatively low diversity of species, restricted to those that have managed to cross the sea to the islands. However the level of endemism is high with many species occurring nowhere else in the world.

Setting

The four islands are volcanic

Volcano

2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...

, part of the Cameroon Line

Cameroon line

The Cameroon line is a chain of volcanoes.It includes islands in the Gulf of Guinea and mountains that extend along the border region of eastern Nigeria and western Cameroon, from Mount Cameroon on the Gulf of Guinea north and east towards Lake Chad....

 of volcanoes that extends from Annobón in the southwest, through the islands of São Tomé, Príncipe, and Bioko, and onto the mainland as Mount Cameroon

Mount Cameroon

Mount Cameroon is an active volcano in Cameroon near the Gulf of Guinea. Mount Cameroon is also known as Cameroon Mountain or Fako or by its native name Mongo ma Ndemi ....

 and the volcanoes of the Cameroon Highlands. The rainfall precipitation is due in part to condensation of the ocean mist.

Sao Tome and Principe consists of two volcanic islands in the Gulf of Guinea. Rain forests cover almost three quarters of the total area and can be divided into three zones, named low altitude rainforest, submontane rain forest and evergreen cloud forest. Much of the moist lowland forest has been cleared and currently comprises mainly savannah vegetation in the north and palm plantations and coconut tree plantations in the south. Still, the tropical montane cloud forest remains largely unchanged. The cloud forest is home to low tree of open canopy. Sao Tome and Principe currently do not have any officially protected area. Most primary forests are still survived thanks to the inaccessibility of the steep slopes in the humid and inhospitable island, which are not suitable for farming activities or for humans to inhabit them. In fact, the primary forest has few exploitable timber resources, in terms of species and size, and not have any pressure for firewood recollection.

Príncipe is the northernmost island of this two, and lies closest to the African mainland, with an area of 128 sq. km. São Tomé is the largest of the two islands, approximately 836 sq. km, and lies southwest of Príncipe. Annobón is the southernmost island and lies furthest from the African coast, with an area of 17 sq. km. The islands are mountainous, with the highest peaks reaching to 2,024 meters on São Tomé (Pico de São Tomé

Pico de São Tomé

Pico de São Tomé is the highest mountain in São Tomé and Príncipe at 2,024 metres. It lies just west of the centre of São Tomé Island in the Obo National Park. The second highest point, Pico Ana Chaves, lies to its south east...

), 948 meters on Príncipe (Pico do Príncipe), and 598 meters on Annobón (Pico Quioveo).

Príncipe is the oldest of the islands, with the oldest rocks dating back 31 million years. São Tomé is 14 million years old, and Annobón 4.8 million years old. None of the islands have been connected to mainland Africa.

The Tinhosas islands are two unvegetated rocky islets lying 22 km south of Príncipe. Tinhosa Grande

Tinhosa Grande

Tinhosa Grande is an islet in São Tomé and Príncipe located northeast of the main island of São Tomé and approximately southwest of the island of Príncipe...

 has an area of 22 hectares, and reaches 56 meters elevation, and Tinhosa Pequena

Tinhosa Pequena

Tinhosa Pequena is an islet in São Tomé and Príncipe located northeast of the main island of São Tomé and approximately southwest of the island of Príncipe...

 is 3 hectares in area and 65 meters elevation.

Bioko

Bioko

Bioko is an island 32 km off the west coast of Africa, specifically Cameroon, in the Gulf of Guinea. It is the northernmost part of Equatorial Guinea with a population of 124,000 and an area of . It is volcanic with its highest peak the Pico Basile at .-Geography:Bioko has a total area of...

 and Annobón

Annobón

Annobón may refer to:* Annobón Province* Annobonese language* Annobon people...

 areextinct volcanos of which just Annobon rises above sea level

Sea level

Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...

 598 m (1961 ft) , although politically belongs to Ecuatorial guinea ecollogy are included.

Mammals

The diversity of mammal

Mammal

Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...

s is low and there is only one endemic terrestrial mammal, the São Tomé Shrew

Sao Tomé Shrew

The São Tomé Shrew is a white-toothed shrew found only on São Tomé Island, São Tomé and Príncipe. It is listed as a critically endangered species due to habitat loss and a restricted range. The population continues to decrease, making these animals rare...

. There are several bat

Bat

Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...

s including the recently-described São Tomé Free-tailed Bat

São Tomé Free-tailed Bat

The São Tomé Free-tailed Bat is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. It is endemic to São Tomé and Príncipe. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, moist savanna, and plantations . It is threatened by habitat loss....

. Various cetaceans such as the Humpback Whale

Humpback Whale

The humpback whale is a species of baleen whale. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range in length from and weigh approximately . The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with unusually long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. It is an acrobatic animal, often breaching and slapping the...

 occur offshore and whaling

Whaling

Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...

 formerly took place. A number of species have been introduced

Introduced species

An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...

 by man such as the Mona Monkey

Mona Monkey

The mona monkey is an Old World monkey that lives throughout western Africa. The mona monkey can also be found on the island of Grenada as it was transported to the island aboard slave ships headed to the New World during the 18th century. This guenon lives in groups of up to 35 in arboreal regions...

, rat

Rat

Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...

s and feral pigs

Domestic pig

The domestic pig is a domesticated animal that traces its ancestry to the wild boar, and is considered a subspecies of the wild boar or a distinct species in its own right. It is likely the wild boar was domesticated as early as 13,000 BC in the Tigris River basin...

.

Birds

At least 114 bird

Bird

Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...

 species have occurred on the islands and there are about 26 endemics, depending on taxonomy. At least three have no close relatives and are classified in genera

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of their own, the São Tomé Short-tail, São Tomé Grosbeak

São Tomé Grosbeak

The São Tomé Grosbeak, Neospiza concolor, is a large, chunky finch with a massive bill. It is endemic to the island of São Tomé.Until recently this bird was known only from three nineteenth century specimens. It was rediscovered in 1991. The current population is estimated at less than 50. The main...

 and Dohrn's Thrush-babbler

Dohrn's Thrush-babbler

The Dohrn's Thrush-babbler or Principe Flycatcher-babbler is a species of bird in the Timaliidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Horizorhinus, although genetic studies have suggested the genus is better placed in the genus Sylvia.It is endemic to São Tomé and Príncipe.-References:*...

. The islands' birds include the world's largest sunbird

Sunbird

The sunbirds and spiderhunters are a family, Nectariniidae, of very small passerine birds. There are 132 species in 15 genera. The family is distributed throughout Africa, southern Asia and just reaches northern Australia. Most sunbirds feed largely on nectar, but also take insects and spiders,...

 (the Giant Sunbird

Giant Sunbird

The Giant Sunbird is a species of bird in the Nectariniidae family.It is endemic to São Tomé and Príncipe.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes....

) and the smallest ibis

Ibis

The ibises are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae....

 (Dwarf Olive Ibis

Dwarf Olive Ibis

The São Tomé Ibis , also known as the Dwarf Olive Ibis, is a critically endangered bird that is endemic to São Tomé e Príncipe...

). Large seabird

Seabird

Seabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations...

 colonies are found on some of the smaller islets. Several of the country's birds are considered to be threatened with extinction

Threatened species

Threatened species are any speciesg animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.The World Conservation Union is the foremost authority on threatened species, and treats threatened species not as a single category, but as a group of three categories,...

 and three, the Dwarf Olive Ibis, São Tomé Fiscal

São Tomé Fiscal

The São Tomé Fiscal is a species of bird in the Laniidae family. It is endemic to São Tomé and Príncipe. It is 20 to 21 centimeters long...

 and São Tomé Grosbeak, are critically endangered

Critically endangered

Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...

.

Flora

There are about 895 species of vascular plant

Vascular plant

Vascular plants are those plants that have lignified tissues for conducting water, minerals, and photosynthetic products through the plant. Vascular plants include the clubmosses, Equisetum, ferns, gymnosperms and angiosperms...

 native to the islands, of which 95 are restricted to São Tomé and 37 occur only on Príncipe. The families Orchidaceae

Orchidaceae

The Orchidaceae, commonly referred to as the orchid family, is a morphologically diverse and widespread family of monocots in the order Asparagales. Along with the Asteraceae, it is one of the two largest families of flowering plants, with between 21,950 and 26,049 currently accepted species,...

, Rubiaceae

Rubiaceae

The Rubiaceae is a family of flowering plants, variously called the coffee family, madder family, or bedstraw family. The group contains many commonly known plants, including the economically important coffee , quinine , and gambier , and the horticulturally valuable madder , west indian jasmine ,...

 and Euphorbiaceae

Euphorbiaceae

Euphorbiaceae, the Spurge family are a large family of flowering plants with 300 genera and around 7,500 species. Most are herbs, but some, especially in the tropics, are also shrubs or trees. Some are succulent and resemble cacti....

 are well-represented as are the genera Calvoa and Begonia

Begonia

Begonia is a genus in the flowering plant family Begoniaceae and is a perennial. The only other members of the family Begoniaceae are Hillebrandia, a genus with a single species in the Hawaiian Islands, and the genus Symbegonia which more recently was included in Begonia...

. The giant endemic begonias Begonia crateris and Begonia baccata can reach three metres in height. The islands are also rich in fern

Fern

A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...

s. The only gymnosperm

Gymnosperm

The gymnosperms are a group of seed-bearing plants that includes conifers, cycads, Ginkgo, and Gnetales. The term "gymnosperm" comes from the Greek word gymnospermos , meaning "naked seeds", after the unenclosed condition of their seeds...

 is a single endemic species from São Tomé, Podocarpus mannii.

Other endemic plants include:

• Leea tinctoria
  Leea tinctoria
  Leea tinctoria is a species of plant in the Leeaceae family. It is endemic to São Tomé and Príncipe. It is an important nectar source for the bird Nectarinia newtonii . It has orange flowers....
  
  , from the grape family Vitaceae

Rainforest

Rainforest

Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...

 covers about 74% of the country. Much of this is secondary forest

Secondary forest

A secondary forest is a forest or woodland area which has re-grown after a major disturbance such as fire, insect infestation, timber harvest or windthrow, until a long enough period has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident...

 that has grown on abandoned plantation

Plantation

A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...

s. A large area of forest is protected by Obo National Park

Obo National Park

Obo National Park is a national park of São Tomé and Príncipe, covering some 235 km² of Sao Tomé in its south and 65 km² of the island of Príncipe. The national park is known internationally amongst conservationists for its biologically rich dense virgin rainforests...

. Other habitats include savanna

Savanna

A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...

 and mangrove

Mangrove

Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...

s.