African Jacana - Gambia

The Gambia, known simply as Gambia, is the smallest country on the African continent. Aside from an 80 kilometer strip of land fronting the Atlantic ocean, Gambia is surrounded by Senegal. The entire country consists of a narrow band of land along the banks of the Gambia River before the river empties into the Atlantic Ocean.

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Actophilornis africana - The African jacana is a shorebird with an extensive range covering the areas of Africa below the Sahel Desert. The jacana has extremely long toes and claws. This anatomical feature enables the bird to walk on the vegetation floating on the surface of wetlands, their preferred habitat. Their close adaptation to watery environments is demonstrated by their ability to build floating nests. This serves a dual purpose; it puts the parents closer to a food source and helps protect the eggs and hatchlings from predators.

Senegal Land Frog - Gambia

Kassina senegalensis - The Senegal land frog is a common species found throughout the savannah regions of Africa. It is a small frog, 25 to 40 millimeters in size, without noticeable differences between male and female. The Senegal land frog has several sub-species distributed over a wide area. Coloration varies by region, but is normally grey with a black dorsal strip, some spotting, and additional striping along the flanks. The call of the frog rises above other sounds during the African rainy season.

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Slavery had existed throughout the world, but it took on a new dimension with the beginning of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The African slave trade began in the 16th century and continued far into the 19th century. The area along the mouth of the Gambia River was one staging area among several others on the West African coast serving as holding camps and shipping centers. More than 3,000,000 people were shipped out as slaves from this area of Africa; the majority were bound for the Americas.