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| Safari quick guide
If you want to bring a
short species list on your safari, you may download and print our
quick guide, which contains species lists for mammals and birds, plus
general information on safari-going.
More
about the quick guide | |
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| Books on wildlife
There are good books in
English covering the East African wildlife. There are books on mammals,
birds, reptiles etc.
More about
wildlife books | |
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| Wildlife & nature: |
| List: All mammals of East Africa |
|
| The species list below contains all East
African land mammals of interest on normal safaris.
With some exceptions (for example for giraffes), subspecies are not included. For some
groups of animals, such as bats, rodents and insectivores, species have been left out,
as they are probably of little interest to most safari-goers.
The most common mammals only
For a shorter list of the most common East African mammals, i.e. the mammals
you're most likely to see during a normal safari in Kenya
or Tanzania,
see Species list: Mammals.
All mammals in Africa
For a list of all mammals in Africa, download this
rtf file.
|
|
| Carnivores |
| English |
Swahili |
Comments |
| Dogs and allies |
| jackal |
|
|
| black-backed jackal, silver-backed jackal |
mbweha nyekundu |
The most common jackal |
| golden jackal, common jackal |
mbweha wa mbuga |
|
| side-striped jackal |
mbweha |
Nocturnal |
| wild dog |
|
|
| wild dog, hunting dog |
mbwa mwitu |
S Tz, rare elsewhere |
| bat-eared fox |
|
|
| bat-eared fox |
mbweha masikio |
|
| Hyaenids |
| hyaena |
|
|
| spotted hyaena, laughing hyaena |
nyangao, fisi |
The most common hyaena |
| striped hyaena |
fisi |
Rare |
| aardwolf |
|
|
| aardwolf |
fisi ya nkole, fisi ndogo |
|
| Cats |
| cheetah |
|
|
| cheetah |
duma |
|
| lion |
|
|
| lion |
simba |
The most common cat |
| leopard |
|
|
| leopard, panther (incl. black panther) |
chui |
|
| smaller cats |
|
|
| caracal |
simba mangu |
Rare |
| golden cat, African golden cat |
|
W and C Ke but rare |
| serval cat |
mondo |
|
| wild cat, African wild cat |
paka, mwitu, kimburu, paka pori |
Nocturnal |
| Mustelids |
| weasel |
|
|
| ratel, honey badger |
nyegere |
|
| striped weasel, white-naped weasel |
chororo |
|
| zorilla |
kicheche |
|
| otter |
fisi maji |
|
| African clawless otter, Cape clawless otter |
fisi maji kubwa |
|
| spot-necked otter |
|
W Ke |
|
Mongoose & genets
|
| mongoose |
|
|
| Alexander's cusimanse, Alexander's mongoose |
|
Local in W Ke |
| banded mongoose |
nkuchiro |
|
| bushy-tailed mongoose |
kitu |
C Ke, S Tz and Zanzibar |
| dwarf mongoose |
kitafe |
|
| ichneumon, Egyptian mongoose, large grey mongoose |
nguchiro |
|
| Jackson's mongoose |
|
Highlands in Ke |
| marsh mongoose |
nguchiro wa maji |
|
| Meller's mongoose |
|
C and S Tz |
| slender mongoose, black-tipped mongoose |
|
|
| Sokoke dog mongoose |
kitu ya sokoke |
Ke coast |
| Somali dwarf mongoose |
|
C and N Ke |
| white-tailed mongoose |
karambago |
|
| civet |
|
|
| African civet |
fungo |
|
| genet |
|
|
| blotched genet, large-spotted genet, rusty-spotted genet |
kanu |
|
| common genet, small-spotted genet |
kanu |
|
| hausa genet |
kanu |
|
| miombo genet |
|
SW Tz |
| servaline genet |
kanu |
|
| palm civet |
|
|
| palm civet, two-spotted civet |
|
W Ke, W Tz and E Tz |
| Pangolins |
| giant pangolin |
kakakuona mkubwa |
W Ke and possibly Udzungwa Mountains in Tz |
| ground pangolin, Cape pangolin, lesser ground pangolin |
kakakuona |
|
| tree pangolin |
kakakuona ya miti |
W Ke |
| Ungulates –
hoofed mammals |
| English |
Swahili |
Comments |
| Proboscids – elephants |
| elephant |
|
|
| elephant, African elephant |
ndovu, tembo |
|
| Hyraxes |
| tree hyrax |
|
|
| eastern tree hyrax |
perere |
Eastern highlands |
| southern tree hyrax |
perere |
Lowlands |
| bush hyrax |
|
|
| yellow-spotted bush hyrax |
perere mawe |
|
| rock hyrax |
|
|
| black-necked rock hyrax |
pimbe |
|
| aardvark |
|
|
| aardvark, ant bear |
muhanga, kukukifuku |
|
| Odd-toed ungulates |
| zebra |
|
|
| common zebra |
punda milia |
|
| Grevy zebra |
punda milia somali |
N Ke |
| rhinoceros |
|
|
| black rhinoceros, browse rhinoceros |
kifaru, faru |
Ngorongoro in Tz and Lake Nakuru in Ke, rare elsewhere |
| white rhinoceros, grass rhinoceros |
kifaru, kiaru ya majani |
Lake Nakuru in Ke, rare elsewhere |
| Even-toed ungulates |
| hippopotamus |
|
|
| hippopotamus |
kiboko |
|
| pig |
|
|
| bush pig, savanna bush pig |
nguruwe |
|
| common warthog, savanna warthog |
ngiri, mbango |
|
| desert warthog, woodland warthog |
ngiri ya somalia |
NE Ke |
| giant hog, giant forest hog |
senge, ensenge, nguruwe nyeusi |
W Ke and Tz |
| wild boar |
nguruwe mwitu |
Introduced on Pemba and Mafia Islands in Tz |
| giraffe |
|
|
| masai giraffe |
twiga |
Tz and S Ke |
| reticulated giraffe |
twiga |
N Ke |
| Rotschild's giraffe, Baringo giraffe |
twiga |
W Ke and Lake Nakuru in Ke |
| buffalo |
|
|
| buffalo, African buffalo |
mbogo, nyati |
|
| antelopes |
|
|
| beisa oryx |
choroa, bara bara |
N of Tana River in Ke |
| Bohor reedbuck |
forhi, tohe |
Tz, S Ke and W Ke |
| common waterbuck |
kuru, kobu |
|
| Defassa waterbuck |
kuru, kobu |
|
| fringe-eared oryx |
|
NE Tz and S of Tana River in Ke |
| hirola, Hunter’s hartebeest |
hirola |
SEKe |
| impala |
swala pala |
|
| kob |
mraye |
Locally in the west |
| kongoni, hartebeest |
kongoni |
|
| mountain reedbuck |
tohe ya milima |
Locally in mountains |
| puku |
puku |
Locally in S Tz |
| roan antelope |
korongo |
SW Tz, locally in Ke and Tz |
| sable antelope |
mbarapi, palahala |
W and S Tz, Shimba Hills in Ke |
| southern reedbuck, common reedbuck |
tohe ya kusini |
SW Tz |
| topi |
nyamera, topi |
|
| wildebeest, brindled gnu |
nyumbu |
|
| spiral-horned bovines |
|
|
| bongo |
bongo, ndongoro |
Highlands in Ke |
| bushbuck |
pongo, mbawala |
|
| eland, southern eland |
pofu |
|
| greater kudu |
tandala mkubwa |
Locally |
| lesser kudu |
tandala ndogo |
E and C Ke and Tz |
| sitatunga |
|
Locally in W Tz, Saiwa Swamp in Ke |
| duikers |
|
|
| Abbot's duiker |
minde |
Locally in S and E Tz |
| Ader's duiker, Zanzibar duiker |
paa nunga |
Zanzibar |
| black-fronted duiker |
|
Mt Kenya and Mt Elgon in Ke |
| blue duiker |
ndimba, chesi |
W Ke, highlands in E Tz, Zanzibar and Pemba Islands |
| bush duiker, common duiker |
nsya |
|
| Harvey's duiker |
funo |
Ke coast, NE Tz coast, C and S Tz |
| Natal duiker, Natal red duiker |
ngarombwi |
S Tz |
| Peter's duiker |
|
W Ke and Tz |
| yellow-backed duiker |
kipoke |
Locally in W Ke |
| dwarf antelopes |
|
|
| Guenther's dikdik |
digidigi ya pua murefu |
N and E Ke, locally in NE Tz |
| Kirk's dikdik |
suguya, digidigi |
|
| klipspringer |
mbuzi mawe, ngurunguru |
|
| oribi |
taya |
Locally, Ke coast and SE Tz |
| Sharpe's grysbok |
dondoro |
S Tz |
| steinbuck, steenbok |
isha, dondor |
S Ke, N and C Tz |
| suni |
suni, paa mwekundu |
Coast, locally inland |
| gazelles |
|
|
| gerenuk |
swala twiga, njonga |
N and E Ke, NE Tz |
| Grant’s gazelle |
swala granti |
|
| Thomson's gazelle |
swala tomi |
|
| Primates–
monkeys etc |
| English |
Swahili |
Comments |
| Prosimians (primitive primates) |
| galago |
|
|
| Demidoff's galago |
|
Locally in NW Tz |
| greater galago, thick-tailed bushbaby |
komba ya miombo |
C and S Tz |
| Senegal galago, lesser galago, lesser bushbaby |
komba ya senegal |
Ke and N Tz |
| silver galago |
komba ya kavirondo |
Lake Victoria |
| spectacled galago, eastern needle-clawed bushbaby |
komba miwani |
|
| potto |
|
|
| potto |
kami |
W Ke |
| Mangabeys |
| Highland mangabey, kipunji |
|
Locally in S Tz |
| Tana mangabey |
|
Ke |
| Guenons and allies |
| blue monkey, Stuhlman's blue monkey |
kima |
|
| de Brazza's monkey, Brazza monkey |
kalasinga |
Mt Elgon in Ke |
| patas monkey |
|
Ke and Serengeti in Tz |
| red-tailed monkey, black-cheeked white-nosed monkey |
|
W Ke |
| Syke's monkey |
kima |
|
| vervet monkey, black-faced vervet monkey, savannah monkey |
tumbili |
|
| Baboons |
| olive baboon |
nyani |
N Tz and SW Ke |
| yellow baboon |
nyani |
Where olive baboon is not present |
| Colobid monkeys |
| pied colobus, black-and-white colobus |
|
|
| Angola pied colobus, Angola black-and-white colobus |
mbega |
Coast |
| guereza colobus, eastern black-and white colobus, Abyssinian black-and-white colobus |
mbega |
Highlands and W Ke |
| red colobus |
|
|
| Tana river red colobus |
|
Tana River in Ke |
| Zanzibar red colobus |
|
Zanzibar |
| Chimpanzees |
| chimpanzee |
sokwe mtu |
Lake Tanganyika in W Tz |
| Insectivores |
| English |
Swahili |
Comments |
| elephant shrew |
sengi |
|
| four-toed hedgehog |
|
|
| golden mole |
|
|
| otter shrew |
|
Locally north of Lake Victoria in Ke |
| shrew |
|
|
| Rodents
etc |
| English |
Swahili |
Comments |
| Squirrels |
| bush squirrel |
|
|
| flying squirrel, anomalure, flying mouse |
|
|
| giant squirrel |
|
|
| ground squirrel |
|
|
| sun squirrel |
|
|
| Hares & rabbits |
| Cape hare, African hare |
sungura |
|
| scrub hare, savanna hare |
|
|
| Smith's red rock hare |
sungura ya mawe |
SW Ke, N and C Tz |
| Uganda grass-hare, bunyoro rabbit |
sungura ya bunyoro |
NW Ke |
| spring hare |
kamendegere |
|
| Porcupines |
| brush-tailed porcupine |
njiko |
W Ke, C Tz |
| crested porcupine, northern African crested porcupine |
nnungu |
|
| South African porcupine |
nnungu |
Tz and NW Ke |
| Rats, mice etc |
| blesmol |
|
|
| cane-rat |
|
|
| climbing mouse |
|
|
| common mouse |
|
|
| creek rat |
|
|
| crested rat, maned rat |
|
Ke |
| dormouse |
|
|
| fat mouse |
|
Tz, S Ke and W Ke |
| four-striped grass mouse |
|
Highlands in C Ke, S Ke and N Tz |
| gerbil |
|
Mainly N Ke |
| groove-toothed rat |
|
SE and W Ke, E and S Tz |
| multimammate rat |
|
|
| pectinator |
|
N Ke |
| pouched rat |
|
|
| root-rat |
|
W and C Ke, W Tz |
| sand-puppy, naked mole-rat |
|
NE Ke |
| shaggy swamp rat, marsh rat, water rat |
|
|
| soft-furred rat |
|
|
| spiny mouse |
|
|
| unstriped grass rat |
|
|
| zebra mouse, striped grass mouse |
|
|
| Bats |
| English |
Swahili |
Comments |
| butterfly bat |
|
|
| fruit bat |
|
|
| horseshoe bat |
|
|
| house bat |
|
|
| leaf-nosed bat |
|
|
| mouse-tailed bat |
|
N Ke |
| slit-faced bat |
|
|
| tomb bat |
|
|
| yellow-winged bat |
|
|
|
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|
Sources
The list above is based on knowledge and several sources, of which the most important
one is The Kingdon field guide to African
Mammals by Jonathan Kingdon, the best modern book on African mammals; if you
are seriously interested in mammal wildlife you should bring a copy on your safari.
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