Guinea is a country located on the west coast of northern Africa. It has a population of about 238 species of mammals.
By Professorsolo2015 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
These are 5 of the most popular (current and past) animals in Guinea:
- Bushbuck
- Pygmy Hippo
- African Forest Elephant
- African Buffalo
- Nimba Otter Shrew
Bushbuck
By D. Gordon E. Robertson (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.oprg/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons
Bushbuck is a spiral-horned antelope. They live in thick forests as airs. Their chief predator is cheetah.Adult malescan reach up to 3 ft and 100 lbs. Although bushbuck has a stable population at the time, “Bushbuck have disappeared from some areas in the drier parts of its former range because of habitat destruction and increasing aridity, but it is expanding its distribution within the equatorial forest zone as this is opened up by human activities.” (Tragelaphus scriptus, paragraph 9).
Pygmy Hippo
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The pygmy hippo is not very social, for instance, “The species is less social than the common hippopotamus and is primarily nocturnal. Individuals spend most of the day resting in swamps, wallows or rivers, or in hollows along the sides of streams.” (“EDGE of Existence, paragraph 4). They live in streams and wet forests. They are the closest living relatives to whales even though they look a bit like pigs.They mostly get hunted by humans and are currently close to extinction.
African Forest Elpehant
By Gorgo (Photo taken by author) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
African Forest Elelphants live in lowland tropical and subtropical areas. They eat herbs and shrubbery leaves. The elephant can reach up to 8 feet tall. They live in close social groups called “herds” for instance, “ A herd is usually made up of related females and their offspring.” ( “African Forest Elephant - Facts, Diet & Habitat Information,” Paragraph 11). They are currently classified as endangered
African Buffalo
By Nevit Dilmen (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
African buffalo is the only wild species of buffalo in Africa. It can weigh between 660 to 1900 pounds. They can reach up to 3.2 to 5.6 feet in height They are very protective of their families, for instance, “ When faced with predators, animals of the herd form a circle around the young, old or weak animals, exposing their large and sharp horns toward the predators. This barrier is very effective and prevents predators to reach the animals that are not strong enough to fight,” (“African Buffalo Facts,” paragraph 10)
Nimba Otter Shrew
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The nimba otter shrew is the least aquatic otter shrew because they have no webbing or rounded tail. The head and body length of the Nimba otter shrew is 12 - 20 cm. It weighs up to 125 g. The nimba otter shrew is currently endangered. According to an article on the extinction of the otters, “Habitat loss, especially water pollution, due to mining activities is a threat to the Nimba otter shrew. Bauxite mining in neighboring Guinea is a potential threat as well,” (“Animal Info - Nimba Otter Shrew ,” paragraph 9).
