African wildlife
Photo: (WT-en) Jpatokal at English Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
African flora and fauna is a highlight of trips to Africa, especially on visits to the continent's national parks. Going on a safari is a common way to see it.
Most of Africa is part of the Afrotropical realm, together with the southern Arabian peninsula and a small part of Iran. North Africa is part of the Palearctic realm, and contains Eurasian wildlife. The wildlife of Madagascar differs a lot from the mainland, and is described in a separate article.
Many safari visitors are keen on seeing the Big Five — buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion and rhino — but there is a lot more out there if you know where to look.
MammalsAfrica is home to an extremely wide variety of primates, including all the extant great apes except the orangutan. Modern humans are also believed by most scientists to trace their origins to Africa.
ReptilesAfrica has six species of crocodile. All live along rivers and are successful hunters
BirdsHaematopus moquini can be found along the South African and Namibian coastline.
Marine lifePenguins are common around the Southern African coast, especially in the colder waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
PlantsAcacia tortillis is one of the best known trees from Africa. As its name suggests it is full of thorns and only specialist herbivores can eat its leaves without suffering from the thorn defence (see also Giraffe).
See also
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "African wildlife" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: (WT-en) Jpatokal at English Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons