The wildlife of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) includes its flora and fauna, comprising a large biodiversity in rainforests, seasonally flooded forests, and grasslands. The country is considered one of the 17 megadiverse nations and is one of the most flora-rich countries on the African continent.
Its rainforests harbor many rare and endemic species, such as the chimpanzee and the bonobo. It is home to more than 10,000 types of plants, 600 timber species, as well as 1,000 bird species, 280 reptile species, and 400 mammal species, including the forest elephant, gorilla, forest buffalo, bongo, and okapi. The DRC has set aside large parts of the sparsely occupied interior for the purpose of protecting its wildlife.
Several environmental issues in the DRC threaten wildlife, including overhunting for bushmeat, deforestation, mining, and armed conflict. The civil war and resultant poor economic conditions have endangered much of the country's biodiversity.
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Five of the country's national parks are listed as World Heritage Sites: the Garumba, Kahuzi-Biega, Salonga and Virunga National Parks, and Okapi Wildlife Reserve.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (not to be confused with the neighboring Republic of Congo) is the largest country by land area in all of sub-Saharan Africa. Geographically, the interior of the country is dominated by the central Congo basin. This flat plain is surrounded by high plateaus on almost every side, while the eastern border is separated from other countries by the massive Lake Tanganyika, Kivu, and Mweru.
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Another unique ecological feature of the DRC is the lush Congolian rainforest. The Congo Basin, a mixture of rivers, forests, savannas, marshes, and flooded forests, is bursting with life. The area is home to buffalo, elephants, and gorillas.
Compared to the Amazon and Southeast Asia, the Congo Basin countries score less well for biodiversity, but they contain a higher range of large-bodied mammals, including forest elephants as the leading species.
National Parks and Wildlife Reserves
Virunga National Park is located along the eastern border near the city of Goma. Designated as an official UNESCO World Heritage Site, the park encompasses some 190 miles of savannas, river basins, rainforests, and mountains. Visitors can expect to find gorillas, chimpanzees, African bush elephants, aardvarks, warthogs, antelopes, and many species of unique birds.
Garamba National Park is another UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located in the northeastern savanna and basin zone, the park is a rich source of elephants, buffalo, antelopes, hyenas, hippos, lions, and warthogs.
Kahuzi-Biega National Park (yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site) is situated along the west bank of Lake Kivu. It comprises some 2,300 square miles of both mountain and lowland terrain. Visitors can expect to find some gorillas, chimpanzees, hippos, elephants, baboons, leopards, peafowls, and other unique types of monkeys and birds.
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In the southeast of the Congo, a vast network of lakes, rivers, and wetlands make up Upemba National Park.
Upemba National Park is comprised of a major network of lakes, rivers, and wetlands in the southeastern part of the Congo.
Endangered and Notable Species
Great Apes
The two gorilla species-the eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei) and western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla)-are both found in the Congo Basin, and they are both critically endangered. There are 2,600 eastern gorillas estimated to remain in the wild. The eastern lowland gorilla, also known as Grauer’s gorilla, is the largest gorilla subspecies.
Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are another endangered great ape species found in the Congo Basin. They are regarded as our closest relatives out of all primates, sharing 98.7% of our DNA.
Bonobos (Pan paniscus) are also members of the great ape family and are found exclusively in the Congo Basin. The species is endangered and threatened by poaching and habitat loss, and due to a lack of education on bonobos among both urban and rural communities, it is not widely known that hunting and eating bonobos is illegal.
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It is estimated that no more than 50,000 individuals remain in the wild.
Among the largest of all primates, the majestic eastern gorilla is native to the mountains and forests of the eastern Congo. It is estimated that less than 5,000 individuals remain in the wild.
These intelligent and inquisitive primates are native to northeast Congo. Because of habitat loss, poaching, and disease, the number of chimpanzees has fallen from a high of a million in the early 20th century to only about 150,000 to 250,000 now.
The bonobo is a close relative of the chimpanzee.
This poorly understood primate resides in a very small section of the Congo River. Since they’re rarely spotted, it’s believed that the species is critically endangered.
Other Mammals
Also called forest giraffes, okapis (Okapia johnstoni) are hoofed mammals famous for the zebra-like stripes on their legs. Okapis are the only living family members of giraffes, and they’re found only in the Congo Basin.
Both the African bush elephant and African forest elephant have become endangered from habitat loss, poaching, and diseases. Both male and female African elephants have tusks. In Asian elephants, only the males have tusks.
Two endangered species of pangolins are found in the Congo Basin-the white-bellied pangolin (Phataginus tricuspis) and the giant ground pangolin (Smutsia gigantea). These shy, scaly mammals have been decimated by poaching for their meat and scales, which are often illegally traded for traditional medicine.
This subspecies of the threatened white rhino is on the brink of becoming extinct. With only two known members of this subspecies remaining, both of which reside in Kenya, there are no known individuals remaining in the Congo.
The threatened white rhino subspecies are in danger of going extinct.
There is always the danger of someone accidentally stepping on them as they lie in the dirt. This large snake is so-named because it will puff up its body to appear bigger than it is when directly threatened by a predator or person.
Often called sengi, the elephant shrews or jumping shrews are native to southern Africa.
The order Tubulidentata consists of a single species, the aardvark.
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.
Sirenia is an order of fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals that inhabit rivers, estuaries, coastal marine waters, swamps, and marine wetlands.
Rodents make up the largest order of mammals, with over 40% of mammalian species. They have two incisors in the upper and lower jaw which grow continually and must be kept short by gnawing.
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.
The "shrew-forms" are insectivorous mammals.
The bats' most distinguishing feature is that their forelimbs are developed as wings, making them the only mammals capable of flight.
The order Pholidota comprises the eight species of pangolin.
The order Cetacea includes whales, dolphins and porpoises.
There are over 260 species of carnivorans, the majority of which feed primarily on meat.
The odd-toed ungulates are browsing and grazing mammals.
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.
The Nile crocodile is a huge, dangerous predator that can be found in practically every major river system in Africa. It has been known to occasionally attack people who inadvertently enter its domain.
Despite being an herbivore, the hippo can easily kill a person. It is big, aggressive, and quick, both in and out of the water. It is believed that they are responsible for hundreds of deaths every year.
Birds, Reptiles, and Amphibians
Widely regarded as some of the most intelligent birds in the world, African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus) are native to the Congo Basin region. These birds are endangered, and their population has been estimated to decline by 50% to 79% over three generations (43 years). This is due to both live capture and habitat loss.
Slender-snouted crocodiles (Mecistops cataphractus) are critically endangered reptiles found in the Congo Basin. There are as few as 1,000 of these crocodiles remaining, and their population is decreasing. They have experienced decline due to the commercial hunt for their skins, subsistence hunting, and habitat destruction.
Also known as the giant slippery frog, the goliath frog (Conraua goliath) is the largest living frog in the world. These frogs are only found in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, inhabiting fast-flowing rivers and streams in the Congo rainforest. They are endangered.
Lurking within almost every major river system of Africa, the Nile crocodile is a large and fearsome predator with the occasional penchant to attack humans who accidentally stumble into its territory. These reptiles are sometimes known to grab fishers in their boats.
These dangerous snakes live around the north and eastern fringes of the Congo. Due to their camouflaged colors, wide distribution, and toxic venom, it’s estimated that the puff adder is responsible for more bites than any other snake in Africa.
Named for its inky black mouth, the black mamba is one of the largest and deadliest snakes in all of Africa. The potent mixture of neurotoxins will directly attack the nervous system.
Eel catfish breathe air and reach up on land to catch beetles.
Threats to Wildlife
One major threat to gorillas’ survival is poaching for bushmeat due to a scarcity of protein sources. Infant gorillas are also often captured after their mothers have been hunted and killed, and they typically die in captivity or are seized by wildlife authorities.
Armed conflict in the area has brought about a rise in the circulation of illegal weapons, which has made poaching much more rampant. Deforestation is also a major threat to gorillas, and it is perpetuated by the civil unrest faced by the region. The presence of armed groups and refugees in parts of the Congo Basin is putting enormous pressure on the forest and its animals as land is converted for settlement, agriculture, logging, and mining.
Diseases spread from humans to gorillas also pose a threat. Western gorillas in particular are facing threats from oil palm plantations, as much of their habitat is suitable for this type of agriculture. It’s estimated that 73.8% of the habitat of the Western lowland gorilla subspecies could be converted for oil palm plantations.
