The Congo Basin of Africa, better than a million square miles across, supports the world’s second-largest stand of tropical rain forest, after the South American Amazon. One of the outstanding features of the Congo is the preponderance of huge animals in its swamp-strewn wilderness: Gorillas, elephants, buffalo and other giants mingle on shadowy trails and in sun-filled clearings. Critically threatened by poaching and deforestation, Congo wildlife relies on refuges such as the trans-border network contained within the Sangha River Tri-national Protected Area in the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo and Cameroon. Such sites also provide opportunities for ecotourists to seek glimpses of native fauna.
The Congo Basin rain forest is a major bastion for primates, although all species are imperiled by environmental degradation. Four great apes roam various quarters. The Congo River and its huge network of tributaries mark the dividing line between the western and eastern species of gorilla; the low swamps and rain forests here specifically shelter western lowland and eastern lowland gorillas, distinct subspecies. The Congo also separates the common chimpanzee from its close relative, the bonobo; both of these lithe and brainy apes are our closest relatives in the animal kingdom. Monkey varieties are dizzying: Red-tailed monkeys, mangabeys and other arboreal species roam the treetops, while the huge mandrill – the 70-pound male is the heaviest of all monkeys – travels the forest floor in massive troops.
Hoofed mammals, or ungulates, come in a range of sizes in the Congo rain forest. Several varieties of wild pig are native: the bush pig, the red river hog and – biggest of all – the dark, hairy giant forest hog. Small to mid-sized antelopes include the blue and yellow-backed duikers, the bushbuck and the swamp-haunting sitatunga. The biggest rain forest antelope is the beautifully patterned bongo. The only close relative of the giraffe, the tall, elegant but short-necked okapi browses in gaps and clearings. Forest buffalo, smaller and redder than the savanna subspecies of African buffalo, graze and wallow in marshy glades called “bais.” The biggest ungulates in the Congo Basin are titanic, indeed. The hippopotamus, which can weigh 7,000 pounds, inhabits a diminished range of waterways in the basin. African forest elephants aren't as hefty as the bush elephants of woodlands and savannas, but can still top 9,000 pounds.
A widely distributed large carnivore in the Congo rain forests is the African leopard, which enjoys a vast range across the continent thanks largely to its adaptability. Swift, solitary and powerful, the leopard stalks everything from lizards and birds to antelope and buffalo calves. Smaller than the leopard but still formidable is the African golden cat, a heavy-bodied hunter of birds, rodents, monkeys and small antelope. Other carnivores include spotted-necked and Congo clawless otters, African and palm civets and the marsh mongoose.
Birdlife in the Congo rain forest ranges from the western bronze-naped pigeon and the bare-cheeked trogon to the African crowned eagle, the vermiculated fishing-owl and the white-crested hornbill. Reptiles thrive in the rich mosaic of habitats: Perfectly camouflaged Gaboon vipers lie poised in the leaf litter and tropical geckos scuttle up and down tree trunks, while dwarf and slender-snouted crocodiles target fish in the swamps and riverways.
- Britannica Online Encyclopedia: Congo Basin
- National Primate Research Center: Primate Factsheets - Gorilla: Taxonomy, Morphology, and Ecology
- National Audubon Society Field Guide to African Wildlife; Peter C. Alden, et al.
- World Wildlife Fund: Cenral Africa - Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo
- BirdLife International: Important Bird Areas - Dzanga-Ndoki National Park
- Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images