mammals A to Z
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African wild dog
Lycaon pictusAfrica’s largest canid, the african wild dog is characterised by markings of brown, yellow and white blotches.
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Baboon
Papio ursiniusFour sub-species occur in Africa
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Bat-eared fox
Otocyon megalotisThe bat-eared fox's most definitive feature are its large spoon-like ears (from which it gets its name). The body is a dirty-brown colour and the legs are black.
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Buffalo
Syncerus cafferUnmistakable as the only wild cattle species in Africa. Males are larger than females with both sexes having horns.
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Cheetah
Acinonyx jubatusThe fastest animal on land the cheetah is built for speed, with long legs, non-retractable claws and a rudder-shaped tail for control!
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Eland
Tragelaphus oryxUnmistakable as the largest antelope, the eland is tawny in colour and the males have a large dewlap on the throat. Both sexes have short, spiralled horns
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Elephant
Loxodonta africanaUnmistakable, the elephant is one of the signature animals of Africa, and considered one of the most intelligent animals on earth.
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Gerenuk
Litocranius walleriOne of the most charachteristic antelope of East Africa with long legs and long neck. The gerenuk is also called the "giraffe antelope".
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Giraffe
Giraffe camelopardarlis sp.The tallest animal in Africa with a long neck and long legs, the giraffe is unmistakable. The giraffe of Africa are classified into eight subspecies taken from the patterning and the secluded distribution of the animals.
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Hippopotamus
Hippopotamus amphibiusUnmistakable large mammal which inhabits the waterways of Africa.
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Hyena spotted
Crocuta crocutaThe most common of the hyenas with dark brown spots on a yellow-brown coat. The back slopes from the head to the low-slung rump.
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Impala
Aepyceros melampusIt is a tawny, sleek and elegant creature living in herds varying in size but the beauty is often overlooked due to its abundance.
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Jackal black backed
Canis mesomelasThe size and shape of a medium-sized domestic dog it is the most common of the jackals of Africa. Also called the silver-backed jackal due to the silver sheen on the top of its body.
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Klipspringer
Oreotragus oreotragusA small sure-footed antelope found in rocky hill areas of Africa where it moves about on the tips of its hoofs. Colouration varies from yellowish-grey to grey-brown.
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Kudu
Tragelaphus strepsicerosCharacteristic antelope with tawny coat and whites stripes down the body. The males have dramatic, long spiralled horns
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Lechwe
Kobus lecheMedium-sized antelope with hindquarters which are considerably higher than their forequarters. They have chestnut upper parts and flanks, and white on the under sides.
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Leopard
Panthera pardusA powerfully built, tawny-yellow, cat with black rosette markings on its body and black spots on its legs. Although common, the leopard is a very elusive creature.
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Lion
Panthera leoOne of the iconic animals of Africa. Males are larger than females with manes ranging in colour from light to black.
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Mongoose dwarf
Helogale parvulaThe smallest and one of the few social mongoose it is a uniform reddish brown-colour. Due to its group social behaviour it is one of the more commonly seen mongoose species.
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Monkey vervet
Cercopithecus aethiopsA small black-faced monkey varying in colour from dull olive to grey. The black face is conspicuous and the slightly larger males have a charachteristic blue scrotum.
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Nyala
Tragelaphus angasiMale and female are very different with male larger and darker in colour than red-rusty female and male has spiraled horns. Both have white stripes down body.
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Oryx
Oryx gazellaLarge black and white antelope of the arid areas of Africa with both sexes having long rapier-like horns. Commonly called gemsbok in southern Africa.
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Rhino black
Diceros bicornisAlso known as the hook-lipped rhino due to its prehensile upper lip there is in fact no difference in colour to the white rhino. It is considered the more aggressive of the two species and is the original member of the big five among the rhino's.
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Rhino White
Ceratotherium simumLarger, and arguably more placid, than the black rhino but not too different in colour. The name 'white' stems from the Dutch word for wide ‘weit’.
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Sable antelope
Hippotragus nigerThe sable is also one of the most beautiful African antelope. Males are jet black on body and females are reddish-brown with both having a white underbelly.
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Serval
Leptailurus servalA beautiful cat with yellowy-brown body with black markings of spots, splotches and bars and a black-tipped tail.
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Springbok
Antidorcas marsupialisThe only gazelle species occurring in southern Africa. Tawny upperparts with a white belly and a brown stripe bordering the white.
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Steenbok
Raphicerus campestrisA small rufous coloured antelope with white underparts charachterised by large rounded ears and the male having short, sharp horns.
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Suricate
Suricata suricattaOf the mongoose family and also known as the meerkat it is one of the most endearing animals of Africa. The suricate has a long tail that is held rigidly up when running.
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Tsessebe
Damaliscus lunatusKnown as the Topi in East Africa. Although the topi and the tsessebe are classified as the same species there are a few cosmetic differences.
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Warthog
Phacochoerus africanusThe animal gets its name from the warty protrusions on either side of the face of which the male has two on either side and the female one.
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Waterbuck
Kobus ellipsiprymnusRugged and robust animals with conspicuous white rings on rear ends. defassa waterbuck (one of the two sub-species) have a solid white patch on their rump. Only the males carry the long forward-swept horns.
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Wildebeeste blue
Connochaetes taurinusThree sub-species occur and is probably the most abundant antelope in Africa with millions migrating across the plains of east Africa.
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Zebra
Equus burchelliCharacteristic horse of the African plains, the Burchell’s Zebra is the only zebra species where the black stripes extend onto the stomach.
