| Baboons are very common animals in most parts of Africa. Usually they aren't too shy of humans and you can see them hanging around villages and near cities, sometimes right around restaurants like you would find a stray dog. There are five species of baboons, you can see two of them above from completely opposite sides of Africa, one in the extreme northeast and the other in the southwest. The Vervet monkey on the left is another common primate species found in parts of Southern and Eastern Africa. Like baboons these monkeys are often found close to people, hanging around in trees waiting for food to be dropped. Baboon Left: Outer Windhoek, Namibia. Right: Dinder, Sudan, Monkey: Blyde River Canyon South Africa. |
| Africa Wildlife |
| Africa is famous for its exotic wildlife that includes some of the most powerful and largest animals in the world. The first thing I did when I made my first trip to Africa was to go on a safari in Tanzania. At the time I was only 18 so I took very few photos, and the ones I did were terrible, so I can't really share the experience and wildlife I encountered on this page. I've tried to add just about every animal I got a decent shot of on the site, and to write a little bit about each animal as well. |
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| On the left is Africa's most feared animal, the lion. Today lions are only found in Africa, but not too long ago they were found in parts of Europe and Asia as well. Most people assume that lions are the number one killers of humans in Africa, but the water buffalo is actually considered the most dangerous. Spotting a lion is also more difficult than most people think since they can be elusive and usually are active in the day. On another trip I came a cross a huge lion print, so there was one in the area but he wasn't to be seen.. Lion: Serengeti, Tanzania, Lion Print: Dinder, Sudan. |
| Elephants and zebras are also famous animals from Africa, though Elephants are found in many places in Asia as well. The elephant is the world's largest land animal, and are usually gentle animals despite their huge size. Elelphant/Zebra: Kruger, South Africa. |
| The rhinoceraus is a very unique animal and is found only in parts of Africa. It's recognized by its large horn above its nose. Unfortunately the rhinos I saw where all behind some thick bushes, so the picture on the left is the most I can show of it. On the right are some springboks which are very popular in Africa. The rhino is from Kruger Park in South Africa, the springboks are from Etosha in Namibia. |
| Elephants are the world's biggest animal by size, but giraffes hold the record for being the tallest animals. Their super long necks are used to eat from the tops of trees. Lions prefer to eat water buffalo and other game animals, but occasionally they will target a giraffe which can sometimes weigh up to 3,000 lbs. The upper right photo shows two giraffes and several zebras who have spotted a lion near a water hole. In another water hole is a hippo, another dangerous animal from Africa. Some say that hippos are Africa's most dangerous animal, not the lion or water buffalo. They usually stay in the water and come up for air every 5 minutes, but sometimes they come out on land. Giraffes/Zebras/Sprinboks: Etosha, Namibia. Rhino/Hippo: Kruger, South Africa |
| Impalas are seen in large numbers and are very easy to find throughout most of Africa. They are also food for many of Africa's predatory animals. Impalas: Kruger, South Africa |
| Some larger game animals are the Tsessebe seen on the left and the Kudu on the right. Tsessebe/Kudu: Kruger, South Africa |
| The wildebeest on the upper left is often said to be one of Africa's ugliest mammals. On the upper right is called a gemsbok, and it is Namibia's national animal. Wildebeest/Gembsok: Etosha, Namibia. |
| The animal you see on the upper left is the world's smallest antelope and it is the size of a small dog weighing only up to 12lbs. It's name is the Dik-dik, which comes from the noise it makes. On the right are another species of antelope, one of the most common seen across Africa. Dik-Dik: Etosha, Namibia. Antelope: Dinder, Sudan |
| On the left is a jackal eating the remains of an animal that was probably left over by lions the night before. On the right is a mongoose taking a peak from the bushes, which had been with a larger group. Jackal: Etosha, Namibia, Mongoose, West Coast National Park, South Africa. |
| Most of Africa is made up of dry places like savannahs and deserts. But where there is water you can find some more unique types of wildlife. Crocodile: Kruger, South Africa. Bell Frog: Okavango, Botswana. |
| Tortoise: West Coast National Park, South Africa. Skink: Etosha, Namibia. |
| Termite hills are something that most people probably find boring but they have always been impressive to me. The termite hills you see here are taller than I am, and they took years to build. The height underground is almost the same as above. These termite pictures are from places in Botswana and South Africa. |
| Hawk/African Fishing Eagle: Okavango, Botswana. |
| The upper left is a Lilac-breasted Roller, which is also Botswana's national bird. The small but colorful bird on the lower left is called a Southern double-collared sunbird. To the lower right is a Melba Finch. Roller/Hawk/Finch: Etosha, Namibia. Sunbird: West Coast National Park, South Africa. |
| The large bird on the left is a ground hornbill that was with another ground hornbill and they were walking along eating some type of berries found on the ground. The bird to the right is a cape francolin. Ground Hornbill: Kruger, South Africa. Cape Francolin, Etosha Namibia. |
| The two birds above are both waxbill birds, on the left is a black-faced waxbill, and on the right is a violet-cheeked waxbill. The pair of birds to the bottom left are parrots, on the bottom right is a go-away bird. Waxbills/Parrots/Go-away: Etosha, Namibia. |
| Above is a penguin chick, and below is an adult with its eyes closed. The flamingos are found throughout Africa as well, they get their pink color from the food the eat. Penguins: Cape Peninsula, South Africa. Flamingos: West Coast Park, South Africa. Flamingo: Walvis Bay, Namibia. |
| The upper left bird is a Cape rock-thrush. The upper right. Cape Rock-Thrush: Blyde River Canyon, South Africa. : Etosha, Namibia. |
| The pied kingfisher on the upper was seen diving around the Okavango swamps in Botswana. The photo was taken after it took a rest in a tree. On the right is a strange looking. yellow hornbill. Kingfisher: Okavango, Botswana. Hornbill: Etosha, Namibia. |
| The cormorants on the upper left photo are hanging out on a large rock in along the coast of South Africa. The ostrich on the right is the largest bird in the world. Cormorants: False Bay, South Africa. Ostrich: West Coast National Park, South Africa. |
| Widlife Links |
| Camels are famous African animals, but they are mostly seen as domesticated and few people see them in their natural habitat. Camels live in dry areas around the Sahara desert. The warthog here lives in more diverse terrain from tropical to dry areas as well. This one had just finished drinking from a water hole. Camel: Central Sudan, Warthog: Etosha, Namibia. |
| Eagle/Vultures: Dinder Sudan |
| There are so many species of birds around the world that it is difficult to keep up with all the species and names of them. The bird on the left is one example of one that I have yet to identify, the birds on the right are known as guinea fowl and I have seen them in all parts of Africa. The guinea fowl can fly but are mostly seen walking around in large numbers looking for food, only flying when they are approached by people or other predators. Green Bird/Guinea Fowl: Dinder Sudan. |
| These birds are another species that I don't know, but I saw several of them along the banks of a river with their nests built in small branches of trees. Birds/nest: Dinder, Sudan. |
| The majority of African insects live in the humid rainforest regions of central Africa. But of course they are found in large numbers all over the continent. The giant millipedes I saw where all along the banks of a river in the dry season of northern Africa. I did a long hike through the area and saw no millipedes until I got to the banks, and then suddenly there were dozens of them, most mating like in the photo above. Butterfly/Millipedes: Dinder, Sudan. |
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