Otter Signs on the Islands of the Lake Malawi National Park
1994
Kadongola W.K.
Lake Malawi National Park (LMNP) was established in 1980 and is the newest in the country. It is situated in the productive southern end of Lake Malawi which is the southernmost basin in the Great African Rift Lakes System. It contains the most diverse community of freshwater fishes (cichlids and cyprinids) in the world. Most of the fish species are endemic not only to Lake Malawi but to LMNP in particular. Besides the land mass which makes up the terrestrial part of the park in the Nankumba Peninsula, there are thirteen islands scattered all over the place. The park extends 100m from the shoreline of both the landmass and the islands into the waters. Almost entirely, the shoreline is rocky with very steep slopes and deep waters. The park was instituted primarily to conserve beautifully coloured, highly demanded, ornamental rock-dwelling cichlids locally known as mbuna. Besides the fish, the lake, and the park in particular, is also a good habitat of both Sub-Saharan Otters: the Cape clawless otter (Aonyx capensis) and the spotted-necked otter (Lutra maculicollis). This can be attributed to the purity of the water of the lake as well as the rivers in the lake's catchment area and the availability of both crabs and fish which form a good proportion of the otters' diets respectively.
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