Lake Tanganyika contains more than 250
species of fish found nowhere else on Earth, many of which can be viewed by
snorkelling in the shallows along Mahale’s shoreline.
Long walking trips can be arranged for
viewing big game such as lion, elephant, hippo, buffalo, giraffe and leopard.
These safaris may require up to 7 days.
Sport fishing on the fresh waters of Lake
Tanganyika is possible under special licences available to visitors.
Nature of Mahale Mountain National Park
The mammalian fauna of Mahale can be
loosely classified into three types on the basis of their habitat preferences.
The existence of all three types in a single area is unusual and is one of
Mahale’s defining characteristics, resulting from the complex mosaic of
eco-zones found in the park.
Tropical rain forest
animals, which include chimpanzees (Pan
troglodytes schweinfurthii), giant forest squirrel (Protoxerus stangeri),
red-legged sun squirrel (Heliosciurus rufobrachium), brush-tailed porcupine
(Atherurus sp.), Angolan black-and-white colobus monkeys (Colobus angolensis), bushy-tailed
mongoose (Bdeogale crassicauda), banded mongoose (Mungos mungo), blue duiker
(Cephalophus monticola) and Sharpe’s grysbok (Raphicerus sharpei);
Savannah animals, such as lions, Grant’s zebras, warthogs, and giraffes;
Species found in 'miombo'
woodland, such as roan antelopes, sable
antelopes, and Lichtenstein hartebeest.
A total of 82 species of mammals have now
been recorded in Mahale Mountains National Park, which is about 70–80% of the
projected total. Of the large mammals, only a handful remain to be found. The
latter include greater kudu, southern or mountain reedbuck, and Harvey’s
duiker.
Some smaller mammals that have not yet been
recorded but that almost certainly occur in Mahale include the marsh mongoose,
Atilax paludinosus and Smith’s red rock hare, Pronolagus rupestris. By far the
greatest number of unrecorded mammals will be bats, rodents and insectivores.
Accumulation of new mammal records for the park will probably level out at
around 115–120 species.
Birds
The bird species list for Mahale now stands
at 355, which represents about 80% of the species that are likely to be found
in Mahale. In his field survey, Moyer (2006) noted that the Kabezi area in the
north had the highest abundance of birds, but this probably reflects the better
visibility in such open woodland habitat, rather than an actual higher
abundance of birds.
At Kabezi, many records were made of aerial
foraging species, birds of prey and migratory species, whereas in the forested
study areas (Kasoge and Mfitwa), sight records were a relatively small part of
the total and vocal records made up the bulk of contacts. Aerial species may
easily be missed when surveying in thick forest, and it can be difficult to
detect birds unless they are very close or vocalizing.
Mahale Mountains National Park plays an
extremely important role in the conservation of several bird subspecies that
are endemic to the immediate area.
Reptiles & Amphibians
Very scant information exists about the
reptiles and amphibians of Mahale. The Mahale area, and western Tanzania in
general, has been very poorly surveyed in the past and much remains to be
learnt about the herpetofauna of this area. 26 species of reptiles have been
recorded in Mahale, but building up a reasonably complete list is a task that
will take many years of focused fieldwork.
Fish
Lake Tanganyika is one of the oldest lakes
in the world and has several million years of history. About 250 species of
fish live in the lake, and most of these are endemic, occurring nowhere else on
Earth. The lake is well known for the evolution and adaptive radiation of the Cichlid
family (Perciforms), to which around two thirds of the lake’s fish belong.
Geographical Feature on Mahale Park
Mahale Mountains National Park (1 613 km2)
is about 128 km south of Kigoma Town, and forms a peninsula that juts out into
Lake Tanganyika. Its centre lies 6°00’ – 6°28’ S and 29°43’ – 30°60’ E.
The western boundary of the park protects
not only the lakeshore but also an adjacent 1.6 km-wide strip of Lake
Tanganyika’s waters. The Park’s terrain is mostly rugged and hilly, and is
dominated by the Mahale Mountains chain that runs from the northwest to the
southeast across the park. The highest peak is 2,462 m a.s.l.
There are two seasons in the park.
Generally, the dry season starts in mid-May and ends in mid-October with a
maximum mean temperature of 31°C. The rainy season lasts from mid-October until
mid-May. During both seasons, temperatures can fluctuate, particularly between
day and night. The annual rainfall ranges between 1 500 and 2 500 mm.
Unique Characteristics of Mahale Mountains
- A remote, road-free National
Park accessible only by boat or light aircraft
- Conservation of indigenous fish
of Lake Tanganyika: no fishing (except under special licence) is permitted
within 1.6 km of the shore line
- Mixture of west- and
East-African fauna and flora
- Unique combination of forests,
mountains and lake
- Abundant primate life: at least
9 species of non-human primates including an habituated group of chimpanzees
- Intact fauna of mammal
predators including leopards, lions and African wild dogs