Talk:List of mammals of Togo

Mammals Low‑importance

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Africa: Togo Low‑importance

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Hyenas

The article says that hyenas might be extinct in Togo. However, I think this is wrong for two reasons: 1: they are the most common predator in Africa (more common that the likes of lions), and (before I edited the article), it said that lions are still around (if hyenas aren't still around in Togo, neither are lions or leopards). And 2: they serve a vital role in the ecosystem (both controlling the population of other animals, as well as eating carcasses which could otherwise spread disease), and no other predator can take over that niche, as lions/leopards (provided they are still around) don't have the same digestive juices to deal with fatal disease (such as anthrax) nor the neccessary bite for to chew through bone like hyenas do, so if hyenas weren't in Togo, the ecosystem would surely collapse. Redstoneprime (talk) 18:03, 4 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]

According to IUCN Red List for spotted hyena dating 2016, it is "possibly extinct" in the country. A reference to a website is NOT a reliable source for its (alleged) presence, neither is absence or presence of the lion. -- BhagyaMani (talk) 18:46, 4 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]

I know. I'm just pointing out that, if spotted hyenas don't exist there, the ecosystem would be facing a lot of problems (as hyenas play a vital role in African ecosystems, which cannot be taken over by other predators). Also, spotted hyenas are the most common large predator in Africa, making them more common than lions (which is why I mentioned that, if hyenas don't exist in Togo, neither do lions). Redstoneprime (talk) 18:51, 4 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Indeed, the lion is extirpated too in country -- BhagyaMani (talk) 19:01, 4 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Aren't animals usually considered "possibly extinct" in an area if there haven't been any recorded sightings for a long time? Redstoneprime (talk) 19:04, 4 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]

This is not the place to question the validity of this assessment, but only to reference it. -- BhagyaMani (talk) 19:10, 4 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]