Rainforest Serval The Serval (Leptailurus serval) is a medium-sized African wild cat. It is closely related to the African Golden Cat and the Caracal. The Serval is generally found in most parts of Africa excluding the arid desert regions to the north around the Sahara, parts of … [Read more...]
African Animals
Did you know that Africa is home to some of the most interesting and diverse wildlife in the world?
From lions and elephants to giraffes and zebras, there are plenty of animals to see on a safari in Africa.
But what about the "Big Five?"
The Big Five refers to the five most dangerous animals to hunt on foot in Africa:
While these are some of the most impressive creatures you'll see on an African safari, there is so much more waiting for you beyond the Big Five.
Other top wild animal sightings in Africa include:
There are also many different types of birds, reptiles, and amphibians to see in Africa.
Endangered Animals In Africa
The African continent is home to some of the most iconic and beautiful animals in the world. Unfortunately, many of these animals are now endangered due to a variety of factors including habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, and illegal wildlife trade. Some of the most endangered animals in Africa include:
- The African elephant is one of the most iconic animals on the continent and is also one of the most endangered. African elephants are threatened by habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, and the illegal ivory trade.
- The African lion is another big cat that is facing several threats including habitat loss, trophy hunting, and human-wildlife conflict.
- The black rhinoceros is a critically endangered species with an estimated population of just over 5000 animals. Black rhinos are threatened by habitat loss, the illegal wildlife trade, and human-wildlife conflict.
- The mountain gorilla is one of the most endangered primates in the world with an estimated population of fewer than 1000 animals. Mountain gorillas are threatened by habitat loss, the illegal wildlife trade, and human-wildlife conflict.
Many other animals are endangered in Africa including the cheetah, the African wild dog, and the vulturine guineafowl.
It is important to raise awareness about these animals and the threats they face so that we can work together to protect them.
African Birds
The birds of Africa are amongst the most varied, numerous, and colourful of anywhere in the world. The continent is home to over 2,300 documented bird species, of which 67% are endemic to Africa.
Learn more about the Birds of Africa.
African Spurred Tortoise
The African Spurred Tortoise (Geochelone sulcata) is also known as the Sulcata Tortoise, 'Grooved Tortoise', the 'Spur Tortoise' and the 'African Spur Thigh Tortoise'. It is a desert-dwelling tortoise whose range extends along the southern edge of the Sahara Desert from Senegal … [Read more...]
Addax
The Addax, sometimes called the 'screw horn antelope', because of its twisted horns, is a large, desert dwelling member of the antelope family, closely related to the Oryx.The Addax is a critically endangered mammal which is found in several isolated areas in the sahara desert … [Read more...]
West African Manatee
The African Manatee (Trichechus senegalensis) is a species of manatee and is the least studied of the four species of sirenians. Photos of African Manatees are very rare. Although very little is known about this species, scientists think they are similar to the West Indian … [Read more...]
African Penguin
African penguins (Spheniscus demersus) look much like the Humboldt penguins. African penguins have a broad band of black that is in the shape of an upside-down horseshoe on their fronts. They have black spots scattered over their chest area. African penguins make a loud braying … [Read more...]
Aardvark
The Aardvark (Orycteropus afer) ('Digging foot'), sometimes called 'antbear' is a medium-sized mammal native to Africa. The name comes from the Afrikaans/Dutch for 'earth pig', because early settlers from Europe thought it resembled a pig. However, the aardvark is not related to … [Read more...]
Chimpanzee
The Rainforest chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), also known as the 'Common Chimpanzee' can be found in West and Central Equatorial Africa. Some of the countries the chimpanzee is located in include Sierra Leone, Angola, Tanzania and Congo. The Common Chimpanzee is closely related to … [Read more...]
African Forest Elephant
The African Forest Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) was until recently considered a subspecies of the African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana). However, recent reserach involving DNA has produced the results that there are actually three main species of elephant: the two African … [Read more...]
Ants
For more than 100 million years, ants have been living on the Earth. They can be found almost anywhere on the planet. As of 2006, there are 11,880 known ant species, most of which reside in hot climates. Ants are members of the family of social insects which means they live in … [Read more...]
Grey Loerie bird
The Grey Loerie bird (Corythaixoides concolor) is a South African bird which ranges from the tropical west and Central Africa.It is a common resident to Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, northern Botswana, western Mozambique and northern South Africa.The Grey Loerie … [Read more...]