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Animals in Nigeria
Four main types of habitats exist within Nigeria's borders: savanna grasslands, tropical forests, mountain plateaus, and mangrove swamps. The savanna grasslands are populated by herbivorous (plant eating) species, such as elephants and warthogs, as well as carnivorous (meat eating) animals like chivets, jackals, and wild dogs. Big cats such as lions, cheetahs, and leopards also prowl these areas. Where rivers run through the grasslands, hippopotamuses and crocodiles are common.
The mangrove swamps and tropical forests are home to many reptiles, some of which are unique to Nigeria. The worm lizard and the aptly named Nigerian crag gecko are among the reptilian species unique to the area, as well as several species of killfish in the waters of the country. A few unique species of bird also exist, such as the Jos Plateau Indigobird and the rock firefinch.
Two national parks located in the country serve as wildlife preserves, offering a safe habitat for the many vulnerable and endangered species. The parks are Kainji Lake National park, near Lagos and the border with Benin, and Yankari National Park, in Bauchi State in the northeastern section of the country. Endangered species include the chimpanzee, the drill, the western gorilla, the red-bellied monkey, and the savanna swamp shrew.
Click here for a list of endangered animals in Nigeria.
Even-toed ungulates in Nigeria
Addra gazelle Common hippopotamus Dorcas gazelle Red-fronted gazelle Klipspringer Common hartebeest Sahara oryx Giraffe Oribi Roan antelope Tsessebe Water chevrotain Bay duiker Maxwell's duiker Blue duiker Black duiker Black-fronted duiker Ogilby's duiker Grey duiker Red-flanked duiker African buffalo Yellow-backed duiker Waterbuck Kob Mountain reedbuck Bohar reedbuck Common warthog Giant forest hog Bates' pygmy antelope Red river hog Marshbuck Bushbuck Pygmy hippopotamusCarnivores in Nigeria
African sand fox Cheetah African clawless otter Spotted hyaena African lion Striped hyaena Asiatic jackal Leopard Side-striped jackal African caracal African palm civet Black-footed mogoose White-tailed mongoose Banded mongoose Honey badger Gambian mongoose Saharan striped polecat Striped polecat African civet Common genet Panther genet Haussa genet Wild cat Serval Speckle-throated otter African wild dogDolphins, porpoises, and whales in Nigeria
Blainville's beaked whale Atlantic hump-backed dolphin Atlantic spinner dolphin Long-beaked dolphin Rough-toothed dolphin Pygmy sperm whale Pygmy killer whaleBats in Nigeria
Large-eared slit-faced bat Nigerian free-tailed bat Greater mouse-tailed bat Aba roundleaf bat Little free-tailed bat Pel's pouched bat Egyptian slit-faced bat Benito roundleaf bat African sheath-tailed bat Light-winged lesser house bat Dark-winged lesser house bat Sundevall's roundleaf bat Zenker's fruit bat Cyclops roundleaf bat African yellow bat Sooty roundleaf bat White-bellied yellow bat Jones's roundleaf bat Schreber's yellow bat Woermann's bat Noack's roundleaf bat Nut-colored yellow bat Greenish yellow bat Peter's dwarf epauletted fruit bat Moloney's flat-headed bat Sierra leone free-tailed bat Angolan free-tailed bat Aellen's pipistrelle Midas free-tailed bat Tiny pipistrelle Dwarf free-tailed bat Hammer-headed fruit bat Rüppel's pipistrelle Railer bat Rusty pipistrelle Trevor's free-tailed bat Straw-coloured fruit bat Lesser woolly bat Gambian epauletted fruit bat Ethiopian epauletted fruit bat Egyptian free-tailed bat Buettikofer's epauletted fruit bat Mauritian tomb bat Franquet's epauletted fruit bat Naked-rumped tomb bat Little collared fruit bat Lagos serotine Egyptian tomb bat Bini free-tailed bat Yellow-winged bat Halcyon horseshoe bat Morris's bat Darling's horseshoe bat Veldkamp's bat Rüppell's horseshoe bat Hildebrandt's horseshoe bat Bate's slit-faced bat Ansorge's free-tailed bat Lander's horseshoe bat Gambian slit-faced bat Large slit-faced bat Gland-tailed free-tailed bat Bushveld horseshoe bat Hairy slit-faced bat Lappet-eared free-tailed bat Lesser mouse-tailed batHyraxes in Nigeria
Western tree dassie Rock dassieHares, pikas, and rabbits in Nigeria
Cape harePangolins in Nigeria
Giant ground pangolin Black-bellied pangolin Three-cusped pangolinPrimates in Nigeria
Drill Eastern black-and-white colobus Pennant's red colobus King colobus Gorilla Angwantibo Chimpanzee Potto gibbon Collared mangabey Red colobus Red-bellied guenon Olive colobus Red-eared guenon Mona guenon Patas monkey Greater spot-nosed guenon Northern needle-clawed bushbaby Crowned guenon Preuss's guenon Sclater's guenon Allen's bushbaby Lesser bushbabyElephants in Nigeria
African elephantRodents in Nigeria
Big-eared swamp rat Striped ground squirrel Rufous-nosed rats Tinfields rock rat Nigerian gerbil Guinea multimammate mouse Lord derby's flying squirrel Western vlei rat Natal multimammate mouse Giant rat Shining thicket rat Gambian rat Jentink's dormouse African grass rat Nigerian mole rat Temminck's striped mouse Jackson's fat mouse Cooper's mountain squirrel Peters' hybomys Fox's shaggy rat Northwestern fat mouse Green bush squirrel West african shaggy rat Dainty fat mouse Allen's hylomyscus Stella hylomyscus Gray glimbing mouse Banana climbing mouse Crested porcupine Pouched gerbil Target rat Lesser egyptian jerboa Jackson's praomys Tullberg's praomys Hausa mouse Pygmy mouse Peter's mouse Forest giant squirrel Kemp's gerbil Typical lemniscomys Gracile tateril Lorrain dormouse Lake chad gerbil Rusty-bellied brush-furred rat Thomas's rope squirrel Olga's dormouse Greater cane rat Red-cheeked rope squirrel Savanna dormouse Fire-footed rope squirrel Gambian sun squirrel Red-legged sun squirrel Edward's swamp rat Rudd's bristle-furred ratDugongs, manatees, and sea cows in Nigeria
African manateeAardvark in Nigeria
Aardvark
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