Review Of Some Of The Most Famous African Animals

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They are one of the continent’s greatest assets, an attraction to tourists the world around and a delight to photographers and nature enthusiasts alike. If Africa is known for anything, it is known for the sheer diversity and grandiosity of its wildlife above all else. Here, we are going to look at some of the continent’s most famous animals, the significance they have built up over the years, and why they make thrilling subjects not just to photograph, but to study and learn about as well.

The second largest land mammal in the world (the first will come a little later). There are two species of rhino, black and white, that live in Africa. Besides their immense size and impressive horn, they are best known for their cantankerous nature.

The “king of the jungle”, lions do not, in fact, tend to live in jungles very often. Rather, these majestic big cats are the kings and queens of the vast savannahs. A true apex predator, lions have no predators of their own and represent a threat to the vast majority of other creatures they share a habitat with.

One of the more outlandish of the African mammals, giraffes have been part of human history for millennia. Some folk tales including those from East Africa speculate as to how the giraffe got such a long neck, including one tale about eating one too many magic herbs. Indeed, giraffes spend a great deal of their life eating.

Contrary to the pack life led by lions, the second largest cats in the world, the sleeker, spotted leopard lives a much more solitary life. Incredibly fast and stealthy felines, they are some of the smartest hunters on the continent.

If there’s a large body of water in Africa, there are likely to be hippos. Hence how they got their names from the Greeks, with “hippopotamus” meaning “water horse”. They are much bigger than horses, of course, making the third largest land mammal in the world.

The African elephant is the animal that draws the most attention, from tourists, photographers, and conservationists alike. They are the single biggest land mammal in the animal kingdom, measuring up to 3.3 meters tall up to their shoulders.

Though perhaps not as majestic as the elephant or rhino or as fierce as the lion or cheetah, the antelope still attracts a lot of attention from visitors. There are 91 species of antelope, most living in Africa, throughout its savannahs, woodlands, and deserts. Unlike deer and other horned animals, antelopes keep their antlers throughout their lifetime.

Much more about this you can read in my blog post.

Anette Mossbacher
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