While Ethiopia with about 320 species 9 of mammals is one of Africa’s most diverse countries for mammals, most populations of the medium and large sized mammals are severely depleted and difficult to see, as they suffer from habitat loss and hunting pressure almost everywhere in the country, including in most protected areas. At least 36 species are endemic, about a quarter of which are large mammals. Furthermore, at least nine new species of small mammals have been described from the Ethiopian Highlands over the past half century, and at least as many, formerly assumed to be synonyms of better-known species, have been shown to be species in their own right and more species may yet be discovered.

While Ethiopia with about 320 species 9 of mammals is one of Africa’s most diverse countries for mammals, most populations of the medium and large sized mammals are severely depleted and difficult to see, as they suffer from habitat loss and hunting pressure almost everywhere in the country, including in most protected areas. At least 36 species are endemic, about a quarter of which are large mammals. Furthermore, at least nine new species of small mammals have been described from the Ethiopian Highlands over the past half century, and at least as many, formerly assumed to be synonyms of better-known species, have been shown to be species in their own right and more species may yet be discovered.