The fauna of Africa are all the

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Biology, biological Kingdom (biology), kingdom Animalia (). With few exceptions, animals heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, ...

s living in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

and its surrounding seas and islands. The more characteristic African fauna are found in the Afro-tropical realm. Lying almost entirely within the

tropics The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

, and stretching equally north and south of the equator creates favorable conditions for variety and abundance of wildlife. Africa is home to many of the world's most recognizable fauna such as

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...

s‚

rhinoceros A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...

es‚

cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large Felidae, cat and the Fastest animals, fastest land animal. It has a tawny to creamy white or pale buff fur that is marked with evenly spaced, solid black spots. The head is small and rounded, wit ...

s‚

giraffe The giraffe is a large Fauna of Africa, African even-toed ungulate, hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa.'' It is the Largest mammals#Even-toed Ungulates (Artiodactyla), tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on ...

s‚

antelope The term antelope refers to numerous extant or recently extinct species of the ruminant artiodactyl family Bovidae that are indigenous to most of Africa, India, the Middle East, Central Asia, and a small area of Eastern Europe. Antelopes do ...

hippopotamus The hippopotamus (''Hippopotamus amphibius;'' ; : hippopotamuses), often shortened to hippo (: hippos), further qualified as the common hippopotamus, Nile hippopotamus and river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Sahar ...

es,

leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant cat species in the genus ''Panthera''. It has a pale yellowish to dark golden fur with dark spots grouped in rosettes. Its body is slender and muscular reaching a length of with a ...

zebra Zebras (, ) (subgenus ''Hippotigris'') are African equines with distinctive black-and-white striped coats. There are three living species: Grévy's zebra (''Equus grevyi''), the plains zebra (''E. quagga''), and the mountain zebra (''E. ...

s‚ and

elephant Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant ('' Elephas maximus ...

s, among many others.

Origins and history of African fauna

Whereas the earliest traces of life in fossil record of Africa date back to the earliest times, the formation of African fauna as we know it today, began with the splitting up of the

Gondwana Gondwana ( ; ) was a large landmass, sometimes referred to as a supercontinent. The remnants of Gondwana make up around two-thirds of today's continental area, including South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia (continent), Australia, Zea ...

supercontinent in the mid-

Mesozoic era The Mesozoic Era is the era of Earth's geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods. It is characterized by the dominance of archosaurian reptiles such as the dinosaurs, and of gymnosperms s ...

After that, four to six faunal assemblages, the so-called African Faunal Strata (AFSs) can be distinguished. The isolation of Africa was broken intermittently by discontinuous "filter routes" that linked it to some other Gondwanan continents (

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

, and perhaps

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

), but mainly to

Laurasia Laurasia () was the more northern of two large landmasses that formed part of the Pangaea supercontinent from around ( Mya), the other being Gondwana. It separated from Gondwana (beginning in the late Triassic period) during the breakup of Pa ...

. Interchanges with Gondwana were rare and mainly "out-of-Africa" dispersals, whereas interchanges with Laurasia were numerous and bidirectional, although mainly from Laurasia to Africa. Despite these connections, isolation resulted in remarkable absences, poor diversity, and emergence of endemic taxa in Africa. Madagascar separated from continental Africa during the break-up of Gondwanaland early in the

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...

, but was probably connected to the mainland again in the

Eocene The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...

. The first Neogene faunal interchange took place in the Middle Miocene (the introduction of Myocricetodontinae,

Democricetodontinae The Democricetodontinae are a subfamily of fossil rodents from Miocene epoch. The Democricetodontini were named as a paraphyletic taxon within the Cricetidae by Lindsay in 1987. It was reranked as a subfamily by Theocharopoulos in 2000. See al ...

, and

Dendromurinae Dendromurinae is a subfamily of rodents in the family Nesomyidae and superfamily Muroidea. The dendromurines are currently restricted to Africa, as is the case for all extant members of the family Nesomyidae. The authorship of the subfamily has ...

). A major terrestrial faunal exchange between North Africa and Europe began at about 6.1 Ma, some 0.4 Myr before the beginning of the

Messinian salinity crisis In the Messinian salinity crisis (also referred to as the Messinian event, and in its latest stage as the Lago Mare event) the Mediterranean Sea went into a cycle of partial or nearly complete desiccation (drying-up) throughout the latter part of ...

(for example introduction of

Murinae The Old World rats and mice, part of the subfamily Murinae in the family Muridae, comprise at least 519 species. Members of this subfamily are called murines. In terms of species richness, this subfamily is larger than all mammal families excep ...

, immigrants from southern

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

) During the early

Tertiary Tertiary (from Latin, meaning 'third' or 'of the third degree/order..') may refer to: * Tertiary period, an obsolete geologic period spanning from 66 to 2.6 million years ago * Tertiary (chemistry), a term describing bonding patterns in organic ch ...

, Africa was covered by a vast evergreen forest inhabited by an endemic forest fauna with many types common to southern Asia. In the

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58steppe In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without closed forests except near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the tropical and subtropica ...

fauna into Africa. At the beginning of the

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...

a moist period set in and much of the forest was renewed while the grassland fauna was divided and isolated, as the forest fauna had previously been. The present forest fauna is therefore of double origin, partly descended of the endemic fauna and partly from steppe forms that adapted themselves to forest life, while the present savanna fauna is similarly explained. The isolation in past times has resulted in the presence of closely related subspecies in widely separated regions Africa, where humans originated, shows much less evidence of loss in the

Pleistocene megafauna The Late Pleistocene to the beginning of the Holocene saw the extinction of the majority of the world's megafauna, typically defined as animal species having body masses over , which resulted in a collapse in faunal density and diversity acro ...

l extinction, perhaps because

co-evolution In biology, coevolution occurs when two or more species reciprocally affect each other's evolution through the process of natural selection. The term sometimes is used for two traits in the same species affecting each other's evolution, as well a ...

of large animals alongside early humans provided enough time for them to develop effective defenses. Its situation in the tropics spared it also from Pleistocene

glaciations A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate betw ...

and the climate has not changed much.

Invertebrates

There are large gaps in human knowledge about African invertebrates. East Africa has a rich coral fauna with about 400 known species. More than 400 species of

Echinoderms An echinoderm () is any animal of the phylum Echinodermata (), which includes starfish, brittle stars, sea urchins, sand dollars and sea cucumbers, as well as the sessile sea lilies or "stone lilies". While bilaterally symmetrical as larv ...

and 500 species of

Bryozoa Bryozoa (also known as the Polyzoa, Ectoprocta or commonly as moss animals) are a phylum of simple, aquatic animal, aquatic invertebrate animals, nearly all living in sedentary Colony (biology), colonies. Typically about long, they have a spe ...

live there too, as well as one

Cubozoa Box jellyfish (class Cubozoa) are cnidarian invertebrates distinguished by their box-like (i.e., cube-shaped) body. Some species of box jellyfish produce potent venom (poison), venom delivered by contact with their tentacles. Stings from some spec ...

n species (''

Carybdea alata ''Alatina alata'' (Reynaud, 1830), often called a sea wasp, is a species of box jellyfish found in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans and in the Caribbean and Arabian Sea. Ecology ''Alatina alata'' is mostly observed in shallow near shor ...

''). Of

nematode The nematodes ( or ; ; ), roundworms or eelworms constitute the phylum Nematoda. Species in the phylum inhabit a broad range of environments. Most species are free-living, feeding on microorganisms, but many are parasitic. Parasitic worms (h ...

s, the ''

Onchocerca volvulus ''Onchocerca volvulus'' is a filarial (arthropod-borne) nematode (roundworm) that causes onchocerciasis (river blindness), and is the second-leading cause of blindness due to infection worldwide after trachoma. It is one of the 20 neglected tro ...

'', ''

Necator americanus ''Necator americanus'' is a species of hookworm (a type of helminth) commonly known as the New World hookworm. Like other hookworms, it is a member of the phylum Nematoda. It is an obligatory parasitic nematode that lives in the small intestin ...

'', ''

Wuchereria bancrofti ''Wuchereria bancrofti'' is a filarial (arthropod-borne) nematode (roundworm) that is the major cause of lymphatic filariasis. It is one of the three parasitic worms, together with ''Brugia malayi'' and '' B. timori'', that infect the lymphati ...

'' and ''

Dracunculus medinensis ''Dracunculus medinensis'' (Guinea worm, dragon worm, fiery serpent) is a nematode that causes dracunculiasis, also known as Guinea worm disease. The disease is caused by the female which, at around in length, is among the longest nematodes ...

'' are human parasites. Some of important plant-parasitic nematodes of crops include ''

Meloidogyne Root-knot nematodes are plant-parasitic nematodes from the genus ''Meloidogyne''. They exist in soil in areas with hot climates or short winters. About 2000 species of plants worldwide are susceptible to infection by root-knot nematodes and they ...

'', ''

Pratylenchus ''Pratylenchus'' is a genus of nematodes known commonly as lesion nematodes.Crow, W. TAmaryllis lesion nematode, ''Pratylenchus hippeastri''.EENY-546. University of Florida IFAS. 2012. They are parasitism, parasitic on plants and are responsible ...

'', '' Hirschmanniella'', ''

Radopholus ''Radopholus'' is a genus of nematodes belonging to the family Pratylenchidae. The genus has almost cosmopolitan distribution. Species: *''Radopholus arabocoffeae ''Radopholus arabocoffeae'' is a nematode in the genus '' Radopholus''. It i ...

'', '' Scutellonema'' and ''

Helicotylenchus ''Helicotylenchus'' is a genus of nematodes in the family Hoplolaimidae. They are known generally as spiral nematodes.O'Bannon, J. H. and R. N. Inserra''Helicotylenchus'' species as crop damaging parasitic nematodes.Nematology Circular 165. Flor ...

''. Of the few

Onychophora Onychophora (from , , "claws"; and , , "to carry"), commonly known as velvet worms (for their velvety texture and somewhat wormlike appearance) or more ambiguously as peripatus (after the first described genus, ''Peripatus''), is a phylum of el ...

ns, ''

Peripatopsis ''Peripatopsis'' is a genus of velvet worms in the Peripatopsidae family. These velvet worms are found in the KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. This genus was proposed by the British zoologist Reginald I. ...

'' and ''

Opisthopatus ''Opisthopatus'' is a genus of South African velvet worms in the family Peripatopsidae. Velvet worms in this genus are found in South Africa, in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and Mpumalanga provinces, as well as in Lesotho and Eswatini. This ...

'' live in Africa. Greatest diversity of freshwater mollusks is found in East African lakes. Of marine snails, less diversity is present in Atlantic coast, more in tropical Western Indian Ocean region (over 3000 species of gastropods with 81 endemic species).

Cowry Cowrie or cowry () is the common name for a group of small to large sea snails in the family Cypraeidae. Cowrie shells have held cultural, economic, and ornamental significance in various cultures. The cowrie was the shell most widely used wo ...

shells have been used as a money by native Africans. The

land snail A land snail is any of the numerous species of snail that live on land, as opposed to the sea snails and freshwater snails. ''Land snail'' is the common name for terrestrial molluscs, terrestrial gastropod mollusks that have gastropod shell, shel ...

fauna is especially rich in

Afromontane The Afromontane regions are subregions of the Afrotropical realm, one of the Earth's eight biogeographic realms, covering the plant and animal species found in the mountains of Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula. The Afromontane regions o ...

regions, and there are some endemic families in Africa (e.g.

Achatinidae Achatinidae (New Latin, from Greek "''agate''") is a family of medium to large sized tropical land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks from Africa. Well known species include '' Achatina achatina'' the Giant African Snail, and '' L ...

Chlamydephoridae ''Chlamydephorus'' is a genus of air-breathing land slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Chlamydephoridae. It is the only genus within the family Chlamydephoridae.Herbert D. G. (1997). "The terrestrial slugs of KwaZul ...

) but other tropical families are common too (

Charopidae Charopidae is a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic family (biology), family of small air-breathing land snails (and semi-slugs such as ''Otoconcha dimidiata''), terrestrial molluscs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Punctoi ...

Streptaxidae Streptaxidae is a family of carnivorous air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the clade Stylommatophora. Streptaxidae are monophyletic while all subfamilies and several genera are polyphyletic. Six Streptaxi ...

Cyclophoridae Cyclophoridae is a taxonomic family of small to large tropical land snails with an operculum, terrestrial gastropod mollusks in the order Architaenioglossa belonging to the subclass Caenogastropoda (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropod ...

, Subulinidae,

Rhytididae Rhytididae is a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic family (biology), family of medium-sized predatory air-breathing land snails, carnivorous terrestrial molluscs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod Mollusca, molluscs in the superfamily Rhytidoidea.Mollus ...

). 156 tardigrade species have been found, and about 8000 species of

arachnid Arachnids are arthropods in the Class (biology), class Arachnida () of the subphylum Chelicerata. Arachnida includes, among others, spiders, scorpions, ticks, mites, pseudoscorpions, opiliones, harvestmen, Solifugae, camel spiders, Amblypygi, wh ...

s. The African millipede ''

Archispirostreptus gigas ''Archispirostreptus gigas'', known as the giant African millipede, shongololo or Bongololo, is the largest extant species of millipede, growing up to in length, in circumference. It has approximately 256 legs, although the number of legs chang ...

'' is one of the largest in the world. 20 genera of

freshwater crab Around 1,300 species of freshwater crabs are distributed throughout the tropics and subtropics, divided among eight family (biology), families. They show direct development and maternal care of a small number of offspring, in contrast to marine c ...

s are present. The soil animal communities tropical Africa are poorly known. A few ecological studies have been undertaken on macrofauna, mainly in West Africa. Earthworms are being extensively studied in West and South Africa.

Insects

Approximately 100,000 species of insects have been described from

Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lie south of the Sahara. These include Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the list of sovereign states and ...

, but there are very few overviews of the fauna as a whole (it has been estimated that the African insects make up about 10-20% of the global insect species richness, and about 15% of new species descriptions come from Afrotropics). The only endemic African insect order is

Mantophasmatodea Mantophasmatidae is a family of carnivorous wingless insects within the monotypic order Mantophasmatodea, which was discovered in Africa in 2001. Recent evidence indicates a sister group relationship with Grylloblattidae (classified in the orde ...

. About 875 African species of

dragonflies A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of dragonflies are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threate ...

have been recorded. The migratory locust and

desert locust The desert locust (''Schistocerca gregaria'') is a species of locust, a periodically swarming, short-horned grasshopper in the family Acrididae. They are found primarily in the deserts and dry areas of northern and eastern Africa, Arabia, and ...

have been serious threats to African economies and human welfare. Africa has the biggest number of

termite Termites are a group of detritivore, detritophagous Eusociality, eusocial cockroaches which consume a variety of Detritus, decaying plant material, generally in the form of wood, Plant litter, leaf litter, and Humus, soil humus. They are dist ...

genera of all continents, and over 1,000 termite species. Of

Diptera Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advance ...

, the number of described African species is about 17,000. Natalimyzidae, a new family of acalyptrate flies has been recently described from

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. ''

Anopheles gambiae The ''Anopheles gambiae'' complex consists of at least seven morphologically indistinguishable species of mosquitoes in the genus ''Anopheles''. The complex was recognised in the 1960s and includes the most important vectors of malaria in sub- ...

'', ''

Aedes aegypti ''Aedes aegypti'' ( or from Greek 'hateful' and from Latin, meaning 'of Egypt'), sometimes called the Egyptian mosquito, dengue mosquito or yellow fever mosquito, is a mosquito that spreads diseases like dengue fever, yellow fever, malar ...

'' and

tsetse fly Tsetse ( , or ) (sometimes spelled tzetze; also known as tik-tik flies) are large, biting flies that inhabit much of tropical Africa. Tsetse flies include all the species in the genus ''Glossina'', which are placed in their own family, Gloss ...

are important vectors of diseases. 1600 species of

bees Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamil ...

and 2000 species of

ant Ants are Eusociality, eusocial insects of the Family (biology), family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the Taxonomy (biology), order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from Vespoidea, vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cre ...

s among other

Hymenoptera Hymenoptera is a large order of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. Over 150,000 living species of Hymenoptera have been described, in addition to over 2,000 extinct ones. Many of the species are parasitic. Females typi ...

ns are known from Africa. There live also 3,607 species of

butterflies Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

, being the best known group of insects. The caterpillars of mopani moth are part of the South African cuisine. Among the numerous species of African

beetles Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...

are the famous sacred scarab, the centaurus beetle, manticora tiger beetles and enormous

Goliath beetles The Goliath beetles (named after the biblical giant Goliath) are any of the six species in the genus ''Goliathus''. Goliath beetles are among List of largest insects, the largest insects on Earth, if measured in terms of size, bulk and weight.Kar ...

Butterflies

Hotspots Hotspot, Hot Spot or Hot spot may refer to: Places * Hot Spot, Kentucky, a community in the United States Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Hot Spot (comics), a name for the DC Comics character Isaiah Crockett * Hot Spot (Tr ...

for butterflies include the

Congolian forests The Congolian rainforests ( French: ''Forêts tropicales congolaises'') are a broad belt of lowland tropical moist broadleaf forests which extend across the basin of the Congo River and its tributaries in Central Africa. Description The Congol ...

and the

Guinean forest-savanna mosaic Demographics of Guinea describes the condition and overview of Guinea's peoples. Demographic topics include basic education, health, and population statistics as well as identified racial and religious affiliations. Population According to t ...

. Some butterflies ('' Hamanumida daedalus'', ''

Precis PRECIS (Providing REgional Climates for Impacts Studies, pronounced pray-sea) is developed at the Hadley Centre at the UK Met Office, PRECIS is a regional climate modelling system designed to run on a Linux-based PC. PRECIS can be applied to any ...

'', ''

Eurema ''Eurema'' is a widespread genus of grass yellow butterfly, butterflies in the family Pieridae. Species range from Asia, Africa, Australia, and Oceania, to the New World. The type species is the North American barred yellow (''Eurema daira' ...

'') are grassland or savannah specialists. Many of these have very large populations and a vast range.

has one of the highest proportions of Lycaenid butterflies (48%) for any region in the world with many species restricted in range. North Africa is in the

Palaearctic region The Palearctic or Palaearctic is a biogeographic realm of the Earth, the largest of eight. Confined almost entirely to the Eastern Hemisphere, it stretches across Europe and Asia, north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. The ...

and has a different species assemblage.

Genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...

which are species rich in Africa include ''

Charaxes The rajah and pasha butterflies, also known as emperors in Africa and Australia, (genus ''Charaxes'') make up the huge type genus of the Nymphalidae, brush-footed butterfly subfamily Charaxinae, or leafwing butterflies. They belong to the tribe ...

'', ''

Acraea Acraea (Ancient Greek: means 'of the heights' from ''akraios'') was a name that had several uses in Greek and Roman mythology. * Acraea, the naiad daughter of the river-god Asterion near Mycenae, who together with her sisters Euboea and Prosy ...

'', ''

Colotis ''Colotis'', called orange tips or Arabs, is a genus of butterfly, butterflies of the subfamily Pierinae found mainly in Africa and south-western Asia. The larvae of all ''Colotis'' species specialize on plants in the family Capparaceae. Spe ...

'' and ''

Papilio ''Papilio'' is a genus in the swallowtail butterfly family, Papilionidae, as well as the only representative of the tribe Papilionini. The word ''papilio'' is Latin for butterfly. It includes the common yellow swallowtail ('' Papilio machaon'') ...

'', most notably ''

Papilio antimachus ''Papilio antimachus'', the African giant swallowtail, is a butterfly in the family Papilionidae. With a wingspan between , it is the largest butterfly in Africa and among the largest butterflies in the world. The shape of the wings differ betwee ...

'' and '' Papilio zalmoxis''. The tribe Liptenini is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to the

Afrotropics The Afrotropical realm is one of the Earth's eight biogeographic realms. It includes Sub-Saharan Africa, the southern Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, and the islands of the western Indian Ocean. It was formerly known as the Ethiopi ...

and includes species rich genera such as ''

Ornipholidotos ''Ornipholidotos'' is a genus of butterflies, commonly called glasswings or white mimics, in the family Lycaenidae. The species of this genus are Endemic species, endemic to the Afrotropical realm. Species * ''Ornipholidotos abriana'' Libert, 2 ...

'', '' Liptenara'', ''

Pentila ''Pentila'' is a genus of butterflies, commonly called pentilas or buffs, in the family Lycaenidae. The species of this genus are endemic to the Afrotropics. For other butterflies called buffs, see genus ''Baliochila ''Baliochila'' is a genus o ...

'', ''

Baliochila ''Baliochila'' is a genus of butterflies, commonly called buffs, in the family Lycaenidae. They are found only in the Afrotropical realm The Afrotropical realm is one of the Earth's eight biogeographic realms. It includes Sub-Saharan Africa, ...

'', '' Hypophytala'', ''

Teriomima ''Teriomima'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Lycaenidae. ''Teriomima'' is Endemic species, endemic to the Afrotropical realm, Afrotropics. Species *Subgenus ''Teriomima'' **''Teriomima puella'' Kirby, 1887 **''Teriomima puellaris'' Tri ...

'', '' Deloneura'' and '' Mimacraea''. The

Miletinae Miletinae is a subfamily of the family Lycaenidae of butterflies, commonly called harvesters and woolly legs, and virtually unique among butterflies in having predatory larvae. Miletinae are entirely aphytophagous (do not feed on plants). The ec ...

are mostly African, notably ''

Lachnocnema ''Lachnocnema'', commonly called woolly legs, is a genus of butterflies in the family Lycaenidae found mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa. Identification requires dissection to reveal subtle genital distinctions. Species Listed alphabetically within s ...

''. Other endemic lycaenids include the genus ''

Alaena ''Alaena'' is a genus of butterflies, commonly called Zulus, in the family Lycaenidae. They are endemic to the Afrotropics. Species Listed alphabetically:Euphaedra ''Euphaedra'' is a butterfly genus in the subfamily Limenitidinae. The species are confined to the Afrotropical realm mainly in the Guinean Forests of West Africa and the Congolian forests. Description ''Euphaedra'' are large and showy butterf ...

'', ''

Bebearia ''Bebearia'' is a genus of Nymphalidae, brush-footed butterflies. The species are confined to the Afrotropical realm, mainly in the Guinean Forests of West Africa and the Congolian forests. The genus ''Bebearia'' closely resembles the allied gen ...

'', '' Heteropsis'', ''

'', ''

Pseudacraea ''Pseudacraea'' is an Afrotropical butterfly genus in the subfamily Limenitidinae. Their placement in the tribe (biology), tribe Limenitidini remains to be verified. Some of these species are mimicry, mimics of Acraea (genus), Acraeinae and the ...

'', ''

Bicyclus ''Bicyclus'' is a butterfly genus from the subfamily Satyrinae in the family Nymphalidae. The species are found in the Afrotropical realm. Species *''Bicyclus abnormis'' (Dudgeon, 1909) *''Bicyclus albocincta'' (Rebel, 1914) *''Bicyclus alboplag ...

'' and ''

Euxanthe ''Euxanthe'' is a genus of butterflies in the subfamily Charaxinae. Species There are six species all found in Afrotropical forests. The popular name is forest queen. *Subgenus ''Euxanthe'' Hübner, 819/small> **'' Euxanthe crossleyi'' (Ward, ...

''. Endemic Pieridae include '' Pseudopontia paradoxa'' and '' Mylothris''. Endemic skippers include ''

Sarangesa ''Sarangesa'' is a genus of skippers in the family Hesperiidae. Most of the species in the genus are found in the Afrotropical realm, while a few are in the Indomalayan realm. Species *''Sarangesa astrigera'' Butler, 1893 *'' Sarangesa aza'' Ev ...

''and ''

Kedestes ''Kedestes'' is a genus of skippers in the family Hesperiidae, commonly known as rangers. The genus is restricted to the Afrotropical realm, where it occurs mostly in the East and South. The larvae of several species feed on grasses. It is thoug ...

''. The highest

species diversity Species diversity is the number of different species that are represented in a given community (a dataset). The effective number of species refers to the number of equally abundant species needed to obtain the same mean proportional species abundan ...

is in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

, home to 2,040 species 181 of which are endemic.

Fish

Africa is the richest continent of

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. The term excludes seawater and brackish water, but it does include non-salty mi ...

fish, with about 3000 species. The East African Great Lakes (

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...

, and Tanganyika) are the center of biodiversity of many fish, especially

cichlid Cichlids () are a large, diverse, and widespread family of percomorph fish in the family Cichlidae, order Cichliformes. At least 1,760 species have been scientifically described, making it one of the largest vertebrate families, with on ...

s (they harbor more than two-thirds of the estimated 2000 species in the family). The West African coastal rivers region covers only a fraction of West Africa, but harbours 322 of West Africa's fish species, with 247 being restricted to this area and 129 being restricted to even smaller ranges. The central river's fauna comprises 194 fish species, with 119 endemics and only 33 restricted to small areas. The marine diversity is greatest near the Indian Ocean shore with about 2000 species. Characteristic to African fauna are

Perciformes Perciformes (), also called the Acanthopteri, is an order or superorder of ray-finned fish in the clade Percomorpha. ''Perciformes'' means " perch-like". Among the well-known members of this group are perches and darters ( Percidae), and als ...

(''

Lates ''Lates'' is a genus of freshwater and euryhaline lates perches belonging to the family Latidae. The genus, generic name is also used as a common name, lates, for many of the species. All species are predatory, and the Nile perch (''L. niloticus ...

'',

tilapia Tilapia ( ) is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the coelotilapine, coptodonine, heterotilapine, oreochromine, pelmatolapiine, and tilapiine tribes (formerly all were "Tilapiini"), with the economically mos ...

Dichistiidae ''Dichistius'' is a genus of centrarchiform ray-finned fishes, the galjoen fishes, native to the Atlantic coast of southern Africa (''D. capensis'') and the Indian Ocean coast of southern Africa (''D. multifasciatus''). Growing to lengths of (' ...

, Anabantidae,

Mudskipper Mudskippers are any of the 23 extant species of amphibious fish from the subfamily Oxudercinae of the goby family (biology), family Oxudercidae. They are known for their unusual body shapes, preferences for semiaquatic habitats, limited terrestria ...

s, ''

Parachanna ''Parachanna'' is a genus of snakehead (fish), snakeheads native to freshwater habitats in tropical Africa. Three recognized Extant taxon, extant (living) species are in this genus, but a phylogenetic study from 2017 indicates that a fourth, curr ...

'', ''

Acentrogobius ''Acentrogobius'' is a genus of gobies native to marine, fresh and brackish waters of the coasts of the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. ''Acentrogobius matsya'' is an otolith-based fossil species found in the Burdigalian (Miocene) Qu ...

'', '' Croilia'', ''

Glossogobius ''Glossogobius'' is a genus of gobies native to fresh, brackish and marine waters from Africa to the coasts of the western Pacific Ocean. They are found in Madagascar, South Africa, Japan, Thailand, Australia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, the Philippin ...

'', '' Hemichromis'', ''

Nanochromis ''Nanochromis'' is a genus of small cichlids endemic to the Congo River Basin in Central Africa. Species The genus '' Congochromis'' was split from ''Nanochromis'' in 2007. The following species remain in ''Nanochromis'': * '' Nanochromis conso ...

'', ''

Oligolepis ''Oligolepis'' is a genus of fish in the goby family Gobiidae, native to marine, fresh and brackish waters of the coastal areas of the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. Species There are currently 6 recognized species in this genus: * ...

'', ''

Oreochromis ''Oreochromis'' is a large genus of oreochromine cichlids, fishes endemic to Africa and the Middle East. A few species from this genus have been introduced far outside their native range and are important in aquaculture. Many others have very ...

'', '' Redigobius'', ''

Sarotherodon ''Sarotherodon'' is a genus of oreochromine cichlids that are native to the northern half of Africa (south as far as the Congo River basin), with a single species, ''S. galilaeus'', also ranging into the Levant. A couple of species from this ge ...

'', '' Stenogobius'' and others),

Gonorhynchiformes The Gonorynchiformes are an order of ray-finned fish that includes the important food source, the milkfish (''Chanos chanos'', family Chanidae), and a number of lesser-known types, both marine and freshwater. The alternate spelling "Gonorhync ...

(

Kneriidae The Kneriidae are a small family of freshwater Gonorhynchiformes, gonorhynchiform fishes native to sub-Saharan Africa. The species in this family typically live in fast-flowing streams, often in highlands, and are small fish, no more than in le ...

Phractolaemidae The hingemouth (''Phractolaemus ansorgii'') is a small freshwater fish that is found only in west central Africa, the sole member of the family Phractolaemidae of the family Kneriidae. The mouth can extend like a small trunk, thus the name, and ...

), some

lungfishes Lungfish are freshwater vertebrates belonging to the class Dipnoi. Lungfish are best known for retaining ancestral characteristics within the Osteichthyes, including the ability to breathe air, and ancestral structures within Sarcopterygii, inc ...

(''

Protopterus ''Protopterus'' is the genus of four species of lungfish found in Africa. ''Protopterus'' is considered the sole genus in the family Protopteridae, which is grouped with '' Lepidosiren'' in the order Lepidosireniformes. Taxonomy The earlie ...

''), many

Characiformes Characiformes is an order of ray-finned fish, comprising the characins and their allies. Grouped in 18 recognized families, more than 2000 different species are described, including the well-known piranha and tetras.; Buckup P.A.: "Relationsh ...

(

Distichodontidae The Distichodontidae are a family of African freshwater fishes of the order Characiformes. Two evolutionary grades are found in this family; micropredators (predators of very small organisms like aquatic insect larvae) and herbivores have a nonp ...

Hepsetidae ''Hepsetus'' is a genus of freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the monotypic family Hepsetidae, the African pikes or African pike characins, in the order Characiformes. It was long believed that only a single widespread species existed, ''H ...

Citharinidae The Citharinidae, the lutefishes, are a small family of characiform fish. They are freshwater fish native to Africa, and are sufficiently abundant to be significant food fishes. They are deep-bodied, silvery fish, measuring up to in length an ...

Alestiidae African tetras (family (biology), family Alestidae, formerly spelled Alestiidae) are a group of Characiformes, characiform fish found exclusively in Africa. This family contains about 18 genera and 119 species. Among the best known members are th ...

Osteoglossiformes Osteoglossiformes , meaning "bony tongues" in Ancient Greek, is a relatively primitive order of ray-finned fish that contains two sub-orders, the Osteoglossoidei and the Notopteroidei. All of at least 245 living species inhabit freshwater. They ...

(

African knifefish The African knifefish, ''Gymnarchus niloticus'' – also called the ''aba aba'' – is an electric fish, living at the bottoms of rivers and lakes. It is the only species in the genus ''Gymnarchus'' and the family Gymnarchidae, within the or ...

, Gymnarchidae,

Mormyridae The Mormyridae, sometimes called "elephantfish" (more properly freshwater elephantfish), are a superfamily of weakly electric fish in the order Osteoglossiformes native to Africa. It is by far the largest family in the order, with around 200 sp ...

Pantodontidae Pantodontidae is a Family (biology), family of ray-finned fish in the order Osteoglossiformes. It contains the living freshwater butterflyfish (''Pantodon buchholzi'') of Africa, as well as several extinct marine species from the Late Cretaceous ...

Siluriformes Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Catfish are named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, though not all catfish have prominent barbels or "whis ...

(

Amphiliidae The loach catfishes are a family, Amphiliidae, of catfishes (order Siluriformes). They are widespread in tropical Africa, but are most common in streams at high elevations; most species are able to cling to rocks in fast-flowing streams. The 13 g ...

Anchariidae The Anchariidae are a family of catfishes containing two genera, '' Ancharius'' and '' Gogo'' with 6 species. Anchariids are a strictly freshwater group endemic to Madagascar. Anchariids are characterized by the presence of fringed barbels and a ...

Ariidae The Ariidae or ariid catfish are a family (taxonomy), family of catfish that mainly live in Marine (ocean), marine waters with many freshwater and brackish water species. They are found worldwide in tropical to warm temperate zones. The family i ...

Austroglanididae ''Austroglanis'' is the only genus in the catfish family Austroglanididae. This family was split off from the Bagridae catfish family. All three species of catfishes in the family Austroglanididae are endemic to southern Africa (South Africa and ...

, Clariidae,

Claroteidae The Claroteidae are a family of catfish (order Siluriformes) found in Africa. This family was separated from Bagridae. However, the monophyly of the family is sometimes contested. The 9 genera contain 65 known species of claroteids. The family ...

Malapteruridae Electric catfish or Malapteruridae is a family of catfishes (order Siluriformes). This family includes two genera, '' Malapterurus'' and '' Paradoxoglanis'', with 21 species. Several species of this family have the ability to generate electricit ...

Mochokidae The Mochokidae are a family of catfishes (order Siluriformes) that are known as the squeakers or known as upside-down catfish (although not all species swim upside-down). There are nine genera and about 200 species of mochokids. All the mochokid ...

Schilbeidae Schilbeidae is a family of catfishes native to Africa and Asia. These fish tend to swim in open water. Schilbid catfishes usually have dorsal fins with a short base and a spine, but '' Parailia'' lack a dorsal fin altogether. Most species also p ...

Osmeriformes The Osmeriformes are an order (biology), order of ray-finned fish that includes the true or freshwater smelts and allies, such as the noodlefishes; they are also collectively called osmeriforms. They belong to the teleost superorder Protacanthopt ...

(

Galaxiidae The Galaxiidae are a family of mostly small freshwater fish in the Southern Hemisphere. The majority live in Southern Australia or New Zealand, but some are found in South Africa, southern South America, Lord Howe Island, New Caledonia, and th ...

Cyprinodontiformes Cyprinodontiformes is an order (biology), order of Actinopterygii, ray-finned fish, comprising mostly small, freshwater fish. Many popular aquarium fish, such as killifish and Poeciliidae, live-bearers, are included. They are closely related t ...

(

Aplocheilidae Aplocheilidae, the Asian killifishes or Asian rivulines, is a family of fish in the order Cyprinodontiformes found in Asia. Some authorities use this family-group name, which is well-established, for a single lumped aplocheiloid family as it give ...

Poeciliidae Poeciliidae are a Family (biology), family of freshwater ray-finned fishes of the order Cyprinodontiformes, the tooth-carps, and include well-known live-bearing aquarium fish, such as the guppy, Poecilia, molly, Platy (fish), platy, and Green swo ...

) and

Cypriniformes Cypriniformes is an order of ray-finned fish, which includes many families and genera of cyprinid ( carps and their kin) fish, such as barbs, loaches, botias, and minnows (among others). Cypriniformes is an "order-within-an-order", placed ...

(''

Labeobarbus ''Labeobarbus'' is a mid-sized ray-finned fish genus in the family Cyprinidae. Its species are widely distributed throughout eastern Africa and especially southern Africa, but also in Lake Tana in Ethiopia. A common name, in particular for the s ...

'', ''

Pseudobarbus ''Pseudobarbus'' is a ray-finned fish genus in the family Cyprinidae. The type species is Burchell's redfin (''P. burchelli''). The scientific name is derived from the Ancient Greek ''pseudes'' ("false") and the Latin word ''barbus'' ("beard", i ...

'', '' Tanakia'' and others).

Amphibians

Endemic to Africa are the families

Arthroleptidae The Arthroleptidae are a family (biology), family of frogs found in sub-Saharan Africa. This group includes African treefrogs in the genus ''Leptopelis'' along with the terrestrial breeding squeakers ''Arthroleptis'', and several genera restrict ...

, Astylosternidae, Heleophrynidae,

Hemisotidae The shovelnose frogs are the species of frogs in the genus, ''Hemisus'', the monotypic, only genus in the Family (biology), family Hemisotidae. They are found in tropical and subtropical sub-Saharan Africa. The shovelnose frogs are moderate-sized ...

Hyperoliidae The Hyperoliidae, or sedge frogs and bush frogs, are a large family of small to medium-sized, brightly colored frogs which contain more than 250 species in 19 genera. Seventeen genera are native to sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, the monotypic g ...

Petropedetidae The Petropedetidae are a family of frogs containing two genera and 11 species. They are found in sub-Saharan tropical Africa and are sometimes known under common name African torrent frogs. They are inhabitants of the splash-water zone of clear ...

Mantellidae The Mantellidae are an amphibian family (biology), family of the order (biology), order Frog, Anura (frogs and toads), and are Endemism, endemic to the Indian Ocean islands of Madagascar and Mayotte. At first glance, the diminutive, brightly-col ...

. Also widespread are

Bufonidae {{Cat main, Toad This category Category, plural categories, may refer to: General uses *Classification, the general act of allocating things to classes/categories Philosophy * Category of being * ''Categories'' (Aristotle) * Category (Kant) * C ...

(''

Bufo ''Bufo'' is a genus of true toads in the amphibian family Bufonidae. As traditionally defined, it was a wastebasket genus containing a large number of toads from much of the world but following taxonomic reviews most of these have been moved to ...

'', '' Churamiti'', '' Capensibufo'', ''

Mertensophryne ''Mertensophryne'' is a genus of true toads (family Bufonidae). They are found in eastern and southern Democratic Republic of Congo to Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, southeastern Zimbabwe, and adjacent Mozambique. Their common names include snouted fr ...

'', ''

Nectophryne ''Nectophryne'', or African tree toads, is a small genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well a ...

'', ''

Nectophrynoides ''Nectophrynoides'' is a genus of true toads, family Bufonidae. They are endemic to Eastern Arc forests and wetlands in Tanzania,Channing and Howell. (2006). ''Amphibians of East Africa.'' Pp. 104–117. and all except '' N. tornieri'' are thr ...

'', ''

Schismaderma The African red toad (''Schismaderma carens''), or African split-skin toad, is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is the only species of the monotypic genus ''Schismaderma''. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the ...

'', '' Stephopaedes'', ''

Werneria ''Werneria'', also known as the torrent toads or smalltongue toads, is a small genus of "true toads", family Bufonidae. They are found in western Central Africa (Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Cameroon), with the greatest species richness in the ...

'', ''

Wolterstorffina ''Wolterstorffina'', also known as Wolterstorff toads, is a genus of "true toads" (family Bufonidae) native to Nigeria and Cameroon. Its sister taxon is either genus '' Werneria'' or the clade ''Werneria''+''Nectophryne''. The name of the genus ...

''),

Microhylidae The Microhylidae, commonly known as narrow-mouthed frogs, are a geographically widespread family (biology), family of frogs. The 683 species are in 57 genera and 11 subfamilies. Evolution A molecular phylogenetic study by van der Meijden, et al. ...

(''

Breviceps ''Breviceps'' is a genus of frogs in the family Brevicipitidae. Species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, ...

'', ''

Callulina ''Callulina'' (commonly known as the warty frogs) is a small genus of frogs in the family Brevicipitidae with nine members in Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Grea ...

'', ''

Probreviceps ''Probreviceps'' is a small genus of Brevicipitidae, brevicipitine frogs with only six members. They occur in the montane forests of Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and possibly Mozambique. They are sometimes known as the forest frogs, forest rain frogs, big ...

'',

Cophylinae Cophylinae is a subfamily of microhylid frogs endemic to Madagascar. It has over 100 species in eight genera. Members of this subfamily range from minute ( 100 mm adult body size), and they are highly ecologically diverse. DNA barcode resea ...

, '' Dyscophus'',

Melanobatrachinae ''Melanobatrachus'' is a genus of narrow-mouthed frogs in the family Microhylidae. It is the only remaining genus in the monotypic subfamily Melanobatrachinae. It contains a single species, ''Melanobatrachus indicus'', also known as the Indian ...

Scaphiophryninae The Scaphiophryninae are a subfamily of microhylid frogs native to Madagascar. Description Scaphiophryninae are small to middle-sized frogs, measuring in snout–vent length. They are terrestrial. Species living in drier environments are burrow ...

Rhacophoridae The Rhacophoridae are a family of frogs in tropical sub-Saharan Africa, South India and Sri Lanka, Japan, northeastern India to eastern China and Taiwan, south through the Philippines and Greater Sundas, and Sulawesi. They are commonly known as ...

(''

Chiromantis ''Chiromantis'' is a genus of frogs in the family Rhacophoridae, commonly known as foam-nest frogs or foam-nest tree frogs. It contains species from the Sub-Saharan African tropics. Following the molecular genetic study by Chen and colleagues (2 ...

''), Ranidae ('' Afrana'', ''

Amietia ''Amietia'' is a genus of frogs, commonly known as large-mouthed frogs or river frogs, in the family Pyxicephalidae. They are endemic to central and southern Africa. Formerly, the genus was named ''Afrana'' and was placed in the family Ranidae. ...

'', ''

Amnirana ''Amnirana'' is a genus of frogs in the family Ranidae, "true frogs". The genus is primarily found in Sub-Saharan Africa, but one species occurs in parts of southern and southeastern Asia. Some of the African species are widespread but contain und ...

'', ''

Aubria ''Aubria'' is a small genus of frogs, with two (possibly three) known species. All members of this genus are found in West Africa. Their common name is ball frogs or fishing frogs. Etymology The genus name ''Aubria'' is in honour of Charles Eug ...

'', ''

Conraua ''Conraua'', known as slippery frogs or giant frogs is a genus of large frogs from sub-Saharan Africa. ''Conraua'' is the only genus in the family Conrauidae. Alternatively, it may be placed in the family Petropedetidae. This genus includes the ...

'', '' Hildebrandtia'', ''

Lanzarana ''Lanzarana'' is a genus of frogs in the family Ptychadenidae. It is monotypic, being represented by the singles species, ''Lanzarana largeni'', commonly known as Lanza's frog. ''Lanzarana largeni'' is endemic to Somalia. ''Lanzarana largeni'' ...

'', ''

Ptychadena ''Ptychadena'' is a genus of frogs in the grassland frog family, Ptychadenidae. They are distributed in Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as nilotic Egypt. The common names of this genus are ridged frogs and grass frogs. This type of family have many ...

'', ''

Strongylopus ''Strongylopus'' ('strongylos'=round, 'pus'=foot) is a genus of pyxicephalid frogs native to Africa. They are found in the area from southwestern South Africa and Namibia to northern Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tan ...

'', ''

Tomopterna ''Tomopterna'' (common names: sand frogs, burrowing frogs, Old World bullfrogs) is a genus of frogs from sub-Saharan Africa. Species The following species are recognised in the genus ''Tomopterna'': * ''Tomopterna ahli'' (Deckert, 1938) * ''Tomo ...

'') and

Pipidae The Pipidae are a family (biology), family of primitive, tongueless frogs. There are 41 species in the family, found in tropical South America (genus ''Pipa'') and sub-Saharan Africa (the three other genera). Description Pipid frogs are highly ...

('' Hymenochirus'', ''

Pseudhymenochirus Merlin's dwarf gray frog (''Pseudhymenochirus merlini''), or Merlin's clawed frog, is a species of frog in the family Pipidae. It is monotypic within the genus ''Pseudhymenochirus''. It is found in southern Guinea-Bissau, western Guinea, and sout ...

'', ''

Xenopus ''Xenopus'' () (Gk., ξενος, ''xenos'' = strange, πους, ''pous'' = foot, commonly known as the clawed frog) is a genus of highly aquatic frogs native to sub-Saharan Africa. Twenty species are currently described with ...

''). The 2002–2004 'Global Amphibian Assessment' by

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

, Conservation International and NatureServe revealed that for only about 50% of the Afrotropical amphibians, there is least concern about their conservation status; approximately 130 species are endangered, about one-fourth of which are at a critical stage. Almost all of the amphibians of Madagascar (238 species) are endemic to that region. The West African

goliath frog The goliath frog (''Conraua goliath''), otherwise known commonly as the giant slippery frog and the goliath bullfrog, is a species of frog in the family Conrauidae. The goliath frog is the largest living frog. Specimens can reach up to about in ...

is the largest frog species in the world.

Reptiles

The center of

chameleon Chameleons or chamaeleons (Family (biology), family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards with 200 species described as of June 2015. The members of this Family (biology), family are best known for ...

diversity is Madagascar. Snakes found in Africa include atractaspidids,

elapids Elapidae (, commonly known as elapids , from , variant of "sea-fish") is a family of snakes characterized by their permanently erect fangs at the front of the mouth. Most elapids are venomous, with the exception of the genus '' Emydocephalus' ...

(

cobras COBRA or Cobra, often stylized as CoBrA, was a European avant-garde art group active from 1948 to 1951. The name was coined in 1948 by Christian Dotremont from the initials of the members' home countries' capital cities: Copenhagen (Co), Brussels ...

, ''

Aspidelaps ''Aspidelaps'' is a genus of venomous snake, venomous Elapidae, elapid snakes Endemism, endemic to Africa. Species in the genus ''Aspidelaps'' are commonly called shield-nosed cobras, African coral snakes or coral cobras after their cobra hoods a ...

'', ''

Boulengerina ''Naja'' is a genus of venomous elapid snakes commonly known as cobras (or "true cobras"). Various species occur throughout Africa, Southwest Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Several other elapid species are often called "cobras", such a ...

'', ''

Dendroaspis Mambas are fast-moving, highly venomous snakes of the genus ''Dendroaspis'' (which literally means "tree asp") in the family Elapidae. Four extant species are recognised currently; three of those four species are essentially arboreal and green ...

'', ''

Elapsoidea ''Elapsoidea'' is a genus of venomous snakes, commonly known as African garter snakes, in the family Elapidae. Despite their common names, they are unrelated to the harmless North American garter snakes of the genus ''Thamnophis''. Species The f ...

'', '' Hemachatus'', ''

Homoroselaps ''Homoroselaps'' is a genus of mildly venomous snakes of the family Atractaspididae The Atractaspididae (atractaspidids) are a Family (biology), family of venomous snakes found in Africa and the Middle East, commonly called mole vipers, stilet ...

'' and '' Paranaja''), viperines, (''

Atheris ''Atheris'' is a genus of Viperinae, vipers known as bush vipers.Spawls S, William Roy Branch, Branch B (1995). ''The Dangerous Snakes of Africa''. Ralph Curtis Books. Dubai: Oriental Press. 192 pp. . They are found only in tropical Sub-Saharan ...

'', ''

Bitis ''Bitis'' is a genus of Viperidae, vipers found in Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula. It includes the largest and the smallest vipers in the world. Members are known for their characteristic Deimatic behaviour, threat displays that invol ...

'', '' Cerastes'', ''

Causus ''Causus'' is a genus of Viperidae, vipers found only in sub-Saharan Africa. It is a group considered to be among the most primitive members of the family Viperidae based on head scalation, oviparity, venom apparatus, and because they have round ...

'', ''

Echis ''Echis'' (common names: saw-scaled vipers, carpet vipersSpawls S, Branch B. 1995. ''The Dangerous Snakes of Africa''. Dubai: Ralph Curtis Books. Oriental Press. 192 pp. .) is a genus of vipers found in the dry regions of Africa, the Middle East ...

'', '' Macrovipera'', '' Montatheris'', ''

Proatheris ''Proatheris'' (commonly referred to as the lowland viper and swamp viper among other names) is a monotypic genus created for the viper species, ''Proatheris superciliaris''. This is a small terrestrial species endemic to East Africa. Like all o ...

'', ''

Vipera ''Vipera'' (; commonly known as the palaearctic vipers Spawls S, Branch B (1995). ''The Dangerous Snakes of Africa: Natural History, Species Directory, Venoms and Snakebite''. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books / Dubai: Oriental Press. ...

''),

colubrid Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from , 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest fossil species of the family date back to the Late Eocene epoch, with earlier origins suspected. Colu ...

s ('' Dendrolycus'', ''

Dispholidus ''Dispholidus'' is a genus of snakes belonging to the family Colubridae.Gonionotophis ''Gonionotophis'' is a genus of snakes, known commonly as African ground snakes and file snakes, in the family Lamprophiidae. The genus is endemic to Central Africa. Species There are three recognized species in the genus: Kelly CMR, Branch WR ...

'', '' Grayia'', '' Hormonotus'', '' Lamprophis'', ''

Psammophis ''Psammophis'' is a genus of snakes in the family Psammophiidae. The genus comprises 33 species, which are found in Africa and Asia.. www.reptile-database.org. ''Psammophis'' are diurnal and prey on lizards and rodents which they actively hunt. ...

'', ''

Leioheterodon ''Leioheterodon'' is a genus of harmless pseudoxyrhophiid snakes found only on the island of Madagascar. Three species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes o ...

'', ''

Madagascarophis ''Madagascarophis'' is a genus of small, mildly venomous snakes native to the island of Madagascar. They are commonly referred to as Malagasy cat-eyed snakes. Five species are in the genus. Species *'' Madagascarophis colubrinus'' **''Madagasc ...

'', '' Poecilopholis'', ''

Dasypeltis ''Dasypeltis'' is a genus of snakes, also known commonly as egg-eating snakes or egg-eaters, in the subfamily Colubrinae of the family Colubridae. The genus is one of only two taxonomic groups of snakes known to have adapted to feed exclusive ...

'' etc.), the pythonids (''

Python Python may refer to: Snakes * Pythonidae, a family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia ** ''Python'' (genus), a genus of Pythonidae found in Africa and Asia * Python (mythology), a mythical serpent Computing * Python (prog ...

''), typhlopids (''

Typhlops ''Typhlops'' is a genus of blind snakes in the family Typhlopidae. The genus is endemic to the West Indies. Some species which were formerly placed in the genus ''Typhlops'' have been moved to the genera ''Afrotyphlops, Amerotyphlops, Anilios, ...

'') and leptotyphlopids (''

Leptotyphlops ''Leptotyphlops'' is a genus of nonvenomous blind snakes, commonly known as slender blind snakes and threadsnakes, in the family Leptotyphlopidae. The genus is endemic to and found throughout Africa. Eleven species have been moved to the genus ...

'', ''

Rhinoleptus ''Rhinoleptus koniagui'', also known commonly as Villiers's blind snake, is a species of snake in the family Leptotyphlopidae. The species, which is indigenous to West Africa, is monotypic in the genus ''Rhinoleptus''. It is among the smallest s ...

''). Of the

lizards Lizard is the common name used for all squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The ...

, many species of

gecko Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates. They range from . Geckos are unique among lizards ...

s (

day gecko ''Phelsuma'' is a large genus of geckos in the family Gekkonidae. Species in the genus ''Phelsuma'' are commonly referred to as day geckos. Some day geckos are seriously endangered and some are common, but all ''Phelsuma'' species are CITES Appe ...

s, ''

Afroedura ''Afroedura'' is a genus of African geckos, lizards in the family Gekkonidae. Member species are collectively known as rock geckos or flat geckos. In 2021, four new species of ''Afroedura'' were described from Angola. Species The genus ''Afroe ...

'', ''

Afrogecko The marbled leaf-toed gecko (''Afrogecko porphyreus'') is a gecko found in southern and southwestern South Africa (including many offshore islands) and in Namibia. It is a flat, medium-sized gecko. Description ''Afrogecko porphyreus'' has a m ...

'', ''

Colopus ''Pachydactylus'' is a genus of insectivorous geckos, lizards in the family Gekkonidae. The genus is endemic to Africa, and member species are commonly known as thick-toed geckos. The genus also displays rich speciation, having 58 distinct spec ...

'', ''

Pachydactylus ''Pachydactylus'' is a genus of insectivorous geckos, lizards in the family Gekkonidae. The genus is endemic to Africa, and member species are commonly known as thick-toed geckos. The genus also displays rich speciation, having 58 distinct spec ...

'', ''

Hemidactylus ''Hemidactylus'' is a genus of the common gecko family, Gekkonidae. It has 194 described species, newfound ones being described every few years. These geckos are found in all the tropical regions of the world, extending into the subtropical parts ...

'', '' Narudasia'', ''

Paroedura ''Paroedura'' (Madagascar ground geckos) is a genus of geckos, Endemism, endemic to Madagascar and the Comoros. These geckos are typically Terrestrial animal, terrestrial, though the young of most species can climb until they are too heavy for th ...

'', ''

Pristurus ''Pristurus'' is a genus of geckos native to Arabia and Socotra Island as well as the Middle East and the Horn of Africa. Species of ''Pristurus'' are commonly known as rock geckos . The generic name ''Pristurus'' means "saw-tailed" in Latin. ...

'', ''

Quedenfeldtia ''Quedenfeldtia'' is a small genus containing two attractive lizard species, both Common name, commonly known as the Atlas day gecko, in the Family (biology), family Sphaerodactylidae. The genus is Endemism, endemic to the Atlas Mountains of nor ...

'', '' Rhoptropus'', '' Tropiocolotes'', ''

Uroplatus ''Uroplatus'' is a genus of geckos, commonly referred to as leaf-tail geckos or flat-tailed geckos, which are endemism, endemic to Madagascar and its coastal islands, such as Nosy Be. They are nocturnal, insectivorous lizards found exclusively ...

''),

Cordylidae Cordylidae is a family of small- to medium-sized lizards that occur in southern and eastern Africa. They are commonly known as girdled lizards, spinytail lizards, or girdle-tail lizards. Cordylidae is closely related to the family Gerrhosaurida ...

, as well as

Lacertidae The Lacertidae are the family of the wall lizards, true lizards, or sometimes simply lacertas, which are native to Afro-Eurasia. It is a diverse family with at about 360 species in 39 genera. They represent the dominant group of reptiles found ...

(''

Nucras ''Nucras'' is a genus of African Lacertidae, lacertid lizards, commonly called sandveld lizards. Species The following 13 species are recognized as being valid. *''Nucras aurantiaca'' *''Nucras boulengeri'' - Uganda savannah lizard, Boulenger' ...

'', ''

Lacerta Lacerta is one of the 88 modern constellations defined by the International Astronomical Union. Its name is Latin for lizard. A small, faint constellation, it was defined in 1687 by the astronomer Johannes Hevelius. Its brightest stars form a "W" ...

'', ''

Mesalina ''Mesalina'' is a genus of wall lizards of the family Lacertidae. Species The following 20 described species are recognized as being valid."''Mesalina'' ". The Reptile DatabaseReptile-database.cz/ref> *'' Mesalina adramitana'' – Hadramaut sa ...

'', ''

Acanthodactylus ''Acanthodactylus'' is a genus of lacertid lizards, commonly referred to as fringe-fingered lizards, fringe-toed lizards (though the latter common name is also used for the New World lizard genus '' Uma''), and spiny-toed lizards. Geographic r ...

'', ''

Pedioplanis ''Pedioplanis'' is a genus of lizards in the family Lacertidae. All species of ''Pedioplanis'' are endemic to southern Africa. Species There are 16 valid species in this genus: *'' Pedioplanis benguelensis'' (Bocage, 1867) – Angolan sand liz ...

''),

Agamas Religion *Āgama (Buddhism), a collection of Early Buddhist texts *Āgama (Hinduism), scriptures of several Hindu sects *Jain literature (Jain Āgamas), various canonical scriptures in Jainism Other uses * ''Agama'' (lizard), a genus of lizards ...

skink Skinks are a type of lizard belonging to the family (biology), family Scincidae, a family in the Taxonomic rank, infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one o ...

s, plated lizards and some

monitor lizard Monitor lizards are lizards in the genus ''Varanus,'' the only extant genus in the family Varanidae. They are native to Africa, Asia, and Oceania, and West African Nile monitor, one species is also found in south America as an invasive species. A ...

s are common. There are 12 genera and 58 species of African

amphisbaenia Amphisbaenia (called amphisbaenians or worm lizards) is a group of typically legless lizards, comprising over 200 extant species. Amphisbaenians are characterized by their long bodies, the reduction or loss of the limbs, and rudimentary eyes. A ...

ns (e.g. ''

Chirindia ''Chirindia'' is a genus of amphisbaenians in the family Amphisbaenidae. Commonly known as pink round-headed worm lizards, species in the genus ''Chirindia'' are native to East Africa and southern Africa, from Tanzania to South Africa. They are ...

'', '' Zygaspis'', ''

Monopeltis ''Monopeltis'' is a genus of amphisbaenians in the Family (biology), family Amphisbaenidae. Species in the genus are commonly known as worm lizards, even though they are not lizards. The genus is Endemism, endemic to southern Africa. 20 species a ...

'', '' Dalophia''). Several genera of

tortoise Tortoises ( ) are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (Latin for "tortoise"). Like other turtles, tortoises have a shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, and like o ...

s (''

Kinixys ''Kinixys'' is a genus of turtles in the Family (biology), family Testudinidae. The genus was erected by Thomas Bell (zoologist), Thomas Bell in 1827. The species in the genus ''Kinixys'' are native to Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar and common ...

'', ''

Pelusios ''Pelusios'' is a genus of African side-necked turtles. With 17 described species, it is one of the most diverse genera of the turtle order (Testudines). Etymology The scientific name ''Pelusios'' is derived from the Greek word pēlos, which ...

'', ''

Psammobates ''Psammobates'' is a genus of tortoise erected by Leopold Fitzinger in 1835. This genus contains three species, all of which are Indigenous (ecology), indigenous to southern Africa.

'', ''

Geochelone ''Geochelone'', from Ancient Greek γῆ (''gê''), meaning "earth", and χελώνη (''khelṓnē''), meaning "turtle", is a genus of tortoises. ''Geochelone'' tortoises, which are also known as typical tortoises or terrestrial turtles, can be ...

'', ''

Homopus ''Homopus'' is a genus of tiny tortoises in the family Testudinidae, endemic to southern Africa. Three species formerly included in ''Homopus'' were reclassified into the genus ''Chersobius'', leaving two remaining as ''Homopus'': the common pad ...

'', ''

Chersina ''Chersina'' is a genus of tortoises in the family Testudinidae. It contains a single living species, the angulate tortoise. A fossil species, ''Chersina langebaanwegi'', is known from the Early Pliocene of South Africa South Africa, off ...

''), turtles (

Pelomedusidae :''Alternatively, "Pelomedusidae" may refer to the Pelomedusoidea. See below for details.'' Pelomedusidae is a family of freshwater turtles endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, including Madagascar, São Tomé, and the Seychelles (although this popul ...

, ''

Cyclanorbis ''Cyclanorbis'' is a genus of softshell turtles in the family Trionychidae. The genus is endemic to Africa. Description In the genus ''Cyclanorbis'' the plastron has cutaneous flaps, under which the hind legs can be concealed. Species The genu ...

'', ''

Cycloderma ''Cycloderma'' is a genus of softshell turtles in the subfamily Cyclanorbinae of the family Trionychidae. The genus is endemic to Africa. Species The genus ''Cycloderma'' contains the following extant species: * Aubry's flapshell turtle – ''Cy ...

'', ''

Erymnochelys The Madagascan big-headed turtle (''Erymnochelys madagascariensis'') is a turtle native to the waters of permanent slow moving rivers and lakes in western Madagascar. These turtles are critically endangered and have been evaluated to be the most ...

''), and 5-7 species of

crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large, semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term "crocodile" is sometimes used more loosely to include ...

s (the

Nile crocodile The Nile crocodile (''Crocodylus niloticus'') is a large crocodilian native to freshwater habitats in Africa, where it is present in 26 countries. It is widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa, occurring mostly in the eastern, southern, and ce ...

, the

West African crocodile The West African crocodile, desert crocodile, or sacred crocodile (''Crocodylus suchus'') is a species of crocodile related to, and often confused with, the larger and more aggressive Nile crocodile (''C. niloticus''). Taxonomy The species wa ...

, two species of slender-snouted crocodile, and 1-3 species of

dwarf crocodile The dwarf crocodile (''Osteolaemus tetraspis''), also known as the African dwarf crocodile, broad-snouted crocodile (a name more often used for the Asian mugger crocodile) or bony crocodile, is an African crocodile that is also the smallest extan ...

) are also present.

Birds

There live (temporarily or permanently) more than 2600

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

species in Africa (about 1500 of them

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped') which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines generally have an anisodactyl arrangement of their ...

s). Some 114 of them are threatened species. The Afrotropic has various endemic

families, including

ostrich Ostriches are large flightless birds. Two living species are recognised, the common ostrich, native to large parts of sub-Saharan Africa, and the Somali ostrich, native to the Horn of Africa. They are the heaviest and largest living birds, w ...

es (Struthionidae),

mesite The mesites (Mesitornithidae) are a family of birds that are part of a clade (Columbimorphae) that include Columbiformes and Pterocliformes. They are somewhat small-bodied, flightless or near flightless birds endemic to Madagascar. All the spe ...

sunbird Sunbirds and spiderhunters make up the family Nectariniidae of passerine birds. They are small, slender passerines from the Old World, usually with downward-curved bills. Many are brightly coloured, often with iridescent feathers, particularly i ...

secretary bird The secretarybird or secretary bird (''Sagittarius serpentarius'') is a large bird of prey that is endemic to Africa. It is mostly terrestrial, spending most of its time on the ground, and is usually found in the open grasslands and savanna of ...

(Sagittariidae),

guineafowl Guinea fowl () (or guineahen) are birds of the family Numididae in the order Galliformes. They are endemic to Africa and rank among the oldest of the gallinaceous birds. Phylogenetically, they branched off from the core Galliformes after the C ...

(Numididae), and

mousebird The mousebirds are birds in the order Coliiformes. They are the sister group to the clade Cavitaves, which includes the Leptosomiformes (the cuckoo roller), Trogoniformes ( trogons), Bucerotiformes ( hornbills and hoopoes), Piciformes ( wo ...

s (Coliidae). Also, several families of passerines are limited to the Afrotropics. These include

rock-jumper The rockjumpers are medium-sized insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the genus ''Chaetops'', which constitutes the entire family Chaetopidae. The two species, the Cape rockjumper, ''Chaetops frenatus'', and the Drakensberg rockjumper, ''Chaetops ...

s (Chaetopidae),

bushshrike The bushshrikes are smallish passerine birds. They were formerly classed with the true shrikes in the family Laniidae, but are now considered sufficiently distinctive to be separated from that group as the family Malaconotidae, a name that allude ...

s (Malaconotidae),

wattle-eye Platysteiridae is a family of small, stout passerine birds of the African tropics. The family contains the wattle-eyes, batises and shrike-flycatchers. They were previously classed as a subfamily of the Old World flycatchers, Muscicapidae. These ...

s, (Platysteiridae) and

rockfowl The picathartes, rockfowl, or bald crows are a small genus of two passerine bird species forming the family Picathartidae found in the rain-forests of tropical west and central Africa. They have unfeathered heads, and feed on insects and inverteb ...

(Picathartidae). Other common birds include

parrot Parrots (Psittaciformes), also known as psittacines (), are birds with a strong curved beak, upright stance, and clawed feet. They are classified in four families that contain roughly 410 species in 101 genus (biology), genera, found mostly in ...

s (

lovebird Lovebird is the common name for the genus ''Agapornis'', a small group of parrots in the Old World parrot family Psittaculidae. Of the nine species in the genus, all are native to the African continent, with the grey-headed lovebird being native ...

s, ''

Poicephalus The genus ''Poicephalus'' belongs to the subfamily Psittacinae of the true parrots (Psittacidae) and comprises ten species of parrots native to various regions of the Afrotropical realm, which encompasses Sub-Saharan Africa, ranging from Seneg ...

'', ''

Psittacus ''Psittacus'' is a genus of African grey parrots in the subfamily Psittacinae. It contains two species: the grey parrot (''Psittacus erithacus'') and the Timneh parrot (''Psittacus timneh''). For many years, the grey parrot and Timneh parrot we ...

''), various cranes ( crowned cranes,

blue crane The blue crane (''Grus paradisea''), also known as the Stanley crane and the paradise crane, is the national bird of South Africa. The species is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN. Description The blue crane is a tall, ground-dwelling bird, ...

wattled crane The wattled crane (''Grus carunculata'') is a large, threatened species of crane found in wetlands and grasslands of eastern and southern Africa, ranging from Ethiopia to South Africa. Some authorities consider it the sole member of the genus ...

stork Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family Ciconiidae, and make up the order Ciconiiformes . Ciconiiformes previously included a number of other families, such as herons and ibise ...

s ( marabous,

Abdim's stork Abdim's stork (''Ciconia abdimii''), also known as the white-bellied stork, is a stork belonging to the family Ciconiidae. It is the smallest species of stork, feeds mostly on insects, and is found widely in open habitats in Sub-Saharan Africa an ...

saddle-billed stork The saddle-billed stork or saddlebill (''Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis'') is a large wading bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae. It is a widespread species which is a resident breeder in sub-Saharan Africa from Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya south to ...

), herons (

slaty egret The slaty egret (''Egretta vinaceigula'') is a small, dark egret found in southern Africa. It is one of the species to which the ''Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds'' (AEWA) applies. It is classified as Vuln ...

black heron The black heron (''Egretta ardesiaca''), also known as the black egret, is an African heron. It uses its wings to form a canopy when fishing. Description The black heron is a medium-sized bird, with a typical height range of . Their weight ...

goliath heron The Goliath heron (''Ardea goliath''), also known as the giant heron, is a very large wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae. It is found in sub-Saharan Africa, with smaller, declining numbers in Southwest and South Asia. Description This i ...

shoebill The shoebill (''Balaeniceps rex''), also known as the whale-headed stork, and shoe-billed stork, is a large long-legged wading bird. It derives its name from its enormous shoe-shaped bill. It has a somewhat stork-like overall form and has pre ...

bustard Bustards, including floricans and korhaans, are large, terrestrial birds living mainly in dry grassland areas and in steppe regions. They range in length from . They make up the family Otididae (, formerly known as Otidae). Bustards are ...

s (

kori bustard The kori bustard (''Ardeotis kori'') is the largest flying bird native to Africa. It is a member of the bustard family (biology), family, which all belong to the order Otidiformes and are restricted in distribution to the Old World. It is one of ...

, ''

Neotis ''Neotis'' is a bird genus in the family Otididae. It contains the following species: References

Neotis, Bird genera Birds of Sub-Saharan Africa Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Otidiformes-stub ...

'', ''

Eupodotis ''Eupodotis'' is a genus of bird in the bustard family Otididae. It contains two species, all restricted to Africa. Species in the genera ''Afrotis'' and ''Lophotis'' are sometimes included in this genus; however some authorities separate the Kar ...

'', ''

Lissotis ''Lissotis'' is a genus of bird in the bustard family, Otididae. Some authorities, such as the IUCN, consider it part of ''Eupodotis''; the separation adopted here follows the ''Handbook of the Birds of the World''. Species It contains the follow ...

''),

sandgrouse Sandgrouse is the common name for Pteroclidae (), a family (biology), family of sixteen species of bird, members of the order Pterocliformes (). They are traditionally placed in two Genus, genera. The two central Asian species are classified as ...

(''

Pterocles ''Pterocles '' is a genus of near passerine birds in the sandgrouse family. It includes all the species in the family except for two central Asian species in '' Syrrhaptes''. These sandgrouse have small, pigeon-like heads and necks, but sturdy c ...

''),

Coraciiformes The Coraciiformes are a group of usually colourful birds including the kingfishers, the bee-eaters, the rollers, the motmots, and the todies. They generally have syndactyly, with three forward-pointing toes (and toes 3 & 4 fused at their b ...

(

bee-eater The bee-eaters are a group of birds in the family (biology), family Meropidae, containing three genera and thirty-one species. Most species are found in Africa and Asia, with a few in southern Europe, Australia, and New Guinea. They are characte ...

hornbills Hornbills are birds found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia of the family Bucerotidae. They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly coloured and sometimes has a horny casque on the upper ...

, ''

Ceratogymna ''Ceratogymna'' is a genus of large, primarily frugivorous hornbills (family Bucerotidae) found in the humid forests of Central Africa, Central and West Africa. They are sexually dimorphic: males are all black, while females have brown heads and ...

''),

phasians The Phasians ( ka, ფაზიელები ''Pazielebi''; ''Phasianoi''; ) were an ancient tribe located in the eastern part of Pontus. The Greek commander Xenophon, who encountered them during his march through Asia Minor to the Black Sea ...

Congo peafowl The Congo peafowl (''Afropavo congensis''), also known as the African peafowl or ''mbulu'' by the Bakôngo, is a species of peafowl native to the Congo Basin. It is one of three peafowl species and the only member of the subfamily Pavoninae na ...

blue quail The blue quail or African blue quail (''Synoicus adansonii'') is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae found in sub-Saharan Africa. Taxonomy The blue quail was described as ''Coturnix adansonii'' by Jules Verreaux and Édouard Verreaux in ...

harlequin quail The harlequin quail (''Coturnix delegorguei'') is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It occurs in sub-Saharan Africa and in the Arabian Peninsula.Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sul ...

stone partridge The stone partridge (''Ptilopachus petrosus'') is a bird of the Odontophoridae, New World quail family. This largely brown bird, which commonly holds its tail raised, is found in scrubland and lightly wooded habitats, often near rocks, from Kenya ...

, Madagascar partridge). The woodpeckers and allies include

honeyguide Honeyguides (family (biology), family Indicatoridae) are a family of birds in the order Piciformes. They are also known as indicator birds, or honey birds, although the latter term is also used more narrowly to refer to species of the genus ''Pro ...

s, African barbets,

African piculet The African piculet (''Verreauxia africana''), sometimes placed in the genus '' Sasia'', is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is the only species placed in the genus ''Verreauxia''. It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Repu ...

, ground woodpecker, ''

Dendropicos ''Dendropicos'' is a genus of woodpeckers in the family Picidae. They are small woodpeckers that are native to the Sub-Saharan Africa, sub-Saharan woodlands and forests. Taxonomy The genus ''Dendropicos'' was introduced by the French ornithologi ...

'' and ''

Campethera ''Campethera'' is a genus of bird in the family Picidae, or woodpeckers, that are native to sub-Saharan Africa. Most species are native to woodland and savanna rather than deep forest, and multiple species exhibit either arboreal or terrestrial f ...

''. The birds of prey include the

buzzard Buzzard is the common name of several species of birds of prey. ''Buteo'' species * Archer's buzzard (''Buteo archeri'') * Augur buzzard (''Buteo augur'') * Broad-winged hawk (''Buteo platypterus'') * Common buzzard (''Buteo buteo'') * Easte ...

s, harriers,

Old World vulture Old World vultures are vultures that are found in the Old World, i.e. the continents of Europe, Asia and Africa, and which belong to the family Accipitridae, which also includes eagles, buzzards, kites, and hawks. Old World vultures are not ...

bateleur The bateleur (; ''Terathopius ecaudatus''), also known as the bateleur eagle, is a medium-sized eagle in the family Accipitridae. It is often considered a relative of the snake eagles and, like them, it is classified within the subfamily Circaet ...

, ''

Circaetus ''Circaetus'', the snake eagles, is a genus of medium-sized eagles in the bird of prey family Accipitridae. They are mainly resident African species, but the migratory short-toed snake eagle breeds from the Mediterranean basin into Russia, the ...

'', ''

Melierax ''Melierax'' is a genus of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Established by George Robert Gray in 1840, it contains the following species: The name ''Melierax'' is a combination of the Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, fro ...

'' and others.

Trogon The trogons and quetzals are birds in the order Trogoniformes which contains only one family, the Trogonidae. The family Trogonidae contains 49 species in seven genera. The fossil record of the trogons dates back 49 million years to the Ear ...

s are represented by one genus (''

Apaloderma ''Apaloderma'' is a genus of birds in the family Trogonidae. The name is a compound word composed of two Greek words: ''hapalos'', meaning "delicate"and ''derma'', meaning "skin". Established by William Swainson William Swainson Fellow of ...

'').

African penguin The African penguin (''Spheniscus demersus''), also known as Cape penguin or South African penguin, is a species of penguin confined to southern African waters. It is the only penguin found in the Old World. Like all penguins, it is flightless, ...

is the only

penguin Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the family Spheniscidae () of the order Sphenisciformes (). They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is equatorial, with a sm ...

species. Madagascar was once home to the now extinct

elephant bird Elephant birds are extinct flightless birds belonging to the Order (biology), order Aepyornithiformes that were native to the island of Madagascar. They are thought to have gone extinct around 1000 CE, likely as a result of human activity. Eleph ...

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

was once home to the now extinct endemic bird species, the being notably the Dodo bird and also the Mauritius blue pigeon. Africa is home to numerous songbirds (pipits, Old World oriole, orioles, antpeckers, brubrus, cisticolas, Nigrita (bird), nigritas, olivebacks, pytilias, green-backed twinspot, crimson-wings, seedcrackers, bluebills, firefinches, Estrilda, waxbills, amandavas, quailfinches, munias, Ploceidae, weavers, tit-hylia, ''Amadina'', ''Anthoscopus'', ''Mirafra'', ''Hypargos (bird), Hypargos'', ''Eremomela'', ''Euschistospiza'', ''Erythrocercus'', ''Malimbus'', ''Pitta (bird), Pitta'', ''Uraeginthus'', pied crow, white-necked raven, thick-billed raven, Cape crow and others). The red-billed quelea is the most abundant bird species in the world. Of the 589 species of birds (excluding seabirds) that breed in the Palaearctic (temperate Europe and Asia), 40% spend the winter elsewhere. Of those species that leave for the winter, 98% travel south to Africa.

Mammals

More than 1100 mammal species live in Africa. Africa has three endemic orders of mammals, the Tubulidentata (aardvarks), Afrosoricida (tenrecs and golden moles), and Macroscelidea (elephant shrews). The current mammalian phylogeny recognizes the clade Afrotheria (often viewed as a superorder), which includes the exclusively African orders, as well as others believed to be of African origin. The tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands, East African plains are well known for their diversity of large mammals. African Eulipotyphla include the subfamilies Myosoricinae and Crocidurinae. Hedgehogs include desert hedgehogs, ''Atelerix'' and others. The rodents are represented by African bush squirrels, African ground squirrels, African striped squirrels, Gerbillinae, gerbils, cane rats, acacia rats, Nesomyidae, springhare, Spalacidae, mole rats, dassie rats, striped grass mouse, striped grass mice, sun squirrels, thicket rats, Old World porcupines, target rats, maned rats, Deomyinae, ''Aethomys'', ''Arvicanthis'', ''Colomys'', ''Dasymys'', ''Dephomys'', ''Epixerus'', ''Grammomys'', ''Graphiurus'', ''Hybomys'', ''Hylomyscus'', ''Malacomys'', ''Mastomys'', ''Mus (genus), Mus'', ''Mylomys'', ''Myomyscus'', ''Oenomys'', ''Otomys'', ''Parotomys'', ''Pelomys'', ''Praomys'', ''Rhabdomys'', ''Stenocephalemys'' and many others. African rabbits and hares include riverine rabbit, Bunyoro rabbit, Cape hare, scrub hare, Ethiopian highland hare, African savanna hare, Abyssinian hare and several species of ''Pronolagus''. Among the marine mammals there are several species of dolphins, 2 species of sirenians and seals (e.g. Cape fur seals). Of the carnivorans there are 60 species, including the conspicuous hyenas,

s, serval, African wild dog as well as the less prominent and understudied Side-striped jackal, striped polecat, African striped weasel, caracal, honey badger, speckle-throated otter, several mongooses, foxes and civets. The family Eupleridae is restricted to

The African list of ungulates is longer than in any other continent. The largest number of modern bovids is found in Africa (African buffalo, duikers, impala, rhebok, Reduncinae, oryx, dik-dik, klipspringer, oribi, gerenuk, Gazella, true gazelles, hartebeest, wildebeest, dibatag, Taurotragus, eland, ''Tragelaphus'', ''Hippotragus'', ''Neotragus'', ''Raphicerus'', ''Damaliscus''). Other even-toed ungulates include

s, okapis,

es, warthogs, giant forest hogs, red river hogs and bushpigs. Odd-toed ungulates are represented by three species of

s, African wild ass, black rhinoceros, black and white rhinoceros. The biggest African mammal is the African bush elephant, the second largest being its smaller counterpart, the African forest elephant. Four species of pangolins can be found in Africa. African fauna contains 216 species of primates.Colin A. et al., What hope for African primate diversity? African Journal of Ecology 44 (2), 116–133.(2006) Four species of great apes (Hominidae) are endemic to Africa: both species of gorilla (western gorilla, ''Gorilla gorilla'', and eastern gorilla, ''Gorilla beringei'') and both species of the genus ''Pan (genus), Pan'' (chimpanzee, ''Pan troglodytes'', and bonobo, ''Pan paniscus''). Humans and their ancestors originated in Africa. Other primates include Colobinae, colobuses, baboons, geladas, vervet monkeys, guenons, macaques, Mandrillus, mandrills, crested mangabeys, white-eyelid mangabeys, kipunji, Allen's swamp monkeys, Patas monkeys and talapoins. Lemurs and aye-aye are characteristic of Madagascar. See also Lists of mammals by region#Africa, Lists of mammals of Africa.

References

External links

''African Invertebrates''''African Fauna''''FAUNA(French)FRI - A tool to assess and monitor the distribution of fresh and brackish waters fish species in Africa''

''PPEAO - An information system on fish communities and artisanal fisheries in estuarine and lagoon ecosystems in West Africa (in French)''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fauna Of Africa Fauna of Africa, Fauna of the Afrotropical realm