crocodiles in the sahara desert an update of distribution, habitats and population status for conservation planning in mauritania鳄鱼在撒哈拉沙漠的一个更新分布、栖息地保护和人口状况规划在毛里塔尼亚.pdfVIP

Crocodiles in the Sahara Desert: An Update of Distribution, Habitats and Population Status for Conservation Planning in Mauritania ´ 1 ´ ´ 1 2 ´ 3 1 Jose C. Brito *, Fernando Martınez-Freirıa , Pablo Sierra , Neftalı Sillero , Pedro Tarroso ˜ ´ ˆ ´ ˜ ˜ 1 CIBIO - Centro de Investigac¸ao em Biodiversidade e Recursos Geneticos da Universidade do Porto, Instituto de Ciencias Agrarias de Vairao, Vairao, Portugal, 2 A Cancela, ´ ˜ ˆ Chaın 77, Pontevedra, Spain, 3 Centro de Investigac¸ao em Ciencias Geo-Espaciais (CICGE) da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal Abstract Background: Relict populations of Crocodylus niloticus persist in Chad, Egypt and Mauritania. Although crocodiles were widespread throughout the Sahara until the early 20th century, increased aridity combined with human persecution led to local extinction. Knowledge on distribution, occupied habitats, population size and prey availability is scarce in most populations. This study evaluates the status of Saharan crocodiles and provides new data for Mauritania to assist conservation planning. Methodology/Principal Findings: A series of surveys in Mauritania detected crocodile presence in 78 localities dispersed ˆ ˆ across 10 river basins and most tended to be isolated within river basins. Perma