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Animals in South Africa
Out of all of the mammals that exist in South Africa, the five best known mammals are buffalos, elephants, lions, rhinos and leopards. Then again, thanks to there being an endless amount of animals found throughout South Africa, it would not be fair to declare the listed five mammals as the best known in South Africa. The various regions of South Africa contain unique families of wildlife. From, zebras to hyenas, apes, warthogs, tigers, giraffes and so many more, the immense amount of wildlife is the advantage that South Africa holds over other continents.
South Africa is buried neck-deep with unique animals. For some animals, living life in South Africa is far from easy. The conditions in various parts of South Africa are harsher than others. Nevertheless, there are five main habitat types in South Africa -- Karoo, savannah, grassland, Forest and Fynbos. The mammals, especially the big cats, suffer the most and more frequently. When there is a drought, the water and food supply diminishes quickly. Therefore, several animals are now endangered. Lions are the most popular. They are found throughout South Africa. However, the biggest problems they face are people and their weapons. More now than in the past, lions mainly reside in conservation areas. However, as a whole, South Africa's wildlife is thriving and offers visitors an experience of a lifetime. For a long time, the bigger animals dominated much of the world's attention. Nowadays, the smaller animals, such as, the elephant shrews, are gaining more and more attention than ever before.
South Africa is covered with a lot of animals that have been in existence for centuries. As the population in South Africa continues to increase, the habitats reserved for the various wildlife are slowly being taken over. Nevertheless, the wide range of animals are spreaded all across the extraordinary landscape of South Africa.
Click here for a list of endangered animals in South Africa.
Even-toed ungulates in South Africa
Common hippopotamus Roan antelope Giraffe Blue buck Sable antelope Black wildebeest Impala Desert warthog Blesbok Blue & white-bearded wildebeest Common warthog Bushpig Common rhebok Common hartebeest Waterbuck Tsessebe Springbok Grey duiker African buffalo Suni Cape grysbok Sharpe's grysbok Klipspringer Steenbok Gemsbok Southern reedbuck Mountain reedbuck Bushbuck Blue duiker Nyala Natal duiker Greater kudu OribiCarnivores in South Africa
African lion Panther genet Cape fox Blotched genet Leopard Cheetah South atlantic elephant-seal Spotted hyaena African clawless otter Antarctic fur seal Afro-australian fur seal Amsterdam island fur seal Marsh mongoose Yellow mongoose Aardwolf Cape grey mongoose Slender mongoose Serval Common dwarf mongoose Egyptian mongoose White-tailed mongoose Bat-eared fox Speckle-throated otter Banded mongoose African wild dog Side-striped jackal Selous' mongoose Black-backed jackal Meller's mongoose Meerkat African caracal Honey badger Black-footed cat Striped polecat Wild cat African striped weasel African civet Common genetDolphins, porpoises, and whales in South Africa
Hector's beaked whale Layard's beaked whale True's beaked whale Cuvier's beaked whale Pacific pilot whale Long-finned pilot whale Flatheaded bottlenose whale Indo-pacific beaked whale Chinese white dolphin Grey dolphin Bridled dolphin Melon-headed whale Euphrosyne dolphin Pygmy sperm whale Long-beaked dolphin Rough-toothed dolphin Fraser's dolphin Common minke whale Hourglass dolphin Coalfish whale Dusky dolphin Bryde's whale False killer whale Blue whale Shepherd's beaked whale Killer whale Common rorqual Southern right whale dolphin Arnoux's beaked whale Pygmy right whale Southern right whale Bunch Blainville's beaked whale Pygmy killer whale Benguela dolphin Gray's beaked whale Bottle-nosed dolphinBats in South Africa
Lander's horseshoe bat Sundevall's roundleaf bat Bushveld horseshoe bat Ansorge's free-tailed bat Swinny's horseshoe bat Lesser long-fingered bat Little free-tailed bat Light-winged lesser house bat Percival's trident bat African yellow bat Angolan free-tailed bat Greenish yellow bat Midas free-tailed bat Natal free-tailed bat Damara woolly bat Lesser woolly bat Cape hairy bat Botswanan long-eared bat Welwitch's bat De winton's long-eared bat Rüppel's pipistrelle Egyptian free-tailed bat Rusty pipistrelle Madagascan large free-tailed bat Egyptian slit-faced bat Mauritian tomb bat Wood's slit-faced bat Straw-coloured fruit bat Wahlberg's epauletted fruit bat Large-eared free-tailed bat Long-tailed house bat Blasius's horseshoe bat Cape horseshoe bat Geoffroy's horseshoe bat Darling's horseshoe bat Dent's horseshoe bat Rüppell's horseshoe bat Hildebrandt's horseshoe batHyraxes in South Africa
Rock dassie Eastern tree dassie Bush hyraxHares, pikas, and rabbits in South Africa
Cape hare Scrub hare Greater red rockhare Jameson's red rockhare Smith's red rockhare Bushman hareElephant-shrews in South Africa
Short-snouted elephant shrew Bushveld elephant shrew Eastern rock elephant shrew Four-toed elephant shrew Cape elephant shrew Western rock elephant shrew Round-eared elephant shrewHorses, rhinoceroses, and tapirs in South Africa
Burchell's zebra Black rhinoceros Quagga Mountain zebra Square-lipped rhinocerosPangolins in South Africa
Cape pangolinPrimates in South Africa
Blue monkey Garnett's greater galago Mohol galagoElephants in South Africa
African elephantRodents in South Africa
Cape mole rat Hairy-footed gerbil South african ground squirrel Bushy-tailed hairy-footed gerbil Woosnam's broad-headed mouse Pouched mouse Spiny mouse Smith's bush squirrel Cape spiny mouse Red bush squirrel Brants's whistling rat Mozambique thicket rat Red rock rat Littledale's whistling rat Woodland thicket rat Cape porcupine Grant's rock mouse Kreb's fat mouse Spring hare Desert pygmy mouse Damara mole rat Namaqua rock rat Fat mouse Pygmy mouse African mole rat Neave's mouse Dassie rat Free state pygmy mouse African marsh rat Barbour's rock mouse Pygmy rock mouse Brukkaros pygmy rock mouse Gray glimbing mouse White-tailed mouse Brant's climbing mouse Chestnut climbing mouse Nyika climbing mouse Single-striped grass mouse Cape short-eared gerbil Namaqua dune mole rat Cape gerbil Cape dune mole rat Highveld gerbil Bushveld gerbil Black-tailed tree rat Acacia rat Four-striped grass mouse Gerbil mouse Shortridge's rat Angoni vlei rat Small-eared dormouse Greater cane rat Vlei rat Southern multimammate mouse Woodland dormouse Laminate vlei rat Natal multimammate mouse Namtap Saunder's vlei rat Rock dormouse Sloggett's vlei rat Bush vlei rat Stone dormouseAardvark in South Africa
Aardvark
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