The African manatee is the most endangered and least studied manatee species in the world. It lives in lagoons within equatorial rainforests, in rivers at the edge of the Sahara Desert, around coastal islands in the Atlantic Ocean, and in many other habitats in 21 countries along the Atlantic African coast, as well as over 2000 miles inland in rivers in Mali and Chad. Despite […]
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The Omura’s whale (Balaenoptera omurai) is a recently discovered species of baleen whale, first recognized as a distinct and ancient species in 2003. It is a Mysticete, or baleen whale, belonging to the family Balaenopteridae, or rorquals. Prior to its discovery, the Omura’s whale was confused with the slightly larger Bryde’s whale, which is also a tropical rorqual. At the time of its discovery, it
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Cetaceans, including whales and dolphins, are a highly understudied group in many parts of Africa, despite their widespread occurrence and high species diversity. Many cetacean populations are under intense anthropogenic threats and in need of active conservation. Projects within this program include: The Omura’s Whale Project: The Omura’s whale is the newest species of baleen whale, and currently only one population globally is under focused
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The African Chelonian Institute is a private, non-profit organization registered in Senegal, whose mission is to build the first center to consolidate knowledge related to all turtle species of the African continent and associated islands. The Institute’s vision is multi-faceted: it serves as a breeding facility for endangered African tortoises and freshwater turtles, it builds grassroots programs to re-introduce turtles back to their natural habitats,
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Senegal’s marine wildlife includes over 26 species of cetaceans, the African manatee, and four species of sea turtles, all of which are protected species under both international and Senegalese national laws. We have recently documented four new cetacean species in Senegal. Beginning in 2014, we and several other concerned biologists began quarterly surveys of the north coast between Dakar and St. Louis, Senegal to document
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Conservation of the elusive and endangered African manatee over its enormous and mostly remote range will take a long-term, dedicated effort by as many fully trained people working on the ground as possible. The long-term strategy for this project is to build and sustain a cohesive network of African researchers who will determine population sizes and status of African manatees in a majority of the
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