National Animals of Africa
Africa spans the Sahara, the Congo Basin and the Great Rift Valley, and its national symbols track that range closely. The continent claims more large mammals than anywhere else on Earth, and the animals chosen to represent individual nations reflect that: lions and leopards across the savannas, elephants and rhinos in the great reserves, and the critically endangered mountain gorilla in the forests of Rwanda.
Algeria
Vulpes zerda
The fennec's oversized ears radiate body heat to keep it cool in the Sahara.
Angola
Hippotragus niger
This antelope was thought extinct after Angola's civil war until rediscovered in 2004.
Benin
Panthera pardus
The leopard was the sacred royal symbol of the historical Kingdom of Dahomey.
Botswana
Equus quagga
Two zebras support Botswana's coat of arms.
Burkina Faso
Equus caballus
Founding legend features Princess Yennenga riding a white horse into what became Burkina Faso.
Burundi
Panthera leo
The lion appears on Burundi's coat of arms above the motto 'Unity, Work, Progress'.
Cameroon
Panthera leo
The lion on Cameroon's coat of arms represents the president and national vigilance.
Cape Verde
Sylvia relicta
This small greenish songbird lives only on three Cape Verde islands.
Central African Republic
Loxodonta cyclotis
The Dzanga bai clearing hosts the world's largest gathering of forest elephants.
Chad
Capra aegagrus hircus
The goat on Chad's coat of arms represents the arid north and its herding cultures.
Comoros
Pteropus livingstonii
One of the largest bats in the world, with a wingspan of nearly 1.4 meters.
Djibouti
Oryx beisa
This tiny arid-country antelope has enormous ears to dump heat in the Horn of Africa sun.
DR Congo
Okapia johnstoni
The okapi, a forest cousin of the giraffe, is found only in DRC's Ituri rainforest.
Egypt
Aquila nipalensis
The Eagle of Saladin appears on Egypt's coat of arms.
Equatorial Guinea
Bycanis brevis
The huge casque on this hornbill's beak is largely hollow and acts as a resonator.
Eritrea
Camelus dromedarius
The camel appears on Eritrea's coat of arms, honoring liberation-war supply routes.
Eswatini
Gallirex porphyreolophus
The king's ceremonial headdress traditionally uses feathers from this bird.
Ethiopia
a legendary figure, not a species
The lion appeared on Ethiopian imperial regalia for over 700 years.
Gabon
Panthera pardus
Gabon's rainforests host the shadowy melanistic form of the African leopard.
Gambia
Crocuta crocuta
The hyena is a common trickster character in Gambian folk stories.
Ghana
Aquila rapax
The tawny eagle appears on Ghana's coat of arms holding a ceremonial sword.
Guinea
Loxodonta africana
The elephant appears on Guinean coins and represents strength and memory.
Guinea-Bissau
Trichechus inunguis
The elusive West African manatee inhabits the Bijagos archipelago.
Ivory Coast
Loxodonta africana
The elephant on the coat of arms references the ivory trade that named the country.
Kenya
Panthera leo melanochaita
The Masai Mara has one of the densest lion populations on Earth.
Lesotho
Equus caballus
The tough mountain pony is the traditional and preferred transport across Lesotho's highlands.
Liberia
Pan troglodytes
Liberia's forests hold the largest remaining wild chimpanzee population in West Africa.
Libya
Vulpes zerda
Called 'the desert fox', the fennec's ears can be a third of its body length.
Madagascar
Lemur catta
Lemurs are found nowhere else in the world outside Madagascar.
Malawi
Chamaetylas chalybeata
This rare thrush lives only in a few forest patches in southern Malawi.
Mali
Haliaeetus vocifer
The fish eagle sits at the crest of Mali's coat of arms.
Mauritania
Addax nasomaculatus
This desert antelope can go a lifetime without drinking, extracting water from plants.
Mauritius
Raphus cucullatus
The flightless dodo, extinct by 1681, remains Mauritius's most famous native.
Morocco
Panthera leo leo
The Barbary lion, now extinct in the wild, is Morocco's national symbol.
Mozambique
Loxodonta africana
Mozambique's Gorongosa park has one of the world's most successful elephant recoveries.
Namibia
Oryx gazella
The gemsbok can survive the Namib desert without drinking water for weeks.
Niger
Giraffa camelopardalis
Niger shelters the last wild population of the West African giraffe.
Nigeria
Aquila jubalis
The red eagle on Nigeria's coat of arms represents strength.
Republic of Congo
Loxodonta cyclotis
The Nouabale-Ndoki forests hold one of Africa's last untouched forest elephant populations.
Rwanda
Gorilla gorilla beringei
Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park protects roughly a third of the world's mountain gorillas.
Senegal
Panthera leo
The lion is Senegal's national symbol and the nickname of its football team.
Seychelles
Psittacula wardi
This rare parrot lives only on the island of Praslin.
Sierra Leone
Panthera leo
The country's name means 'Lion Mountains' - reportedly for peaks that looked lion-shaped.
Somalia
Panthera pardus
Two leopards support Somalia's national coat of arms.
South Africa
Antidorcas marsupialis
This antelope 'pronks' - jumping straight up with a stiff-legged bounce.
South Sudan
Haliaeetus vocifer
The fish eagle stands atop South Sudan's coat of arms with wings spread.
Sudan
Sagittarius serpentarius
The long-legged secretary bird stomps snakes to death with lightning-fast kicks.
Tanzania
Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi
Each Masai giraffe has a unique coat pattern, like a fingerprint.
Togo
Panthera leo
Two lions guard Togo's coat of arms holding bows and arrows.
Tunisia
Equus caballus
The Barbary is one of the oldest horse breeds and an ancestor of the thoroughbred.
Uganda
Balearica regulorum
The crane on Uganda's flag stands with one leg raised, symbolizing forward motion.
United Arab Emirates
Oryx leucoryx
Once extinct in the wild, the Arabian oryx was reintroduced from zoo populations.
Zambia
Haliaeetus vocifer
The eagle's haunting call is often described as 'the sound of Africa'.
Zimbabwe
Hippotragus niger
Males use their scimitar-shaped horns to fight off lions.
National animals of other continents
Can you place them on the globe?
Explore how many you can identify from the animal alone.