Animals in Rwenzori Mountains | Flora and Fauna
Rwenzori Mountains National Park in Uganda is home to roughly 70 mammal species, 217 bird species, and unique reptiles like the three-horned chameleon. While large animals live in the dense forests, visitors most often spot smaller mammals, diverse primates, and colorful endemic birds.
There are many kinds of plants and animals in the Rwenzori Mountains. During your climb you pass thru several zones of vegetation, the animals and plants come and go, and the scenery changes with every step.
Flora in the Rwenzori Mountains
It is the flora of the mountains that has a significantly bigger influence on the visitor than the indigenous animals, except from the high alpine views.
Water everywhere, cloud-bound, thick in the mist, filling mountain streams, making reflections of lakes.
Below 4,000 meters the temperature seldom goes above 15 degrees Celsius and is above freezing. That indicates life is thriving, and the plants are dramatic.
The lobelias are enormous, the valleys are covered with heather, and brightly coloured mosses clothe the twisted trees hung with lichen.
A walk will take you thru numerous altitudinal zones of vegetation, each with its unique micro-climate, flora and wildlife.
Between 1,800m and 2,500m are the slopes covered by Afro-montane forest which has the highest variation. Established trees grow to form a canopy, the gaps of which are filled by dense thickets.
Between 2,500m and 3,000m the forest becomes dense clumps of bamboo, with a thick litter of leaves covering the ground, and flowers blooming just once every 30 years.
Above this you get in the heather zone, to 4,000m. Sphagnum moss and usnea beard lichens are everywhere and the ground is dotted with coral pink orchids. Bog-wet, huge tussocks in valley bottoms.
The alpine zone over 4,000 m is home to the enormous groundsel, Senecio adnivalis, and the torch lobelia, Lobelia wollastonii.
Above 4,300m vegetation becomes sparse until only moss, lichen and a few ‘Everlasting’ plants survive. The flora above 3,800m is part of some of the rarest botanical communities in the world.
Fauna in the Rwenzori Mountains
These vegetative zones include 70 animal species and 177 bird species. Mammals include elephants, chimpanzees, Rwenzori otters, and leopards. They live there but are rarely seen since the jungle is so thick.
Colobus (both Angola and black-and-white species are thot to be present) and blue monkeys are easier to identify, as are small antelope like bushbucks and uncommon reptiles like the three-horned chameleon.
The Rwenzoris are an Important Birding Area (IBA) due to the presence of many Albertine Rift endemic bird species.
The greatest diversity is in the montane forest where you will see the Rwenzori Turaco, Barred Long tailed Cuckoo, Long eared Owl, Handsome Francolin, Cinnamon chested Bee-eater, Archers’ Robin-chat, White starred Robin, Rwenzori Batis, Montane Sooty Boubou, Lagden’s Bush Shrike, Slender billed Starling, Blue headed Sunbird, Golden winged Sunbird, Strange Weaver and several varieties of Barbets, Greenbuls, Apalises, IIladopsis, Flycatchers and Crimsonwings.
And don’t forget the superstars: hunt the lammergeiers and black eagles up high.