The Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is a marine mammal and a baleen whale. It is the largest animal known to have ever existed. The Blue whale was once abundant in nearly all the Earth's oceans until the end of the 19th century. It was hunted...
The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at 80 to 128 km/h (50 to 80 mph) with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being 93 and 98 km/h (58...
The leopard (Panthera pardus) is one of the five extant species in the genus Panthera, a member of the cat family, Felidae. The leopard is distinguished by its well-camouflaged fur, opportunistic hunting behavior, broad diet, strength, and its...
The Honey badger (Mellivora capensis) is a mammal widely distributed in Africa, Southwest Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. Despite its name, the Honey badger does not closely resemble other badger species; instead, it bears more anatomical...
The dugong (Dugong dugon) is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest modern relative, Steller's sea cow...
The aardvark (Orycteropus afer) is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa. Unlike most other insectivores, it has a long pig-like snout, which is used to sniff out food. It roams over most of the southern two-thirds of the...
The serval (Leptailurus serval ) is a wild cat native to Africa. It is rare in North Africa and the Sahel, but widespread in sub-Saharan countries, except rainforest regions. Across its range, it occurs in protected areas, and hunting it is either...
The caracal (Caracal caracal) is a medium-sized wild cat. It was first scientifically described by German naturalist Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber in 1776. Typically nocturnal, the caracal is highly secretive and difficult to observe. It was...
A highly misunderstood animal, the Spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) has the reputation of being cowardly and sly, but it is actually a fascinating and intelligent creature with a very interesting social system. It looks like a dog but is closer...
One of the most abundant and widespread mammals around the globe, the House mouse (Mus musculus) is found in almost any part of the world (except Antarctica) due to human travel. This rodent originated in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northern...
The African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana) is one of two living African elephant species. It is the largest living terrestrial animal and is distributed across 37 African countries. Since 2021, it has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red...
The Common warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) is a wild member of the pig family (Suidae) found in sub-Saharan Africa. It is the only pig species that has adapted to grazing and savanna habitats.
The Golden jackal (Canis aureus) is a wolf-like canid. Despite its name, the Golden jackal is not closely related to the African Black-backed jackal or Side-striped jackal, which are part of the genus Lupulella, being instead closer to wolves and...
Hyenas are the most common large carnivore in Africa. Hyenas are neither members of the dog nor the cat family. They are unique, and so have their own family: Hyaenidae, which has four members: Striped hyenas, the “laughing” Spotted hyenas, Brown...
The African wildcat (Felis lybica) is a small wildcat species. In Cyprus, an African wildcat was found in a burial site next to a human skeleton in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B settlement Shillourokambos. The graves are estimated to have been...
The aardwolf (Proteles cristata) is an insectivorous mammal, native to Africa. It belongs to the same family as the hyena; however, unlike many of its carnivorous relatives, the aardwolf does not hunt large animals. Its name means "earth-wolf" in...
The Rock hyrax (Procavia capensis) is a medium-sized terrestrial mammal native to Africa and the Middle East. It is also commonly referred to in South Africa as the dassie. These cute animals are the only extant terrestrial afrotherians in the...
The African golden wolf (Canis lupaster) is a canine that plays a prominent role in some African cultures. It was previously classified as an African variant of the Golden jackal. In 2015, a series of analyses on the species' mitochondrial DNA and...
The Greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) is a woodland antelope found in Africa. Despite occupying such widespread territory, Greater kudus are sparsely populated in most areas due to declining habitat, deforestation, and poaching.
The African wild ass (Equus africanus) is a wild member of the horse family, Equidae. This species is thought to be the ancestor of the domestic donkey, which is sometimes placed within the same species.
The Black-backed jackal (Lupulella mesomelas) is a medium-sized canine native to eastern and southern Africa. These regions are separated by roughly 900 kilometers. Compared to other members of the genus Canis, the Black-backed jackal is a very...
The Southern lion is a lion subspecies from Southern and East Africa. In this region, lion populations were referred to by several regional names, including Katanga lion, Transvaal lion, Kalahari lion, Southeast African lion, Southwest African lion,...
The strong and robust Hamadryas baboons (Papio hamadryas) belong to Old World monkeys. They are highly intelligent animals. Mature males of this species are identified by their silver manes and pink faces. In Ancient Egypt, they were considered...
The waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) is a large antelope found in sub-Saharan Africa. It was first described by Irish naturalist William Ogilby in 1833. The waterbuck is predominantly a grazer and is mostly found on grassland.
The klipspringer (Oreotragus oreotragus) is a small, sturdy antelope found in eastern and southern Africa. It was first described by German zoologist Eberhard August Wilhelm von Zimmermann in 1783. A gregarious animal, the klipspringer forms...
The Common genet (Genetta genetta) is a small feliform mammal. It isnative to Africa and was introduced to southwestern Europe.
The Olive baboon (Papio anubis) is a member of the Old World monkeys. The species is the most wide-ranging of all baboons, being native to 25 countries throughout Africa.
The Nubian ibex (Capra nubiana) is a rare desert-dwelling goat species found in mountainous areas of Africa, and the Middle East. It was historically considered to be a subspecies of the Alpine ibex (C. ibex ), but is now considered a distinct...
The Senegal bushbaby (Galago senegalensis) is a small, nocturnal primate, a member of the galago family Galagidae. It is sthought that the name "bush baby" may come either from the animals' cries or from their appearance.
The Crested porcupine (Hystrix cristata) is a species of rodent native to Italy, North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of the largest rodents in the world. Crested porcupines live up to 28 years, the second-longest of any rodent after the...
The Banded mongoose (Mungos mungo) is a mongoose species native from the Sahel to Southern Africa. While most mongoose species live solitary lives, the Banded mongoose lives in colonies with a complex social structure and forages in groups.
The Four-toed hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris) is a spiny mammal found in Africa. Its common name is derived from the number of toes found on its hind feet. The Four-toes hedgehog is a popular small pet in various countries, and has been successfully...
The Egyptian fruit bat or Egyptian rousette (Rousettus aegyptiacus ) is a species of megabat that is found in Africa, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and the Indian subcontinent. It is one of three Rousettus species with an African-Malagasy...
The dorcas gazelle (Gazella dorcas ), also known as the ariel gazelle, is a small and common gazelle. The dorcas gazelle stands about 55–65 cm (1.8–2.1 feet) at the shoulder, with a head and body length of 90–110 cm (3–3.5 feet) and a weight of...
The African clawless otter (Aonyx capensis ), also known as the Cape clawless otter or groot otter, is the second-largest freshwater otter species. It inhabits permanent water bodies in savannah and lowland forest areas through most of sub-Saharan...
The Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon ), also known as ichneumon, is a mongoose species native to the coastal regions along the Mediterranean Sea between North Africa and Turkey, tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands in...
The striped polecat (Ictonyx striatus) - also called the African polecat, zoril, zorille, zorilla, Cape polecat, and African skunk - is a member of the family Mustelidae that resembles a skunk (of the family Mephitidae). The name "zorilla" comes...
The oribi (; Ourebia ourebi ) is a small antelope found in eastern, southern and western Africa. The sole member of its genus, it was described by the German zoologist Eberhard August Wilhelm von Zimmermann in 1783. Eight subspecies are identified....
The short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus ) is one of the two species of cetaceans in the genus Globicephala, which it shares with the long-finned pilot whale (G. melas ). It is part of the oceanic dolphin family (Delphinidae).It has...
The Cape hare (Lepus capensis ), also called the desert hare, is a hare native to Africa and Arabia extending into India.
The Somali wild ass (Equus africanus somaliensis ) is a subspecies of the African wild ass.It is found in Somalia, the Southern Red Sea region of Eritrea, and the Afar Region of Ethiopia. The legs of the Somali wild ass are striped, resembling those...
The common slender mongoose (Herpestes sanguineus ), also known as the black-tipped mongoose or the black-tailed mongoose, is a very common mongoose species native to sub-Saharan Africa.
