South Africa is a country of immense biological wealth, recognized for its variety of life. Its diverse landscapes, from arid plains and dense bushveld to a two-ocean coastline, support a wide array of both land-based and marine mammal species. This natural heritage makes South Africa a premier destination for observing wildlife.
The Iconic “Big Five”
The term “Big Five” originally referred to the five most difficult and dangerous animals to hunt on foot. Today, the tourism industry uses the term to denote five of the continent’s most sought-after safari sightings. The African lion (Panthera leo) is a social cat living in prides and is most often found in the savanna and grasslands of northeastern South Africa.
Another member of this group is the elusive leopard (Panthera pardus). These solitary and nocturnal predators are masters of camouflage, with a coat of spotted rosettes providing concealment in woodland and rocky habitats. Their strength allows them to haul heavy carcasses up into trees, keeping their kills safe from other scavengers.
The African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana), the largest land animal on Earth, lives in complex, matriarch-led family groups. They are found in habitats ranging from thick forests to open savannas. As mega-herbivores, they shape their environment by uprooting trees and creating pathways, which influences the distribution of other species.
South Africa is home to two species of rhinoceros: the white rhino (Ceratotherium simum) and the black rhino (Diceros bicornis). The white rhino has a wide, square lip for grazing on grasses in open savanna. The black rhino is a browser, using its prehensile, pointed lip to pluck leaves and twigs from bushes in denser, scrubby vegetation.
Completing the Big Five is the Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer), a large bovine known for its unpredictable nature. These social animals form large herds that graze in open woodlands and savannas, always staying close to water. Their distinctive, fused horns form a solid shield across the top of their heads.
Beyond the Big Five: Notable Land Mammals
Beyond the Big Five, South Africa’s ecosystems support a great diversity of other mammals. Among the predators, the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), the world’s fastest land animal, hunts in open grasslands where it can utilize its speed. The African wild dog (Lycaon pictus), known for its large, rounded ears, is a social pack hunter that roams vast territories in savanna and woodland areas.
The country’s landscapes are also home to a variety of large herbivores. The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis), with its long neck, browses on the leaves of acacia trees in the savanna. The hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) is a semi-aquatic mammal found in rivers and lakes, spending its days in the water and emerging at night to graze. Plains zebras (Equus quagga), with their black and white stripes, often form large migratory herds.
The kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros), with its magnificent spiral horns, is a browser found in mixed woodlands. South Africa’s national animal, the springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis), is famous for its “pronking” behavior—a series of stiff-legged jumps—and is adapted to the country’s arid regions. The blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) is another antelope known for undertaking large-scale migrations in search of fresh grazing.
Meerkats (Suricata suricatta) are small mongooses living in large, cooperative family groups, famous for their upright, sentinel-like posture in the arid lands of the Kalahari. Rock dassies (Procavia capensis), also known as rock hyraxes, are small animals that are the closest living relatives to elephants. They are often seen basking on rocky outcrops.
Marine Mammal Wonders
South Africa’s coastline, where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet, supports a rich variety of marine mammals. The annual migration of the southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) is a significant event. These baleen whales travel from their feeding grounds in the Antarctic to the sheltered bays of the South African coast between June and December to mate and calve.
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) also journey along the coast during their migration and are known for their acrobatic displays of breaching and tail-slapping. Various dolphin species are present year-round, with the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and the common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) frequently seen playing in the waves.
The Cape fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus) is the only seal species that breeds on the African coast, forming large colonies on rocky islands and shorelines. They are skillful predators, feeding on fish and squid. Their colonies are bustling hubs of activity, particularly during the breeding season in November and December.
Unique and Endemic Species
The country’s geography has given rise to several mammal species found nowhere else on Earth. One example is the bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus pyrgargus), a colorful antelope with a white blaze on its face. Once hunted to near extinction, it was saved through conservation efforts and is now restricted to protected areas in the Fynbos biome of the Western Cape.
Another unique ungulate is the Cape mountain zebra (Equus zebra zebra), distinguished from the plains zebra by its narrower stripes and white belly. This subspecies is endemic to the mountainous regions of the Eastern and Western Cape provinces. It also faced near extinction but has recovered due to focused conservation programs.
The riverine rabbit (Bunolagus monticularis) is one of the most endangered mammals in South Africa. This nocturnal rabbit is dependent on the deep soils of riverine vegetation in the arid Karoo region. Its habitat is severely fragmented and threatened by agriculture, making the survival of this specialized species a conservation challenge.
Prime Wildlife Viewing Destinations
Visitors can see this wildlife in numerous world-class parks and reserves.
- The Kruger National Park is famous for its high density of wildlife and offers reliable sightings of the Big Five in its savanna, woodland, and riverine forest habitats.
- Addo Elephant National Park in the Eastern Cape has expanded from protecting elephants to conserving a wide range of biodiversity. It is unique as it stretches to the coast, creating a “Big Seven” destination that includes the southern right whale and great white shark.
- The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, straddling the border with Botswana, is an arid landscape of red dunes. It is a prime location for viewing predators like black-maned Kalahari lions and cheetahs, as well as large herds of gemsbok and springbok.
- The town of Hermanus on the Western Cape’s Whale Coast is recognized as one of the best land-based whale-watching spots. During winter and spring, southern right whales come so close to shore they can be observed from cliff-top paths.