Pleistocene Sahara biogeography I
qTwo types of fauna would have been
able to take advantage of this new resource niche; aquatic species that depend
on continuous water bodies and savannah mammals that can cross open plains but
must drink regularly
qExamples of aquatic species are
hippo, crocodile, Arvicanthus
sp., cane
rat (Thryonomys),
fish, hydrophilous amphibians, molluscs, crabs
qSavannah species include elephant,
rhino, giraffe, typical predators and a host of smaller mammals
qFew examples of birds are clear, but
anthropic species such as the guinea-fowl, Numida meleagris, with a relic population in Morocco
is a likely trace of this period