Introducing... The Star-Studded Cast of Kenya Animals

Species of Kenya animals are astoundingly diverse and number in the hundreds. The country's forests, grasslands, wetlands, lakes, rivers and deserts are inhabited by millions of heads of Kenya wildlife. As such, the country is a wildlife adventurer's paradise.

Big Cats

Kenya is home to 3 of the "Big Cats" namely; the African lion, leopard and cheetah.

Fittingly referred to as "the King of the African jungle," the African lion is regarded as a symbol of courage and nobility.

Leopards are sneaky big cats with a yellowish-brown coat that has black rosettes (rose-shaped spots)...

Kenya is a habitat for both the spotted and rarer black (melanistic) leopard species with the latter often referred to as the black panther.

Cheetahs, the fastest terrestrial animals, are slender "Big Cats" with a brown coat with solid black spots. A distinctive black "tear line" runs from the eyes to the corners of the mouth.

Big Five

The phrase "Big Five" was initially coined by hunters to refer to animals that were the most prized hunting targets...

Now though, it is synonymous with the Kenya animals that tourists would most like to see. In a sense then, a Kenya safari is not complete until you have spotted and photographed the "Big Five."

The coveted title of "Big Five" is the preserve of the African lion, leopard, African elephant, rhino and buffalo.

African elephants are the largest land-based mammals and are easily identifiable from their long trunks, ivory tusks and large flappy ears.

Rhinos are huge herbivores with a highly developed sense of smell and hearing. The black rhino is hook-lipped while the White rhinoceros is wide-lipped. Both are gravely endangered.

Buffaloes are, essentially, heavily-built wild oxen. They abound in virtually all the Kenya national parks and are notorious for their innate unpredictability.

Other Carnivores

Kenya is famous for its large population of carnivores. Besides the lion, leopard and cheetah, other carnivores that roam the Kenya national parks are servals, civets, mongooses, jackals, genets and spotted and striped hyenas.

Often erroneously portrayed only as scavengers, hyenas are, in fact, some of the most formidable and coordinated hunters in Kenya.

Herbivores

The most sought-after Kenya animals in this category are African elephants, rhinos and buffaloes which feature on many a tourist's "must see" list.

Kenya also hosts 45,000 giraffes, the world's tallest mammals. These account for nearly one-third of the world's giraffe population...

The 3 species in the country are the Masai, Reticulated and Rothschild giraffes. Countless zebras can also be seen grazing on the plains.

And, well over 1.5 million wildebeest cross the Mara River from the Serengeti into the Masai Mara National Reserve in search of greener pastures each year. In so doing, they unwittingly star in the coveted annual wildebeest migration.

Rarer large herbivores in Kenya include the greater and lesser kudu, eland, Sable and Roan antelopes, the fringe-eared oryx, topi and hartebeests.

Other less glamorous herbivores that are still worth looking out for are gazelles, dikdiks and duikers.

Pig Family

Kenya animals of the pig family include hippos which are semi-aquatic mammals with massive jaws and feet and can be found near freshwater...

Hippos inhabit many of the Kenya lakes notably Lake Victoria, Turkana, Naivasha and rivers, such as the Mara River.

Warthogs are also a common sight throughout Kenya. Although these Kenya animals have poor eyesight, their well-developed sense of smell enables them to forage for food and detect approaching predators.

Rarer animal species in this genre include the giant forest hog, which has bristly hair, pointed ears and fairly large tusks. In Kenya, this pig species lives around Mount Kenya and in the Aberdare National Park.

Primates

Although Kenya does not boast an indigenous population of gorillas and chimpanzees, this is somewhat compensated for by the considerable monkey population.

The most common species are the vervet, Sykes and black and white colobus monkeys.

Rarer monkey species include the red colobus, Patas, Mangabeys and Debrazza monkeys.

Other primates that you are likely to see in Kenya are baboons and bushbabies.

Rodents

Kenya is well-endowed with a range of rodents, although these are not valued much as they are largely perceived as pests owing to their crop-raiding antics.

The country's bounty of giant rats, squirrels, hares and the prickly crested porcupines are best appreciated on a walking safari.

Unclassifiable Kenya Animals

Other fascinating animals in Kenya include the rock hyrax, a rodent-looking creature whose closest relative is, incredibly, the elephant. The weird-looking, termite-eating aardvark favors bush country with generous helpings of termite mounds.

Kenya is also home to several bat species, the most notable of which is the huge hammer-headed fruit bat which inhabits the Kakamega Forest.

Experiencing Animals in Kenya

Kenya is brimming with each of the above animals and I have seen most of them infinite times myself.

My little children know them too - so well in fact that distinguishing between a leopard and a cheetah is a snap!

As such, you are virtually bound (even destined!) to see all this Kenya wildlife yourself while on a Kenya safari.

It is highly recommended that you visit at least a couple of the popular Kenya national parks namely; Masai Mara National Reserve, Lake Nakuru National Park, Amboseli National Park, Tsavo National Park and Samburu National Reserve.

If you are short of time and can't travel to the upcountry parks, Nairobi National Park is home to a surprisingly wide array of Kenya animals, including all the "Big Five" minus the elephant.

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