The wildlife of Algeria is composed of its flora and fauna. Mountains, chotts, wetlands, and grassy desert-like regions all support a wide range of wildlife. The most commonly seen animals include the wild boars, jackals, and gazelles, although it is not uncommon to spot fennecs and jerboas. Leopards and cheetahs are seldom seen.
A variety of bird species make the country an attraction for bird watchers. Barbary macaques are the sole native monkey.
Flora
In the north, the native flora includes the Algerian oak, Atlas cedar, and other conifers. The grape vine is indigenous to the coast. In the Sahara region, some oases have date palms. Acacia with wild olives are the predominant flora in the remainder of the Sahara.
In the south, the critically endangered Saharan cypress is endemic in Algeria.
In Algeria forest cover is around 1% of the total land area, equivalent to of forest in 2020, up from in 1990. In 2020, naturally regenerating forest covered and planted forest covered . Of the naturally regenerating forest 0% was reported to be primary forest (consisting of native tree species with no clearly visible indications of human activity) and around 6% of the forest area was found within protected areas. For the year 2015, 80% of the forest area was reported to be under public ownership, 18% private ownership and 2% with ownership listed as other or unknown.
Fauna
Mammals
There are 104 mammal species in Algeria, of which three are critically endangered, two are endangered, ten are vulnerable, and three are near-threatened. One of the species listed for Algeria is extinct, and one does no longer occur in the wild. Birds
Egyptian vulture Golden eagle Bonelli's eagle Griffon vulture Great crested grebe Little grebe European turtle dove Shearwaters Black stork White stork Petrels Storm-petrels Pelicans Cormorant Bitterns Herons Egrets Storks Ibises Spoonbills Flamingos Ducks Geese Swans Osprey Hawks Kites Eagles Falcon Pheasant Partridge Crane Rails Crakes Coots Arabian bustard Oystercatchers Avocet Stilt Thick-knee Pratincole Courser Plover Lapwing Sandpiper Gulls Terns Sandgrouse Pigeons Doves Cuckoos Great spotted woodpecker Eurasian wryneck Barn owls Typical owls Nightjars Swifts Kingfishers Bee-eaters Starling
Reptiles
Algerian sand racer Bedriaga's fringe-fingered lizard Boomslang Desert monitor Egyptian cobra Egyptian sand boa Erycinae European pond terrapin False smooth snake Greek tortoise Horned desert viper Iberian wall lizard Lataste's viper Leatherback turtle (in the Mediterranean Sea) Loggerhead sea turtle (in the Mediterranean Sea) Mediterranean chameleon Mediterranean house gecko Moorish gecko Müller's sand boa Red-tailed spiny-footed lizard Sahara sand viper Saharan spiny-tailed lizard Saw-scaled viper Small-spotted lizard Small three-toed skink Southern smooth snake Two-fingered skink Viperine water snake
Amphibians
Brongersma's toad Common toad European green toad Mediterranean tree frog Perez's frog Sahara frog Algerian ribbed newt Edough ribbed newt North African fire salamander
Fish
Atlantic bluefin tuna Atlantic blue marlin Atlantic white marlin European eel Angular roughshark Basking shark Bignose shark Blacktip shark Blacktip reef shark Bluntnose sixgill shark Bramble shark Dusky shark Great hammerhead Great white shark Grey nurse shark Gulper shark Kitefin shark Porbeagle Sandbar shark Scalloped hammerhead Sharpnose sevengill shark Shortfin mako Spinner shark Velvet belly lantern shark
Insects
Acilius duvergeri Calopteryx exul Chalepoxenus brunneus Desert locust Epimyrma africana Epimyrma algeriana Honey bee Monomorium noualhieri Onychogomphus costae Pharaoh ant Red locust Strongylognathus afer Strongylognathus foreli
Other invertebrates
Brine shrimp Common octopus Fat-tailed scorpion
See also
Algeria Réghaïa forest Lake Oubeïra Lake Tonga
References