Extension of the known distribution of non-volant, terrestrial mammals in northern Morocco.
African Journal of Wildlife Research Vol. 55, 2025
Trino Ferrández-Verdú, Adrián Ruiz-Rocamora, Manolo Tapia-Claro, Félix Carrillo-López1, José Alguazas-Martínez, Pablo Perales-Pacheco, Lola Almagro-Pérez, Rubén Vives-López, Ana I. Asensio-Pérez, Fátima El-Aaraby, Zakarias Bouabbad, Ali Yahya, Irene Arnaldos-Giner, Brígida Aránega-Carvhallo, José Ramón-Rodes, Gonzalo G. Barberá, Chema Catarineu, Claudio Amoros-Box, Daniel Valero-Antón, Andrés García-Reina, Francisco J. Sánchez-García & José Galián.
Knowing the distribution of species is a key element to better understand their ecological
requirements and devise appropriate conservation or management plans. Between March
2016 and December 2022, eight expeditions were carried out in northern Morocco, specifically
in the Western Rif and the Eastern Rif regions.The objectives of these expeditions were
a) to extend the known areas of distribution of the mammal species cited as currently present
in the study areas; b) to determine the potential presence of other species that had not been
reported for at least two decades; c) to replicate two of the key zoological expeditions carried
out by Ángel Cabrera in 1919 and 1921. These involved a total of 91 effective sampling days
with an average of nine researchers per expedition, yielding a total sampling time of 819
person-days. The sampling methods implemented during fieldwork included camera-trapping,
diurnal and nocturnal transects, interviews, cage-trapping and opportunistic
sampling. The main results are the extension of the distribution range of 20 mammalian
species in a total of 97 grid cells of 0.25° longitude by 0.25° latitude (geographical coordinates),
together with information on their habitat preferences. In addition, five records of five
species not detected in the area since 1980 are included. All mammalian orders are represented
in proportions similar to those observed in the rest of Morocco, suggesting that the
sampling techniques used in our surveys are not biased toward specific taxa. Our results
highlight that the current knowledge of the distribution of numerous Moroccan mammals is
clearly insufficient. The absence of this key information significantly reduces the relevance
of management decisions that can improve conservation by managers and researchers.
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