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List of mammals of Morocco

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The native Barbary lion, an unofficial symbol of the Moroccan Royal Family, disappeared from the country in the 1920s.[1] 1897 photo of a captive animal.

This is a list of the mammal species recorded in Morocco. These are the mammal species in Morocco.[2]

The following tags are used to highlight each species' conservation status as assessed by the IUCN:

EX Extinct No reasonable doubt that the last individual has died.
EW Extinct in the wild Known only to survive in captivity or as a naturalized populations well outside its previous range.
CR Critically endangered The species is in imminent risk of extinction in the wild.
EN Endangered The species is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
VU Vulnerable The species is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
NT Near threatened The species does not meet any of the criteria that would categorise it as risking extinction but it is likely to do so in the future.
LC Least concern There are no current identifiable risks to the species.
DD Data deficient There is inadequate information to make an assessment of the risks to this species.

Subclass: Theria

Infraclass: Eutheria

Order: Macroscelidea (elephant shrews)

File:North african elephant shrew.jpg
North African elephant shrew

Often called sengis, the elephant shrews or jumping shrews are native to Africa. Their common English name derives from their elongated flexible snout, which is vaguely similar to the trunk of an elephant (to whom they are distantly related) and their resemblance to the true shrews.

Order: Proboscidea (elephants)

Roman mosaic depicting a North African elephant

The elephants comprise three living species and are the largest living land animals.

Order: Primates

Barbary macaque

The order Primates contains humans and their closest relatives: lemurs, lorisoids, tarsiers, monkeys, and apes.

Order: Rodentia (rodents)

Crested porcupine
Barbary ground squirrel
Asian garden dormouse
Sand rat
Common gundi

Rodents make up the largest order of mammals, with over 40 percent of mammalian species. They have two incisors in the upper and lower jaw which grow continually and must be keep short by gnawing. Most rodents are small though the capybara can weigh up to 45 kg (100 lb).

Order: Lagomorpha (lagomorphs)

European rabbit

The lagomorphs comprise two families, Leporidae (hares and rabbits), and Ochotonidae (pikas). Though they can resemble rodents, and were classified as a superfamily in that order until the early 20th century, they have since been considered a separate order. They differ from rodents in a number of physical characteristics, such as having four incisors in the upper jaw rather than two.

Order: Erinaceomorpha (hedgehogs and gymnures)

North African hedgehog

The order Erinaceomorpha contains a single family, Erinaceidae, which comprise the hedgehogs and gymnures. The hedgehogs are easily recognised by their spines while gymnures look more like large rats.

Order: Soricomorpha (shrews, moles, and solenodons)

Lesser white-toothed shrew

The "shrew-forms" are insectivorous mammals. The shrews and solenodons closely resemble mice while the moles are stout bodied burrowers.

Order: Chiroptera (bats)

Natterer's bat
Greater noctule bat
Common pipistrelle
Sundevall's roundleaf bat close-up

The bats' most distinguishing feature is that their forelimbs are developed as wings, making them the only mammals in the world naturally capable of flight. Bat species account for about 20% of all mammals.

Order: Cetacea (whales)

Female North Atlantic right whale and calf
Blue whale
Common bottlenose dolphin
Dwarf sperm whale
Harbour porpoise

The order Cetacea includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. They are the mammals most fully adapted to aquatic life with a spindle-shaped nearly hairless body, protected by a thick layer of blubber, and forelimbs and tail modified to provide propulsion underwater.

Order: Carnivora (carnivorans)

African leopard
African wildcat
Striped hyena
Fennec
Sand cat
Mediterranean monk seal

There are over 260 species of carnivorans, the majority of which feed primarily on meat. They have a characteristic skull shape and dentition.

Order: Hyracoidea (hyraxes)

Cape hyrax

The hyraxes are any of four species of fairly small, thickset, herbivorous mammals in the order Hyracoidea. About the size of a domestic cat they are well-furred, with rounded bodies and a stumpy tail. They are native to Africa and the Middle East.

Order: Perissodactyla (odd-toed ungulates)

Somali wild asses. Roman mosaics indicate that the extinct Atlas subspecies had both the striped legs of the Somali wild ass and the black shoulder stripe of the Nubian wild ass[4]

The odd-toed ungulates are browsing and grazing mammals. They are usually large to very large, and have relatively simple stomachs and an odd number of anterior toes.

Order: Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates)

Dromedaries in Tarfaya
The Barbary stag is the only deer native to Africa
Cuvier's gazelle
Addax

The even-toed ungulates are ungulates whose weight is borne about equally by the third and fourth toes, rather than mostly or entirely by the third as in perissodactyls. There are about 220 artiodactyl species, including many that are of great economic importance to humans.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Walker, M. (2009-06-23). "Return of the Royal Barbary Lion". Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  2. ^ This list is derived from the IUCN Red List which lists species of mammals and includes those mammals that have recently been classified as extinct (since 1500 AD). The taxonomy and naming of the individual species is based on those used in existing Wikipedia articles as of 21 May 2007 and supplemented by the common names and taxonomy from the IUCN, Smithsonian Institution, or University of Michigan where no Wikipedia article was available.
  3. ^ Kingdon (1997)
  4. ^ Kingdon (1997)
  5. ^ Kingdon (1997)

References

  • "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Mammals of Morocco". IUCN. 2001. Retrieved 22 May 2007. [dead link]
  • "Mammal Species of the World". Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. 2005. Archived from the original on 27 April 2007. Retrieved 22 May 2007. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  • "Animal Diversity Web". University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. 1995–2006. Retrieved 22 May 2007.
  • Aulagnier, S. et al. (2008) Guide des mammifères d'Europe, d'Afrique du Nord et de Moyen-Orient. Delachaux et Niestlé, Paris
  • Kingdon, J. (1997) The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals. Helm, London
  • Shirihai, H. & Jarrett, B. (2006) Whales, Dolphins and Seals: A Field Guide to the Marine Mammals of the World. A & C Black, London
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