- Taita Hills
The Taita Hills, sometimes also written as Teita Hills, are a precambrian mountain range in the south-west of
Kenya inTaita-Taveta District . The hills consist of three massives namelyDabida ,Sagalla in the southern side ofVoi township andKasigau in the south near the border of Tanzania. They have an altitude up to 2.208 m asl.Ecology of the hills
The hills are known for their moist forests with a unique fauna and flora. More than 20 endemic species of African violets (e.g. Saintpaulia teitensis) occur exclusively in that region and known endemic bird species are the
Taita Thrush ("Turdus helleri") and theTaita Apalis ("Apalis fascigularis"). TheTaita Falcon ("Falco fasciinucha") and theTaita Fiscal ("Lanius dorsalis") were first discovered at the hills but occur elsewhere too. Also anamphibian genusBoulengerula occurs only at the Taita Hills. The Sagala Caecilian (Boulengerula niedeni ) is a critically endangered worm-like amphibian that also lives in the Taita Hills. The native Taita people are living at the edge of the forests and develop the soil which is very productive. The region was severely logged in the past and the remaining indigenous forest is now part of a nature reserve.External links
* [http://www.helsinki.fi/science/taita/taitahills.html Description of the Taita Hills]
* [http://www.helsinki.fi/science/taita/ Publications]
* [http://www.go2africa.com/kenya/tsavo/default.asp?accomm=5#map Map of the Taita Hills]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
