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Although Mayumba National Park was created to protect the stunning marine life of the Gabonese coast, the narrow strip of land between the ocean and the Banio Lagoon has some pretty extraordinary wildlife stars of its own. The most ubiquitous of all is the Sitatunga antelope (Tragelaphus spekei). This usually shy animal lives in and around swamps and flooded forest, and can be found in high numbers grazing between the coastal savannas and the beach. It is even possible to see mother and calf pairs strolling quietly up the beach in the early mornings. Sitatunga are well designed for wetland life and have long splayed hooves that leave a very distinctive track that can be seen almost anywhere within the Park. Females and young are a gorgeous chestnut red colour, while the adult males tend towards a dark chocolate pelage. |
| Greater protection in the Park has emboldened forest buffalo ( Sincerus caffer nanus ), and it not unusual to see small groups grazing in the savanna, or to pick them out in the headlights during a night drive along the coastal strip. Forest buffalo seem to love walking on the beach and dipping their hooves in the waves. Another sea lover is the hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibious) whose tracks can often be seen exiting the lagoons in the southern sector of the Park and leading into the sea. It is thought that dips in the salt sea help to remove skin parasites. |
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The coast attracts a surprising number of animal beach-lovers. The easiest to see is the Marsh Mongoose (Atilax paludinosus) who takes to the sand each evening to cover his beat of crab holes, turtle nests, and whatever the tide may have thrown up to interest him. Another animal that gets fat on turtle eggs is the Monitor Lizard (Varanus ornatus), and some individuals in Mayumba can become extremely large on this rich diet. Their tracks are everywhere and it is not unusual to surprise one as he feeds with his head buried in a disturbed nest. They can also be seen sunning themselves on branches overhanging the Banio Lagoon. |
| A stunning resident of the coastal forest strip is the multi-colored Mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx). Large single males can be seen crossing savanna patches, or you may have the chance to spot a mixed group travelling through the trees behind the beach in search of the nuts and insects that form a large part of their diet. Other primates seen in the Park include Western Lowland Gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), and Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes), although their presence in the northern sector of the park seems be more seasonal. Moustached and Spot-nosed monkeys (Cercopithecus cephus and nictitans), are present throughout the year and often chatter at visitors passing below. Bush pigs (Potamochoerus porcus) can frequently be seen on the savanna, eating, or travelling from one patch of forest to the next. Elephants generally frequent the southern heavily forested section of the Park, although they do occasionally come out onto the beach. On the inland side of the lagoon however, elephants have become a nuisance to villagers, frequently breaking into plantations and devouring crops. |
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