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2	The Niger Delta
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5	The peopling of the Delta The most likely early inhabitants of the Niger Delta would have been the Cross River speaking peoples, today represented by; a) the Central Delta peoples (Abuan, Odual and a number of very small groups such as the Bukuma stretching in a zone across the centre of the Delta from West to East b) the Ogoni peoples (Kana, Eleme, Baan) found in the Eastern Delta c) the Lower Cross peoples (Obolo)
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7	Early movements of Nigerian language families
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11	Angwantibo Arctocebus calabarensis The angwantibo is indigenous to this region and eastwards to Cameroun Vernacular names are usually the same as the potto also throughout this region The Central Delta name, ekidi, is borrowed into Ịjọ, Igboid and Edoid except where Ịjọ has replaced it with an avoidance name
12	Angwantibo Arctocebus calabarensis
13	Potto, Perodicticus potto The potto subspecies are spread across West Africa to Gabon and the Niger River may represent a boundary between P.p. potto and P.p. edwardsii
14	Potto, Perodicticus potto potto
15	Manatee, Trichechus senegalensis The manatee is found in both fresh and coastal waters throughout West Africa Despite an absence of published records the species is widespread throughout the Delta including mangrove creeks, and most common in the tidal freshwater zone where bankside-floating grass is present all year It is easily hunted and is highly edible, hence it has been wiped out almost everywhere Ịjọ emein resembles Mande terms, Maninka mǎ, Bamana mã̌ Tieyaxo ma
16	Elephant Elephants are only found in the Nun-Orashi corridor and Andoni island and are slowly being wiped out (8 remaining in 2005) In contrast to other species, almost every language group has their own name, suggesting they were already familiar with the elephant in their home area, prior to migration. Ịjọ bila is similar to; Mande Ngain bíè Gur Deg bàlà Adamawa Mundang bàlì
17	Elephant
18	Flying squirrels Anomalurops beecrofti Beecroft's Flying Squirrel Anomalurops derbianus Derby's Flying Squirrel are the two probable species in the Delta, both known by the same Ịjọ name which is not borrowed from other languages They occur from Senegal to Zambia and is found in secondary cultivation, so should have been known to migrating Ịjọ
19	Leopard, Panthera pardus Leopards were probably originally found throughout much of this region. Some fairly reliable reports of occurrences come from remote road-less areas of Rivers State. These include the Agge-Dodo barrier island Bolou-Orua’s Kada-Ogba forest and Oyeregbene south of Peremabiri. Ịjọ has an ‘old’ word edule (no cognates elsewhere) but in most languages it has been replaced by konu-owei (?fearful animal)
20	Leopard, Panthera pardus
21	Pygmy Hippopotamus The pygmy hippo, Hippopotamus liberiensis was first identified via its indigenous name as distinct from the usual hippo. It is listed as extinct in the usual reference books, but may well just survive Its name, ebein, which is distinct from the ordinary hippo, is readily elicited, suggesting it was common until recently
22	Pygmy Hippopotamus
23	Hippopotamus The hippo, Hippopotamus amphibius, has been very rare in recent times, due to over-hunting but was probably also once common Its main name, something like otobo, is borrowed from Central Delta into almost all the language families of the Delta, as is ebein
24	Hippopotamus
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27	THANKS To Bruce Powell and Kay Williamson To Dimie Otubu and Hanson Otufu To Julia Brown for text typing and Ian Agnew for map redrawing To Tunde Morakinyo, Lynne Baker and Elizabeth Pimley for additional information
28	NO THANKS To Shell (SPDC) for commissioning and then losing Bruce Powell’s work