List of popular African wild animals is quite long and full of some of the uncommon but needed details about fauna in Africa. It cannot be denied all over the black-colored terrains of Africa that the continent is bountifully endowed with an varied array of wild animals. Africa is home to many of the world’s most famous fauna in human culture such as lions‚ rhinos‚ cheetahs‚ giraffes‚ antelope, hippos, leopards, zebras‚ and African elephants among many others.
There are some of wild animals that are very well known in Africa but which may not be that known to the rest of the world except for those who have taken time out to read about them or have visited Africa based on tourism and for any other reasons.
List of Popular African Wild Animals.
Africa is respected for its wild life and beautiful tourist attractions; even Dubai and every other places in the world had attempted to establish an artificial forest where the list of popular African wild animals can be seen kept for the many tourists that may love to visit and take view of them. Here therefore are the said list of those wild animals you need to know about:
1. Giraffe
Giraffe is one of the list of popular African wild animals that anyone may care to know about. It is undoubtedly true that giraffe are almost everywhere in Africa. Most giraffes live in grasslands and open woodlands in East Africa, especially in reserves such as the Serengeti National Park and the Amboseli National Park. Some are also found in the reserves of Southern Africa. The South African giraffe or Cape giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa) is a subspecies of giraffe ranging from South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique.
2. Rhinoceros
At the beginning of the 20th century, 500,000 rhinos roamed Africa and Asia. By 1970, rhino numbers dropped to 70,000, and today, around 27,000 rhinos remain in the wild. Very few rhinos survive outside national parks and reserves due to persistent poaching and habitat loss over many decades. However, the African rhino is divided into two species, the black rhino and the white rhino. White rhinos mainly live in South Africa, but they have also been reintroduced to Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe. Southern white rhinos have been introduced to Kenya, Zambia, and Cote d’Ivoire. Rhinoceros is among the list of popular African wild animals and so it will continue.
3. Nyala
The lowland Nyala or simply nyala (Tragelaphus angasii), is a spiral-horned antelope native to southern Africa (not to be confused with the endangered Mountain nyala living in the Bale region of Ethiopia). It is a species of the family Bovidae and genus Nyala, also considered to be in the genus Tragelaphus. The name Nyala is girl’s name of African origin meaning “mountain goat”. Nyala is a secret nature name with a fashionable animal meaning. It should be listed among the list of popular African wild animals.
4. Leopard
This also is one of the long list of popular wild animals in the forest. Leopards are even more than popular given the notoriety of their ferocious nature among other animals that are wild. They occur in a wide range of habitats; from deserts and semi-desert regions of southern Africa, to arid regions of North Africa, to savanna grasslands of East and southern Africa, to mountainous environments on Mt. Kenya, to the rainforests of West and Central Africa.
5. Hippopotamus
Only two categories of hippo species are found in Africa. The common hippo (also known as the large hippo) is found in East Africa, occurs south of the Sahara. The other much smaller species of hippo is the pygmy hippopotamus. Limited to very restricted ranges in West Africa, it is a shy, solitary forest dweller, and is now endangered. It is also considered to be in the list of popular African wild animals.
6. Bongo
Bongos are characterized by a striking reddish-brown coat, black and white markings, white-yellow stripes and long slightly spiralled horns. These African Forest Bongos are herbivorous mammals belonging to the Bovidae family. This beautiful African antelope is the most colorful on the continent. They are only found in rainforests with dense undergrowth across tropical Africa. Specifically, they are found in the lowland rainforests of West Africa and the Congo Basin to the Central African Republic and southern Sudan.
7. Wildebeest
Wildebeest is also called gnus. This type of wild animal belongs to the antelope family. They are related to oryxes and gazelles. A wildebeest can grow to 2.4 meters (8 feet) in length, and weigh up to 270 kilograms (600 pounds). Wildebeest typically inhabit the Serengeti plains of southeastern Africa. Wildebeest can also be found in the plains and acacia savannas of Eastern Africa.
It is recorded that over 1.2 million wildebeest and 300,000 zebra along with topi and other gazelle move in a constant cycle through the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem in search of nutritious grass and water.
8. Lion
Undoubtedly, it remains the fact that nearly all wild lions live in Africa, but one small population exists elsewhere. In the wild, there are two formally recognized lion subspecies. The African lion (Panthera leo leo) is found in Africa, south of the Sahara desert. Lions typically live in Africa and Asia, although there is evidence they once lived in North America and Europe. Lions prefer to live in open grasslands and savannahs, but they can also be found in forests and deserts.
Sadly, African lions are endangered due to habitat loss, trophy hunting, and conflict with humans. Lions are certainly deserving a place in the list of popular African wild animals.
9. African Wild Dog
African wild dog is a picture of its name and to be among the list of popular African wild animals. As the largest subpopulation probably comprises fewer than 250 individuals, the African wild dog has been listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List since 1990. Once nearly 500,000 wild dogs roamed Africa, however now there is only an estimated 3,000 to 5,000.
The African wild dog is known by many names, including Cape hunting dog or painted dog. Its scientific name, Lycaon pictus, means “painted wolf,” referring to the animal’s irregular, mottled coat, which features patches of red, black, brown, white, and yellow fur.
10. Elephant
Apart from the truth that elephants are the largest animals in the world, they are also listed to be in the list of popular African wild animals because Africa has its own types of elephants. There are two species of African elephants. These are the savanna elephant and the forest elephant. Savanna elephants are larger than forest elephants, and their tusks curve outwards. In addition to being smaller, forest elephants are darker and their tusks are straighter and point downward. African elephants are popularly called Loxodonta africana.
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