Elasmobranch Records from iNaturalist in Mozambique, 2007-2025

Dércio Maoze compiled 408 citizen science records of elasmobranchs (sharks and rays) from the iNaturalist platform, collected between 2007 and 2025. The dataset documents 44 species, with 82% of records classified as research grade, and shows spatial biases toward southern Mozambique. It was last updated on 2026-04-27.

Use Cases

• Analyze species composition and conservation status based on the 44 documented elasmobranch species and their IUCN Red List classifications.
• Identify spatial and temporal sampling biases based on the concentration of records in southern provinces like Inhambane and Maputo and the increase in records since 2019.
• Assess alignment between observed biodiversity and formal protection based on the overlap of records with Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRA) and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
• Evaluate the utility of citizen science data for national reporting based on the dataset's contribution to known species records in Mozambique.

Strengths

• Includes 408 research-grade records, with 82% classified as suitable for scientific applications.
• Documents 44 elasmobranch species, accounting for 32% of the 137 species previously reported in Mozambique.
• Covers a significant time span from 2007 to 2025, allowing for analysis of trends over nearly two decades.
• Provides concrete conservation context, noting that 71% of recorded species are threatened on the IUCN Red List.

Limitations

• Spatial coverage is biased, with observations concentrated in southern Mozambique, reflecting inconsistent sampling effort in central and northern regions.
• Row count and column-level documentation are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment and require field semantics to be inferred after download.
• The dataset is relatively small at 2.1 MB, which may limit the scope of certain statistical analyses.

Provenance

Source

iNaturalist platform, compiled by author Dércio Maoze.

Collection Method

Citizen science observations submitted to the iNaturalist platform.

Time Range

2007 to 2025

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-27 04:14:42; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Mozambican coast, with noted concentration in Inhambane and Maputo provinces.