Tanzania The Promised Land Tanzania The Promised Land | Page 17

Tanzania Has Some of the Best
FAUNA AND FLORA
Tanzania The Promised Land
chameleon species are still being discovered
in remote forests, including the curious forest
chameleon recently discovered in the Mahenge
Mountains in 2014.
Tanzania is home to the tallest tree in Africa
Africa’s tallest indigenous tree measuring a
whopping 81.5 meters was discovered in a
remote valley one of Africa’s highest mountains,
Kilimanjaro.
Mpingo: the most valuable tree in the world
Mpingo (Dalbergia melanoxylon), the Swahili name
for the East African Blackwood, is one of the
most expensive timbers in the world. This wood
is the preferred wood of the musical instrument
trade because of its high density, fine texture and
exceptional durability. A lot of effort was done in
Tanzania to conserve this tree species. Mpingo
takes up to 60 years to mature, contributing to its
very rare and very valuable quality.
Tanzania has more than 1049 bird species
Tanzania has more than 1049 species of
birds. There are 47 threatened species (most
threatened bird species in Africa) and 29 species
endemic only to Tanzania.
Tanzania harbors the second richest
chameleon diversity in the world
Most people when they hear Chameleons,
they think of Madagascar. It is less commonly
known that Tanzania harbors the second
richest chameleon diversity in the world after
Madagascar. If you want to see chameleons the
Amani Nature Reserve, Udzungwa National Park
and other forest reserves and parks along the
eastern Arc Mountains are the Holy Grail for a
host of endemic chameleons. One particularly
noteworthy, is the giant Usambara three-horned
chameleon, which has a stable population and
tends to be
seen on coffee plantations. New
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