Liberia, a West African nation with a rich Atlantic coastline and a variety of habitats, is a biodiversity hotspot, boasting more intact forests characteristic of the Upper Guinea Massif than its neighboring countries. This ecologically diverse nation, about the size of Tennessee, is home to a remarkable array of animals.
Western Africa’s biodiversity hotspot, Liberia boasts a variety of habitats that 140 mammals, over 600 bird species, plus 75 reptiles and amphibians call home. The country lies close to the equator with a long coastline on the Atlantic Ocean. The terrain consists of flat or undulating coastal plains, which rise to a rolling plateau and low mountains in the northeast. A number of short rivers flow from northeast to southwest.
Liberia can be considered a biodiversity hotspot and has the highest remaining portion of the forests of the Upper Guinea Massif, containing many species endemic to the region. This humid coastal forest ecosystem extends from Liberia through Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana and Sierra Leone to Togo, and is under threat from deforestation and coastal development.
But it is Liberia’s diverse wildlife that is its hidden treasure - large primate populations, hundreds of bird species and even herds of African forest elephant, the last remaining significant populations in West Africa, find sanctuary beneath the dense uninterrupted canopies of forest cover that span almost half of the country’s landscapes. New species are still being found here, to add to the already impressive 125 mammal, 590 bird, 74 reptile and amphibian and over 1,000 insect species that have been recorded in Liberia, several of these are in fact close extinction outside Liberia.
As an ecologically diverse nation about the size of Tennessee, the list of animals in Liberia is extensive.
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Although spotting Liberia's wildlife in the wild is rare, visitors can get a glimpse of Liberia's animals at the Libassa Wildlife Sanctuary, where care and support are given to confiscated wild animals kept as pets or destined to bushmeat.
If you’re based in Monrovia, a visit to the Libassa Wildlife Sanctuary will provide you with a closer look at Liberia’s animals without having to travel too far (it’s under an hour from Monrovia). If you’re interested in visiting Liberia’s unique animals’ habitats, check out more information on the East Nimba Nature Reserve and Sapo National Park to learn how to get there and where to stay.
The national animal of Liberia is the Asiatic lion - also known as the Indian lion and Persian lion.
Here's a glimpse of some of the iconic and interesting animals you might find in Liberia:
- Leopard: Adaptable big cat with rosetted coat, ranging across Africa and Asia, skilled at hoisting prey into trees.
- Pygmy Hippo: Elusive West African hippo, much smaller and shyer than its cousin, surviving in rainforests and swamps with under 2,500 left.
- Serval: Slender African wild cat with long legs and large ears, skilled at leaping to catch rodents and birds in tall grasses.
- Buffalo: One of Africa’s Big Five, the African buffalo is a powerful bovid living in large herds and feared for its unpredictable aggression.
- African Forest Elephant: Smallest African elephant, adapted to dense rainforests, with straight tusks and vital role in seed dispersal.
- Chimpanzee: Intelligent great ape found across Africa, sharing over 98% of human DNA, known for tool use, social alliances and complex cultural traditions.
The wildlife of Liberia consists of the flora and fauna of the Republic of Liberia.
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Mammals of Liberia
This is a list of the mammal species recorded in Liberia. The 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).
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 "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 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.
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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 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.
Specific Mammals in Liberia
- African forest elephant, L.
- Serval, L.
- African golden cat, C.
- Leopard, P.
- Speckle-throated otter, H.
Liberia is the primary stomping ground of notable threatened species like the endangered pygmy hippopotamus.
Additionally, the elusive Liberian mongoose, categorized as Endangered by the IUCN, is the country’s rarest mammal.
Leopards, monkeys, chimpanzees, antelopes, elephants, anteaters, and the red river hog are common Liberian animals.
Both male and female African elephants have tusks. In Asian elephants, only the males have tusks.
Like the pygmy hippo, the Diana monkey resides in Liberia’s rainforests, primarily in Sapo National Park, and is threatened by deforestation. The Diana monkey is also found in the high canopy forests in Sierra Leone and western Côte d’Ivoire. Diana monkeys rest high up in the tropical rainforest trees at night, yet they do not make nests. They can live up to 20 years in their natural environment.
Discover Liberia's Unique Wildlife Wonder
Here are some interesting facts about other mammals found in Liberia:
- Honey Badgers: Honey Badgers are known for their aggressive nature. Males will ferociously defend their territory and mate from other males.
- Warthogs: Warthogs live in various habitats in Liberia, including wooded savannas, grass steppes, and semideserts. They often kneel on their calloused, padded front knees when feeding on grass.
- African Civets: African Civets are primarily nocturnal but occasionally move around during the morning or evening of cloudy days. They’re secretive and solitary except when they come together to breed.
- Straw-colored Fruit Bats: Unlike most bats, Straw-colored Fruits Bats don’t use echolocation to navigate the skies.
- Red River Hogs: They typically forage at night, and their excellent sense of smell allows them to locate food. Red River Hogs are also smart!
- Tree Pangolin: Lastly, pangolins have prehensile tails, which help them climb trees and walk on their hind feet. Sadly, White-bellied Pangolins are overhunted for food and traditional medicine in many areas.
- Northern Bushbucks: These small antelopes are solitary but not territorial, so sometimes, many animals will live within the same habitat even though they don’t form traditional herds. They’re widespread and plentiful within their range.
- Stiped Ground Squirrels: Female Striped Ground Squirrels tend to be highly social and often live in groups of 6 to 10.
The Nimba Otter Shrew inhabits the soil around creek beds and streams within Mount Nimba, Nimba County. Its closest relatives are Madagascar's tenrecs. Unfortunately, the shrew's habitat is diminishing and deteriorating due to mining and agriculture. Consequently, its conservation status has been elevated from Near Threatened to Vulnerable.
Unlike the African Savannah Elephant, African Forest Elephants prefer to stay in heavily forested areas. If you'd like to get a chance to see one in Liberia, your best bet is at Sapo National Park. However, you'll most likely only see signs of their presence-traces of their path through the forest, marked by toppled trees and vegetation.
Avian Diversity
According to the latest count, 695 birds occupy the country, of which 21 are vulnerable according to conservation standards.
As of 2016, the number of bird species recorded in Liberia is 695, some resident and some migratory, with 21 of them being globally threatened. Some of the larger birds found in the rainforest are parrots, woodpeckers and hornbills.
Liberia shelters rare species like western chimpanzees, pygmy hippopotami, and forest elephants, although spotting these larger mammals in the forest can be challenging. Nevertheless, there's a wealth of wildlife to behold, including elusive birds like the Gola Malimbe, Black-headed Rufous Warbler, Nimba Flycatcher, and Yellow-bearded Greenbul.
Sapo National Park (SNP) is Liberia’s first and largest national park located within the Upper Guinea forest ecosystem, and holds the second-largest primary tropical rainforest in West Africa. It’s mammal diversity includes the western chimpanzee, red colobus monkey and pygmy hippopotamus, and among its avifauna are the endemic Liberian greenbul and 13 globally threatened species including the Gola malimbe, white-necked picathartes, white-breasted guineafowl and thimneh parrot.
A study was conducted in April, May and June 2014 in SNP and surrounding buffer areas, in southeastern Liberia to survey 17 line transects (31.6 km) for assessing population status and distribution of birds.
All transects were walked slowly at a consistent pace between 07:00 and 11:00 am, the active period of bird activity. Data was recorded of all birds seen or heard, along with their perpendicular distances from the transect within 100m. These distances were used to estimate population densities of each species using Distance software, version 4.1.
In conclusion, the park retains viable populations of at least five of the 13-threatened bird species within the Upper Guinea rainforest, and SNP and its buffer areas likely provides refuge for these species in the region. However, the impacts of human disturbances, especially mining, poses a serious risk to the threatened avifauna in the buffer zone which presently is not well demarcated from the adjacent community lands.
Some notable bird species include:
- Barn Owl
- Stork
- Nightingale
- Tawny Eagle
- Secretary Bird
- Bateleur
- Peregrine Falcon
- African Fish Eagle
Reptiles and Amphibians
Reptiles - including various crocodiles, snakes, and geckos - are also plentiful in the equatorial nation.
The Nile crocodile and the dwarf crocodile occur in the coastal mangrove swamps but are rare, while the West African crocodile occurs further inland and is relatively common.
There are a wide variety of lizards, chameleons, geckos and snakes, including Bitis rhinoceros, a venomous viper endemic to West Africa, slender tree snakes that feed on birds and their eggs, and blind snakes in the genus Typhlops.
With the high rainfall, amphibians are plentiful in the country, and include several genera endemic to the region including Silurana, Hymenochirus and Pseudhymenochirus.
Other frogs native to Liberia include the African common toad, the western clawed frog, and the crowned bullfrog.
Some huntsman spiders have an interesting way of moving around.
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.
Aquatic Life
The country’s eastern Atlantic waters are teeming with marine life, and fishing is a critical industry. Most fisheries export rough-head sea catfish. Shrimp and lobsters are heavily fished as well.
Freshwater fish found in the lakes, rivers, streams and brackish swamps of Liberia include the African brown knifefish, the Guinean killifish, the Jeanpol's killi, the Norman's lampeye, the Rancurel's lampeye and the banded lampeye.
Sirenia is an order of fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals that inhabit rivers, estuaries, coastal marine waters, swamps, and marine wetlands.
The African manatee also occurs along the coast and in many of the river systems.
The capybara, the world’s largest rodent, likes to be in and around bodies of water.
Some marine mammals found in Liberia's waters include:
- African Manatee
- Humpback Whale
Insects
Liberia Animal Fun Fact: There are 530 butterfly species in Liberia.
Many hawk moth caterpillars eat toxins from plants, but don’t sequester them the way milkweed butterflies do.
Notably, the African Giant Swallowtail (Papilio antimachus), the continent's largest butterfly, resides here.
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