Mauritania's wildlife has two main influences as the country lies in two biogeographic realms. The north sits in the Palearctic which extends south from the Sahara to roughly 19° north latitude and the south is in the Afrotropic realm. Additionally, Mauritania is an important wintering area for numerous birds which migrate from the Palearctic.
Faunal regions and habitats
Most of the north to about 19° north latitude is regarded as being in the Palearctic, and is largely made up of the Sahara desert and adjacent littoral habitats. South of this is regarded as being in the Afrotropical biogeographic realm, which means that species of a predominantly Afotropical distribution dominate the fauna.[1] South of the Sahara is the South Saharan steppe and woodlands ecoregion[2] which integrates into the Sahelian acacia savanna ecoregion.[3] The southernmost part of the country lies in the West Sudanian savanna ecoregion.[4]
Wetlands are important and the two main protected areas are the Banc d'Arguin National Park which protects rich, shallow coastal and marine ecosystems which integrate with the arid Sahara desert[5] and the Diawling National Park which forms the northern part of the delta of the Senegal River.[6] Elsewhere in Mauritania wetlands are normally ephemeral and rely on the seasonal rainfall and may be very important for migratory birds.[7]
The marine fish found off Mauritania's coast are an important resource for commercial, subsistence and sport fishing. Estimates put the potential catch at between 400,000 and 700,000 tons.[18] The rich waters off the Mauritanian coast are host to a variety of species more familiar in more northerly temperate waters such as European seabass, European hake, Norwegian skate and gilt-head bream, as well as species more typical of warmer waters including whale shark, Atlantic bluefin tuna, Atlantic sailfish, tarpon and Atlantic blue marlin.[19] 56 species of freshwater fish have been reported from Mauritania of which 50 have been confirmed as occurring.[20]
Flora
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^J. Sournia; J. Verschuren (1990). "Chapter 3 Mauritania". In Rod East (ed.). Antelopes: Global Survey and Regional Action Plans. IUCN. ISBN2831700167.