Breathtaking Pictures of African Wildlife

From watching the Great Migration of the Serengeti to seeing herds of elephants in Chobe National Park (which has the largest concentration in the world), it’s hard not to be wowed by African wildlife.

Can’t travel to the continent to see its animals in action? Get an up-close look at some of its stars here.

Mandrill

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Did You Know? The largest monkey is the colorful mandrill, recognizable by the blue and red marking on its face and bum. It’s only found in Africa’s rainforests.

Baboon

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Did You Know? Baby baboons weigh about 2 pounds when they are born, growing just a pound every three months before reaching full size by eight years. Baboons are only found in Africa and Arabia, so if you ever get to see one in the wild, consider yourself lucky!

Fish Eagle

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Did You Know? The African fish eagle is a white-headed eagle typically found in Kenya and Madagascar. It eats not only fish but also ducks, flamingos and (yes) baby crocodiles.

Meerkat

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Did You Know? Meerkats can be found in desert areas throughout Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. They typically live in families of as many as 50 members!

Crocodile

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Did You Know? These large reptiles are closely related to dinosaurs. And while they are known for stealthily slithering through the water, they can run at speeds of up to 35 mph on land.

The most well-known croc in Africa is the Nile crocodile, which roams rivers, marshes and mangrove swamps throughout the sub-Saharan region, the Nile Basin and Madagascar.

Spiny Bush Viper

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Did You Know? This spiny, poisonous snake can grow to be 2-feet long and resides in Central Africa. There isn’t an antidote for its venom, which can kill a human unlucky enough to get bitten.

Zebra

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Did You Know? Wild zebras live only in Africa and have white fur with black stripes as well as black skin under their fur. Each stripe is as unique to zebras as fingerprints are to humans.

African Penguin

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Did You Know? Along Africa’s southernmost tip live these small penguins that can dive up to 400 feet, holding their breath for more than 2 minutes.

Cheetah

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Did You Know? Cheetahs can go from 0 to 60 mph in three seconds and are the world’s fastest land animal, despite being quite large — adult males can weigh as much as 158 pounds.

Sub-Saharan Africa is home to nearly all of Earth’s wild cheetahs.

Chimpanzee

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Did You Know? Africa is the only place where wild chimpanzees can be found. They can live to be older than 50 and share nearly 98 percent of their DNA with humans.

Jacana

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Did You Know? Known as lily-trotters for their ability to walk across lily pads, these birds have extremely long and straight claws. They can also swim underwater.

Black Panther

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Did You Know? Panthers can be leopards, cougars or jaguars; in Africa, the black cats are leopards. They are known for being great swimmers and like to dive into the water just for fun!

Tree Goat

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Did You Know? In Morocco, herds of tree-climbing goats enjoy eating the fruit of argan trees. As the goats cannot digest this fruit, they pass it whole, and it is sometimes then collected by farmers who use its oil in hair and skin-care products.

Hippopotamus

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Did You Know? The name hippopotamus means “river horse” in Ancient Greek. The second-largest land animal after its neighbor the elephant, the hippo is an herbivore, in spite of having scary teeth.

Giraffe

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Did You Know? Baby giraffes can stand and walk within an hour of their birth. Their long legs can grow to be 6 feet in length and can carry them at speeds of up to 35 mph. You can find them running through the savannahs of Africa.

Secretary Bird

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Did You Know? These birds of prey are found only in Africa’s sub-Saharan areas. They earned their name for resembling European male secretaries in the 1800s, who wore knee-length pants and a tailcoat, with quills carried behind their ears.

Pangolin

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Did You Know? Pangolins are the anteaters of Africa, with scales covering their bodies. These scales are made of the same material as the horn of a rhinoceros.

Sadly, like many animal species in Africa, the extraordinary pangolin is on the road to extinction.

Lion

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Did You Know? Lions are referred to as Kings of the Jungle, but they actually live in the grasslands of sub-Saharan Africa. A male lion’s roar can be heard for 5 miles, and full-grown he can weigh 400 pounds.

African Elephant

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Did You Know? Male elephants from Africa can weigh as much as 8 tons. Two types are found on the continent: African Savannah and African Forest elephants. Their trunks are a combination of their nose and upper lip.

Hoopoe Bird

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Did You Know? Hoopoes, so-called because of their “oop oop oop” call, live in Africa as well as Europe and Asia. When a male courts a female, he presents an insect to her to eat.

Rhinoceros

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Did You Know? The name rhinoceros means “nose horn.” Baby horns begin to grow within a few months but take time to become the horns we see on adults. These horns are the reason rhinos are endangered, as poachers kill for them.

Interestingly, rhino horns are made of keratin — the same substance found in human fingernails.

Flamingo

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Did You Know? Lesser flamingos, the name of the sub-Saharan birds that are cousins to the flamingos of the Caribbean, are actually white. Their diet of beta carotene-high algae lends them their pink-orange color.

Hamadryas Baboon

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Did You Know? The Hamadryas baboon is native to the Horn of Africa and also lives at the tip of the Arabian Peninsula. The animal is so intelligent, Egyptians used it as the figure for the Egyptian god of learning.

Kudu Antelope

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Did You Know? The kudu is often the prey of carnivorous animals from the African savannah, with males growing very long horns to fight back. Known for their jumping skills, they can leap nearly 6-feet high.

Lemur

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Did You Know? The lemurs of Madagascar relocated to the island from the mainland to get away from larger monkeys. Weighing about 15 pounds, lemurs have long tails that can be used to communicate with others. Lemur is actually Latin for “spirits of the night.”

Silverback Gorilla

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Did You Know? The silverback gorillas of Central Africa can stand 6-feet tall and eat more than 60 pounds of food per day.

Ostrich

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Did You Know? Ostriches are not just found in Australia; these flightless birds also live in the wilds of Africa. While they cannot fly, they sure can run — 43 mph, in fact!

Bactarin Camel

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Did You Know? Camels are found in the northern deserts of Africa as well as in Asia. Wild Bactrian camels, which have two humps, are nearing extinction. (One-hump camels are called Dromedary.)

Hyena

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Did You Know? The infamous hyena laugh is actually a call used to alert others that food has been found. Hyenas are scavengers, hunters and cannibals — they eat pretty much anything.

Green Mamba

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Did You Know? Found along the coasts of Africa, the green mamba is one of the most venomous snakes in the world. Related to the cobra, green mambas can live to be 20 years old in the wild.