Las especies de mamíferos terrestres de Ceuta y Melilla (España, norte de África): una revisión histórica y reciente

The terrestrial non-flying mammal fauna of the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla is influenced by their location in North Africa, the small size of their territories, and, currently, by the barrier effect that the perimeter border fencing poses for medium and large-sized wildlife. To date, the existing lists of species have not explicitly stated the criteria used in their compilation. This study provides a historical and recent review of the presence of mammals in both territories. Only those species with documented records within their territorial boundaries and for which the source of the information is known, have been considered ‘present,’ excluding species with vague or imprecise references. Based on these criteria, the recent list of terrestrial mammals species for Ceuta and Melilla as a whole would consist of fifteen species. Three of these, Eliomys mumbyanus, Lemniscomys barbarus, and Lepus schlumbergeri are national species exclusive to the territories of North Africa.