Assemblage of Small Sized Vertebrates in an Urban Community of Rivers State, Nigeria

Urbanization rapidly alters wildlife habitats leading to population declines. However, certain species are able to adapt to the landscape changes. This research investigated the ecological use by small vertebrates of an uncompleted building in an urban area of Rivers State, Nigeria. Sampling lasted from January 2016 to December 2018. As a routine, we carefully moved round the building dislodging stones, panels and checking for concealed small vertebrates within the multiple holes of the walls. The species relative abundance data was generated by combining the number of individuals preyed on by predators as well as those captured counted and tagged. This research revealed the presence of 173 individuals of 16 species belonging to 11 vertebrate families (Accipitridae, Agamidae, Bufonidae, Colubridae, Columbidae, Gekkonidae, Lamprophiidae, Muridae, Ptychadenidae, Sciuridae and Scincidae). Reptilians constituted 71.10% of the observations; the rainbow lizard (Agama agama) with a percentage frequency of 25.43% was the most common and abundant species from the community. The olive house snake (Lamprophis olivaceus) with a 0.58% frequency of occurrence was the least encountered species from the building. The existence of these animals within the confines of the studied structure is largely based on the economic condition of the owners of the building; the improvement in the financial condition of such owners would negatively trigger the unfortunate extirpation of the non-flying species from the area. We therefore, recommend the capture and transfer of such disturbed animals to forested zones before the completion of the building. More so, city planners and urban dwellers should also make concise efforts to create zones of habitation for displaced urban wildlife.