Endemic Animals of Cabo Verde

The Cape Verde buzzard (Buteo bannermani ) is a medium to large bird of prey that is sometimes considered a subspecies of the widespread common buzzard (Buteo buteo ). As its name implies, it is native to Cape Verde. Some taxonomists consider it to be a distinct species. Less

The Iago sparrow (Passer iagoensis ), also known as the Cape Verde or rufous-backed sparrow, is a passerine bird of the sparrow family Passeridae. It is endemic to the Cape Verde archipelago, in the eastern Atlantic Ocean near western Africa. Females and young birds have brown plumage with black marks above, and a dull grey underside, and are distinguished from other species of sparrow by their large, distinct supercilium. Males have a brighter ...
underside and bold black and chestnut stripes on their head. At 12.5–13 centimetres (4.9–5.1 in) long, it is a smaller sparrow. This bird's vocalisations are mostly variations on its chirp, which differ somewhat between males and females.The Iago sparrow was once thought to be most closely related to the rufous sparrows, a group of species within the genus Passer which live in similar habitats on continental Africa. Though the Iago sparrow is closest to the rufous sparrows in appearance, it has a number of crucial differences in morphology and behavior, and is separated by thousands of kilometres. It may in fact be more closely related to the house sparrow and Spanish sparrow. In Cape Verde it occurs on all but one island, and on most of them it is quite common. The Iago sparrow occurs in most of the habitats that are available in its range, such as lava plains, rocky hills, and gorges; however, the house sparrow and Spanish sparrow are typically present instead in denser settlements and richer cultivated areas respectively. Because the Iago sparrow is not under any serious threats, it is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Less

The Raso lark (Alauda razae ) is a small passerine bird with a highly restricted range, being found only on Raso islet in the Cape Verde Islands. This critically endangered member of the family Alaudidae lives in very arid terrain, and is considered one of the least known birds in the Western Palaearctic region, due to its remoteness and the lack of much ornithological study on the archipelago as a whole. Less

The Cape Verde warbler (Acrocephalus brevipennis ) is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. It is also known as the Cape Verde cane warbler or Cape Verde swamp warbler, and in Creole as tchota-de-cana, chincherote, (also tchintchirote ). It breeds on Santiago, Fogo, and São Nicolau in the Cape Verde Islands. It previously bred on Brava. This species is found in well-vegetated valleys, avoiding drier areas. It nests in reedbeds, two to ...
three eggs being laid in a suspended nest. Less

The Cape Verde swift or Alexander's swift (Apus alexandri ) is a small bird of the swift family found only in the Cape Verde Islands. It has been recorded from all the islands except Santa Luzia although it probably breeds only on Santiago, Fogo, Brava, Santo Antão and São Nicolau. It is generally common with a stable population and is not considered to be threatened. The name Alexander's swift commemorates Boyd Alexander, an English o ...
rnithologist who led two expeditions to the islands in 1897. Less

Boyd's shearwater (Puffinus boydi ), also known as the Cape Verde little shearwater, is a small shearwater which breeds in the Cape Verde archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean some 570 km off the coast of West Africa. The epithet commemorates British ornithologist Arnold Boyd. Less

The Cape Verde storm petrel (Hydrobates jabejabe ) is an oceangoing bird found in the Atlantic Ocean, especially around the islands of Cape Verde. It was at one time considered to be a subspecies of the band-rumped storm petrel, but is now considered to be a separate species by the International Ornithological Congress and other authorities.They breed much of year but most nest in the winter. Less

Centrochelys atlantica is an extinct species of tortoise that lived in the Pleistocene. It was first recorded in the volcanic crater on Sal, Cape Verde. It was initially identified as similar to the extant Testudo calcarata (= Centrochelys sulcata ). The species is no longer present anywhere in the Cape Verde islands. It has since been described as a new species, differentiated from C. sulcata by its smaller size and lesser robusticity. It does ...
not seem there is any evidence this species came into contact with humans. Kehlmaier et al. (2021) identified the type material of this species as belonging to a specimen of the red-footed tortoise, making C. atlantica a junior synonym of the latter species and leaving the extinct tortoise known from fossils excavated on the Sal Island in the 1930s without a scientific name. Less

The giant wall gecko (Tarentola gigas ) is a species of gecko in the family Phyllodactylidae. The species is endemic to Cape Verde, where it occurs on the island of São Nicolau and on the nearby islets of Branco and Raso. The species was named by José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage in 1875.There are two subspecies:Tarentola gigas brancoensis Schleich, 1984Tarentola gigas gigas Bocage, 1875 Less

The Boa Vista wall gecko (Tarentola boavistensis ) is a species of geckos in the family Phyllodactylidae. The species is endemic to Cape Verde, where it occurs on the island of Boa Vista. The specific name boavistensis refers to the type locality. Less

Chioninia vaillantii, also known commonly as Vaillant's mabuya or Vaillant's skink, is a species of skink in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the Cape Verde Islands. There are two recognized subspecies. Less

Cape Verde wall gecko, also Santo Antão wall gecko, (Tarentola caboverdiana ) is a species of geckos in the family Phyllodactylidae. The species is endemic to Cape Verde, where it occurs in the island of Santo Antão. The species was named by Hans Hermann Schleich in 1984. The specific name caboverdiana refers to Cape Verde, the type locality. Less

Chioninia stangeri (English common name: Stanger's skink) is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the Cape Verde Islands. Less

Hemidactylus bouvieri, also known commonly as Bouvier's leaf-toed gecko and the Cape Verde leaf-toed gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to the Cape Verde Islands and is listed as critically endangered. There are two recognized subspecies. Less

Tarentola rudis is a species of geckos in the family Phyllodactylidae. The species is endemic to Cape Verde, where it occurs in the southern part of the island of Santiago and on the Ilhéu de Santa Maria. The species was described as a variety of Tarentola delalandii by George Albert Boulenger in 1906 based on several specimens collected by Leonardo Fea. Less

Tarentola darwini, also known commonly as Darwin's wall gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Phyllodactylidae. The species is endemic to Cape Verde, where it occurs on the islands of São Nicolau, Sal, Santiago, and Fogo. Less

Chioninia nicolauensis (English: São Nicolau skink) is a species of skinks in the family Scincidae. It is endemic to the Cape Verde island of São Nicolau. Until around 2010, it was treated as a subspecies of Chioninia fogoensis. Less

Chioninia spinalis is a species of skink in the family Scincidae. It is endemic to the Cape Verde Islands, and has been found on the islands of Sal, Boa Vista, Maio, Santiago, Fogo and several smaller islets. Less

Chioninia fogoensis (English: Fogo skink or Santo Antão skink) is a species of skink in the family Scincidae. It is endemic to the island of Santo Antão, Cape Verde. The species was named by Arthur William Edgar O'Shaughnessy in 1874. After revision of the species in 2010 based on molecular evidence, it no longer includes the skinks of São Nicolau (Chioninia nicolauensis ), nor of the original type locality Fogo (hence the species name fogoensis ). ...
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Hemidactylus lopezjuradoi is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to the Cape Verde Islands. Less

Tarentola protogigas is a species of geckos in the family Phyllodactylidae. The species is endemic to Cape Verde, where it is found on the islands Fogo, Brava and the smaller Ilhéus Secos The species was named by Ulrich Joger in 1984. Less

Bocage's wall gecko (Tarentola bocagei ) is a species of geckos in the family Phyllodactylidae. The species is endemic to Cape Verde, where it occurs in the island of São Nicolau. The species was first described and named in 2012. The type locality is Carriçal, in the eastern part of São Nicolau. The species is listed as least-concern species by the IUCN. Less

The Fogo wall gecko (Tarentola fogoensis ) is a species of geckos in the family Phyllodactylidae. The species is endemic to Cape Verde, where it is found on the island of Fogo. The species was first described and named in 2012. Less

The Raso wall gecko (Tarentola raziana ) is a species of geckos in the family Phyllodactylidae. The species is endemic to Cape Verde, where it occurs on the island of Santa Luzia and the islets of Branco and Raso. The species was named by Hans Hermann Schleich in 1984. The specific name raziana refers to the islet Raso where it is found. Less

The Maio wall gecko (Tarentola maioensis ) is a species of geckos in the family Phyllodactylidae. The species is endemic to Cape Verde, where it occurs on the island of Maio. The species was named by Hans Hermann Schleich in 1984. The specific name maioensis refers to the island of Maio, the type locality. Less

The São Nicolau wall gecko (Tarentola nicolauensis ) is a species of geckos in the family Phyllodactylidae. The species is endemic to Cape Verde, where it occurs on the islands of São Vicente and São Nicolau. The species was named by Hans Hermann Schleich in 1984. Less

Chioninia delalandii (English: Delalande's skink) is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the Cape Verde Islands. Less

Fissurella alabastrites is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Fissurellidae, the keyhole limpets. Less

Conus crotchii is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.Like all species within the genus Conus, these snails are predatory and venomous. They are capable of "stinging" humans, therefore live ones should be handled carefully or not at all. Less

Felimida purpurea is a species of colourful sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Chromodorididae. Less

Conus cuneolus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.Like all species within the genus Conus, these snails are predatory and venomous. They are capable of "stinging" humans, therefore live ones should be handled carefully or not at all. Less

Conus delanoyae, common name Delanoy's cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.Like all species within the genus Conus, these snails are predatory and venomous. They are capable of "stinging" humans, therefore live ones should be handled carefully or not at all. Less

Conus fuscoflavus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.Like all species within the genus Conus, these snails are predatory and venomous. They are capable of "stinging" humans, therefore live ones should be handled carefully or not at all. Less

Conus raulsilvai is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies. Like all species within the genus Conus, these snails are predatory and venomous. They are capable of "stinging" humans, therefore live ones should be handled carefully or not at all. Less

Ondina strufaldii is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Pyramidellidae, the pyrams and their allies. Less

Phorcus mariae is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Trochidae, the top snails. Less

Conus ateralbus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.These snails are predatory and venomous. They are capable of "stinging" humans, therefore live ones should be handled carefully or not at all. Less

Conus diminutus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.Like all species within the genus Conus, these snails are predatory and venomous. They are capable of "stinging" humans, therefore live ones should be handled carefully or not at all. Less

Felimare aurantimaculata is a species of sea slug or dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Chromodorididae. Less

Conus salletae is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Conidae, the cone snails, cone shells or cones.These snails are predatory and venomous. They are capable of "stinging" humans. Less

Conus antoniomonteiroi is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.Like all species within the genus Conus, these snails are predatory and venomous. They are capable of "stinging" humans, therefore live ones should be handled carefully or not at all. Less

Conus boavistensis is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.Like all species within the genus Conus, these snails are predatory and venomous. They are capable of "stinging" humans, therefore live ones should be handled carefully or not at all. Less