Karibu Tanzania

Skip to content
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.

0

Species profiled

0

Places to see them

0

Found only here

Reset

Showing 13 species

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

Common Ostrich (Masai Ostrich)
LC

Flightless birds

Common Ostrich (Masai Ostrich)

Struthio camelus massaicus

The largest and fastest-running bird on Earth.

Serengeti, Tarangire +3 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

Plains Zebra
NT

Ungulates

Plains Zebra

Equus quagga

A striped grazer that leads the Great Migration alongside wildebeest.

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

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

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

Black-and-white Colobus
LC

Primates

Black-and-white Colobus

Colobus guereza

A striking black monkey with a flowing white cape and tail.

Arusha, Mount Kilimanjaro +3 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

Grey Crowned Crane
EN

Waterbirds

Grey Crowned Crane

Balearica regulorum

A regal, golden-crested crane that dances in the grassland.

Ngorongoro Conservation Area, 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.

Start Planning

Want to see them in the wild?

Tell us which animals are on your wish list and we will design a trip that puts you in the right place at the right time.

Prefer to talk? Call +255 764 103 857

Plan my trip