Buffalo
Nyati |
Reputed to be the most
dangerous animals as far as humans are concerned |
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Elephant
Tembo |
Largest living land
mammals, live in family groups and gather in herds for migration.
Have powerful trunk and need a lot of food can be destructive trees |
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Leopard
Chui |
Have become very rare and
when found are often in trees where they like to carry and store
their prey |
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Lion
Simba |
Live in prides a handful
of males and up to a dozen females and young, spend much of the time
resting |
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Rhinoceros
Kifaru |
Have poor eye-sight but a
good sense of smell and hearing plus sharp horns. Have become
endangered by poaching |
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Aardvark
Muhanga |
These solitary nocturnal
animals are well adapted to their environment but the result gives
them a strange appearance |
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| Aardwolf |
Smaller but similar in
appearance to the Hyena, these solitary carnivorous animals spend a
lot of time foraging for termites |
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| Agama |
Small lizards, males of
some species have a pinkish orange head and bluish green body |
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Baboon
Nyani |
Live in large troops with
a strict social order, are playful but can be vicious if anoyed |
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Badger
Nyegere |
The Honey Badger is
sometimes called the 'Ratel' |
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Bat
Popo |
The only true flying
mammals. The Hammer-Headed Fruit Bat is one of Africa's largest
bats with a wingspan of up to one metre. |
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Boar
Nguruwe dume |
Related to the Hog (Pig). |
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Bongo
Bongo |
Rare striped antelopes
often found in dense forest which they leave at night to graze. |
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Bushbaby
Kombo |
Very agile small nocturnal
animals with large eyes/ears and a long tail |
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Bushbuck
Pongo |
Medium-sized timid
antelopes with white spots and stripes |
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Caracal
Sibamangu |
Solitary, nocturnal,
lynx-like cats, have triangular ears tipped with black fur |
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Chameleon
Kinyonga |
Small lizards with a long
tongue, found in trees and bushes. They can move both eyes
independently. |
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Cheetah
Duma |
Fastest living mammals which
catch prey by chasing it at terrific speed. |
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Civet
Fungo |
Small spotted nocturnal
animals |
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Crocodile
Mamba |
Can grow up to 7m long |
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Dik-dik
Dik-dik |
One of the smallest
antelopes, named after the noise they make |
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Dugong
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A rare marine mammal |
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Duiker
Nysa |
Rarely seen nocturnal
antelopes. |
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Eland
Pofu |
Largest of the antelopes |
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Fox
Mbweha |
The bat-eared foxes use
their large ears to pinpoint prey. |
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Frog
Chura |
Common Brown Tree Frogs
are often heard in the still of night. |
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Thompsons Gazelle
Swalatomi |
The Thomson's gazelles are
small and have a distinctive coat with a black band separating their
brown top from the white belly. |
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| Gecko |
Small nocturnal lizards
with a translucent body and adhesive pads on their 'toes' which let
them scurry up walls and even along ceilings! searching for food |
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Genet
Kanu |
Nocturnal animals of the
mongoose family, similar to the domestic cat, and very agile |
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Gerenuk
Swala twiga |
A variety of antelope with
very long neck, hence the swahili name meaning "gazelle
giraffe". |
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Giraffe
Twiga |
The tallest living
animal. Often gather in non-hierarchical herds and use their
height to reach leaves high on trees. |
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Gnu
Nyumbu |
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Hare
Sungura |
For example the Spring
Hare (Kamandegere), nocturnal burrowing animals that move in
leaps rather like a kangaroo. |
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Hartebeest
Kongoni |
Have a distinctive long
thin face with short angled horns. |
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Hippopotamus
Kiboko |
Like to live and wallow in
still or slow-moving water but come aground for grazing (usually in
the cool of the night). |
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Hog
Nguruwe |
Giant Forest Hog are the
largest of East Africa's pig species. |
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Hyena
Fisi |
Scavenging animals with
strong jaws, which hunt at night and are famed for their whooping
and laughter-like cries. |
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Hyrax
Pimbi |
Small vegetarian animals,
often found in forest or rocky places, They are the closest living
relative to the elephant! |
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Impala
Swala pala |
One of the most common
antelopes and a very good jumper (10m in length or 3m in height for
a single bound). |
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Jackal
Mbweha |
A type of dog, but more
similar to a fox in size and appearance, tend to feed off carrion
and hunt small animals. |
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Klipspringer
Mbuzi mawe |
Live in or near rocky
terrain, with specially adapted hooves which make them appear to be
walking on tip-toe. They are only about 50cm at shoulder-height and
have a greenish mottled coat. |
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Kudu
Tandala |
A shy variety of antelope
with white vertical stripes. |
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| Meer
cat |
Live
in large family groups |
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Mongoose
Nguchiro
Kicheche |
Weasel-like creatures,
typically with long tails and thick hair. |
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Monitor
Kenge |
Large lizards sometimes
found along river banks. |
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Monkey
Vervet
Nyani Tumbili |
the mischievous
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Monkey
Colobus Nyani Mbega |
Are Black
and White, commonly found in tree tops |
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Oribi
Taya |
Small antelopes with a
black-tipped tail and an unusual scent gland (area of bare black
skin) just below their ears. Use a distinctive stiff-legged jump
(stotting) when fleeing danger. |
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Oryx
Choroa |
A type of antelope with
particularly long, straight horns. |
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Otter
Fisi maji |
Semiaquatic members of the
weasel family. |
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| Pangolin |
An unusal nocturnal
creature, like an Armadillo, which walks on its hind feet and will
curl into a ball if attacked. A pangolin has an amazingly long
tongue which it uses to reach insects |
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Porcupine
Nungunungu |
up to one metre
long nocturnal spine-bearing rodents. |
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Rat
Panya |
Giant Rats and Cane Rats
are sometimes caught and eaten by humans. |
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Reedbuck
Tohe |
Medium-sized antelopes
with a short bushy tail, found in reed-beds or tall grass near
water. |
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Roan Antelope
Korongo |
Large and aggressive
antelopes. |
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Sable Antelope
Pala hala |
Antelopes with an unusual
patterned mask-like face and long swept-back horns. |
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Serval
Mondo |
Wild cats, generally
nocturnal and found near water. |
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| Shrew |
There are normal Shrews
and Elephant Shrews (which have the shape of a shrew but the size of
a very large rat). |
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Sitatunga
Nzohe |
Very shy swamp antelopes
with webbed hooves; a good swimmer and liable to hide almost totally
under water if in danger. |
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Snake
Nyoka |
Have hinged jaws which let
them consume large prey (the Rocky Python can survive for months
without eating after a big kill). |
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Squirrel
Kidiri
Kindi |
There are ground (Kidiri)
and bush (Kindi) varieties. |
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Steinbok
Dondoo |
Small reddish antelopes
which often have a black triangle of fur sweeping up their muzzle. |
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Suni
Paa |
These animals are slightly
smaller than the Dik-dik and tend to dwell in forests. |
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Toad
Chura |
A group of toads is called
a knot. |
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Topi
Nyamera |
Almost-purplish antelopes
with black patches on their face and around the top of the legs.
Males can sometimes be seen guarding their territory from on top of
small mounds. |
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Tortoise
Kobe |
Tortoises are terrestrial
turtles. Giant Tortoise can live for up to 150 years. |
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Wart hog
Ngiri |
Have bristly hair, small
curved tusks and carry four wart-like growths on their head |
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Waterbuck
Kuru |
Antelopes that live near
water, are good swimmers and have a thick shaggy water-repellent
coat. |
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Wild
cat
Paka wa mwitu |
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Wild dog
Mbwa mwitu |
Very rare. Tend to hunt in
packs, working together to catch prey. The have large ears, a
white-tipped tail and their coats have many different coloured
patches of black, brown, yellow and white. |
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Wildebeest
Nyumbu |
Famed for their mass
migration between the Masai Mara and Serengeti plains. |
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Zebra
Punda milia |
Sociable animals which
often gather in large herds. The Swahili name means "striped
donkey". |
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| BIRDS |
| Crowned Crane |
Distinctive appearance
with black head cap and large straw-coloured tuft of feathers
on/behind the head. Crane is Korongo. |
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| Bustard |
The Kori
Bustard is one of the heaviest flying birds in the world. |
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| Bataleur
eagle |
A distinctive variety of
eagle with black and white underwing plumage and a wedge tail. |
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| Barbet |
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Eagle
Tai |
Large birds of prey. The
Fish Eagle has a distinctive loud call. |
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Flamingo
Heroe |
get their
colour from the algae they eat. |
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| Hoopoe |
The Africa Hoopoe has a
bright rufous plumage with black/white striped wings and tail,
complemented by a crest of black-tipped feathers. |
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| Hornbill |
Varieties include the Red-
and Yellow-billed Hornbill, and the larger Ground Hornbill. |
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| Ibis |
Sacred Ibis have a
distinctive white plumage with black head/neck and wings. |
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| Mouse Bird |
Have distinctive long tail
feathers. |
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Ostrich
Mbuni |
Largest
living birds (up to 2.5m high and 150kg weight) with long powerful
legs and able to run at over 50kph. |
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| Pelican |
Have a large bill and
pouch. |
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| Secretary Bird |
Birds of prey with unusual
crest feathers. |
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| MarabouStork |
tall birds
with a long bill and large pink throat pouch; they catch small
animals and scavenge on carrion. |
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| Sunbird |
Sunbirds feed from the
nectar of flowering plants. Most males are brightly coloured often
with a metallic plumage, whereas females are dull-coloured and hard
to distinguish. |
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Superb
Starling
Kwenzi. |
Sociable birds
with glossy plumage, often found near human habitation. |
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| Vulture |
Large scavenging birds
(wingspan up to 3m) which use their excellent vision to locate prey |
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Weaver Bird
Mzingi |
Weaves fine nests. |
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