| Abstract |
There are 85 species of AMPHIBIANS recorded in Zambia. The species belong to one order Anura, 13 families and 25 genera. There are 2 endemic species of amphibians recorded in Zambia. These are the Barotse Shovel-snout Frog Hemisus barotseensis and the Kafue Reed Frog Hyperolius pyrrhodictyon. One species of amphibian the Nyika Dwarf Toad Mertensophryne nyikae is rare and restricted to the Nyika Plateau.
There are 193 species of REPTILES in Zambia belonging to 2 orders, 21 families and 86 genera. The order Squamata (scaled reptiles) constitutes 95.9% (185 species) of the reptilian species richness while the remaining 8 species belong to the order Testudines (Tortoises and turtles). Snakes are the dominant group among the reptiles with 53.9% of species followed by lizards
with 41.4%. There are 3 endemic species of reptiles recorded in Zambia.
There are 760 species of BIRDS occurring naturally in Zambia belonging to 25 orders, 81 families
and 311 genera. The Common Ostrich Struthio camelus is extinct in the wild but has been reintroduced
in private game ranches under domestication. Of the 760 species, 724 are native to
Zambia while 30 species are vagrant. There are 4 species whose present origins in the country
are uncertain while 2 species, the Common Pigeon Columba livia and House Sparrow Passer
domesticus are introduced species that have successfully established themselves in the wild.
There are 243 species of MAMMALS in Zambia with confirmed records. Two species are non
native. The introduced species are the House Mouse Mus musculus and the Black Rat Rattus
rattus. The 243 species belong to 13 orders, 40 families and 131 genera. The largest mammalian
order is Rodentia (Rodents) followed by Chiroptera (Bats). Of the 243 species, 84% are of least
concern, 6% are data deficient and 4% have not been evaluated against the IUCN criteria. There
are 21 threatened mammal species in Zambia of which 1 species the Black Rhino Diceros
bicornis is critically endangered.
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