Karibu Tanzania

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Field guide

The wildlife of Tanzania

From the Big Five of the Serengeti to whale sharks off Mafia and monkeys found nowhere else on Earth. Find out what lives here, where to see it and when.

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Species profiled

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Places to see them

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Found only here

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Showing 30 species

African Lion
Big Five
VU

Big cats

African Lion

Panthera leo

The largest social cat, living in prides and ruling the Serengeti plains.

Serengeti, Ngorongoro Conservation Area +7 more

Leopard
Big Five
VU

Big cats

Leopard

Panthera pardus

A solitary, powerful climber that hides its kills in trees.

Serengeti, Ngorongoro Conservation Area +7 more

African Elephant
Big Five
EN

Elephants

African Elephant

Loxodonta africana

The largest land animal on Earth, living in family herds led by a matriarch.

Tarangire, Nyerere +7 more

African Buffalo
Big Five
NT

Bovids

African Buffalo

Syncerus caffer

A heavy, dangerous grazer that lives in herds of hundreds.

Serengeti, Ngorongoro Conservation Area +7 more

Masai Giraffe
EN

Ungulates

Masai Giraffe

Giraffa tippelskirchi

The tallest animal on Earth, and Tanzania's national animal.

Serengeti, Tarangire +7 more

LC

Antelopes

Blue Wildebeest

Connochaetes taurinus

The star of the Great Migration, with more than a million animals on the move.

Serengeti, Ngorongoro Conservation Area +2 more

Lilac-breasted Roller
LC

Rollers

Lilac-breasted Roller

Coracias caudatus

A brilliant, multicoloured bird that perches on bushes along the roadside.

Serengeti, Tarangire +5 more

Lesser Flamingo
NT

Waterbirds

Lesser Flamingo

Phoeniconaias minor

Pink flocks that turn East African soda lakes into a moving carpet.

Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Lake Manyara +2 more

Nile Crocodile
LC

Crocodilians

Nile Crocodile

Crocodylus niloticus

A huge ambush predator that waits at the river crossing.

Serengeti, Saadani +4 more

African Baobab
NE

Trees

African Baobab

Adansonia digitata

The upside-down tree, and the skyline of Tarangire.

Tarangire, Lake Eyasi +2 more

Umbrella Thorn Acacia
LC

Trees

Umbrella Thorn Acacia

Vachellia tortilis

The flat-topped tree that defines the African savannah.

Serengeti, Tarangire +3 more

Spotted Hyena
LC

Carnivores

Spotted Hyena

Crocuta crocuta

A clever, powerful clan hunter with a famous laugh-like call.

Serengeti, Ngorongoro Conservation Area +5 more

Plains Zebra
NT

Ungulates

Plains Zebra

Equus quagga

A striped grazer that leads the Great Migration alongside wildebeest.

Serengeti, Ngorongoro Conservation Area +6 more

Hippopotamus
VU

Ungulates

Hippopotamus

Hippopotamus amphibius

A huge, semi-aquatic grazer that spends the day in water and feeds at night.

Serengeti, Ngorongoro Conservation Area +6 more

Impala
LC

Antelopes

Impala

Aepyceros melampus

A graceful antelope, common in herds, known for high jumps.

Serengeti, Tarangire +5 more

Waterbuck
LC

Antelopes

Waterbuck

Kobus ellipsiprymnus

A shaggy antelope with a white ring on its rump, never far from water.

Tarangire, Lake Manyara +3 more

Common Warthog
LC

Ungulates

Common Warthog

Phacochoerus africanus

A tusked, bristly grazer that trots away with its tail straight up.

Serengeti, Ngorongoro Conservation Area +6 more

Black-backed Jackal
LC

Carnivores

Black-backed Jackal

Lupulella mesomelas

A clever, opportunistic scavenger and hunter, often in pairs.

Serengeti, Ngorongoro Conservation Area +4 more

Kirk's Dik-dik
LC

Antelopes

Kirk's Dik-dik

Madoqua kirkii

A tiny antelope, no bigger than a hare, that lives in pairs.

Tarangire, Lake Manyara +3 more

LC

Primates

Olive Baboon

Papio anubis

A big, bold monkey that lives in large troops and eats almost anything.

Lake Manyara, Mikumi +5 more

Vervet Monkey
LC

Primates

Vervet Monkey

Chlorocebus pygerythrus

A small grey monkey with a black face and sky-blue skin.

Tarangire, Lake Manyara +4 more

Blue Monkey
LC

Primates

Blue Monkey

Cercopithecus mitis

A dark, forest-dwelling monkey that eats fruit high in the canopy.

Arusha, Lake Manyara +4 more

Thick-tailed Bushbaby
LC

Primates

Thick-tailed Bushbaby

Otolemur crassicaudatus

A big-eyed nocturnal primate whose call sounds like a crying baby.

Lake Manyara, Arusha +3 more

African Fish Eagle
LC

Raptors

African Fish Eagle

Haliaeetus vocifer

A white-headed eagle whose ringing call is the sound of the African waterway.

Nyerere, Serengeti +5 more

Yellow-collared Lovebird
Endemic
LC

Parrots

Yellow-collared Lovebird

Agapornis personatus

A little green parrot with a black hood and yellow collar, endemic to Tanzania.

Tarangire, Ngorongoro Conservation Area +1 more

Von der Decken's Hornbill
LC

Hornbills

Von der Decken's Hornbill

Tockus deckeni

A hornbill with a red and black bill, common at safari lodges.

Tarangire, Ngorongoro Conservation Area +2 more

Superb Starling
LC

Starlings

Superb Starling

Lamprotornis superbus

A glossy blue-green bird with a chestnut belly, common around camps.

Serengeti, Ngorongoro Conservation Area +3 more

Marabou Stork
LC

Waterbirds

Marabou Stork

Leptoptilos crumenifer

A huge, bare-headed stork that scavenges alongside vultures.

Serengeti, Ngorongoro Conservation Area +3 more

Nile Monitor
LC

Lizards

Nile Monitor

Varanus niloticus

A large, strong-swimming lizard often seen beside water.

Serengeti, Lake Manyara +4 more

Fever Tree
LC

Trees

Fever Tree

Vachellia xanthophloea

A tree with glowing yellow-green bark, found near water.

Lake Manyara, Serengeti +2 more

Conservation categories follow the IUCN Red List and can change as new assessments are published. Where and when you see a species depends on the season, the weather and luck: wildlife is wild, and we never promise a sighting.

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