Gallery

The lion is Africa’s only truly social big cat, living in prides of related females, their cubs and a coalition of resident males. In Tanzania, your best chance of seeing them is the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire and Nyerere National Park.

Where found

Sub-Saharan Africa; strongholds in the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire and Nyerere (Selous)

Male vs female

Males grow a mane and weigh up to 190kg — noticeably bigger than maneless females (up to 130kg), who do most of the pride’s hunting

Lifespan

10–14 years in the wild; up to 20 in protected reserves

Young

Called cubs. Litters of 1–4, born blind and helpless, and raised communally by the pride’s females

The African bush elephant is the largest land animal on Earth. Tarangire National Park is famous for its huge elephant herds, drawn to the Tarangire River in the dry season.

Where found

Across Tanzania’s parks, especially Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro

Male vs female

Bulls (males) are larger, up to 6,000kg, with thicker tusks; cows (females) live in tight-knit matriarchal herds led by the oldest female

Lifespan

60–70 years — among the longest-lived land mammals

Young

Called calves. Gestation is about 22 months, the longest of any mammal, and a newborn calf weighs roughly 120kg

The world’s tallest land animal, reaching up to 5.5 metres. The Masai giraffe, Tanzania’s subspecies, is easily told apart by its jagged, star-shaped coat patches.

Where found

Savanna woodland across Tanzania, especially Tarangire and the Serengeti ecosystem

Male vs female

Bulls are taller with darker patches that deepen with age, and spar by swinging their necks (“necking”); females are slightly shorter with lighter markings

Lifespan

20–25 years in the wild

Young

Called calves. Born standing almost 2 metres tall and can stand within 30 minutes of birth, after a 15-month pregnancy

No two zebras share the same stripe pattern — as individual as a fingerprint. Plains zebra are one of the star performers of the Great Migration between the Serengeti and Maasai Mara.

Where found

Open grassland across East Africa; huge numbers migrate through the Serengeti year-round

Male vs female

Stallions (males) and mares (females) are similar in size; a stallion typically defends a harem of several mares and their young

Lifespan

20–25 years in the wild

Young

Called foals. Able to stand and run within an hour of birth — a stripe pattern helps a foal recognise its own mother in the herd

A graceful, medium-sized antelope best known for spectacular leaps — up to 3 metres high and 10 metres long — used to startle and outrun predators.

Where found

Woodland savanna across East and Southern Africa, common throughout northern Tanzania

Male vs female

Rams (males) carry lyre-shaped horns up to 90cm long; ewes (females) are hornless and gather in larger herds

Lifespan

12–15 years in the wild

Young

Called lambs. Births are often synchronised to the start of the wet season, flooding the area with young to overwhelm predators

One of the “Big Five”, the Cape buffalo moves in herds that can number in the thousands and has a reputation as one of the savanna’s most unpredictable animals when threatened.

Where found

Grassland and wetland areas including the Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti

Male vs female

Bulls develop a fused, helmet-like “boss” across the forehead where their horns meet; cows have smaller horns without the fused boss

Lifespan

15–20 years in the wild

Young

Called calves, and stay close to the safety of the herd for their first few years

Solitary and superbly camouflaged, the leopard is the most elusive of the Big Five, often spotted resting in the branches of a riverine tree beside its kill.

Where found

Wooded and riverine habitat across Tanzania, including the Serengeti’s Seronera valley and Tarangire

Male vs female

Males are notably larger, up to 90kg against a female’s 60kg, and hold larger territories that overlap several females’

Lifespan

12–17 years in the wild

Young

Called cubs. Litters of 1–3 are hidden in a den and raised by the mother alone for the first 8 weeks

The fastest land animal alive, capable of bursts up to 110km/h. Cheetahs hunt by sight in open country, making the short-grass plains of the Serengeti and Ndutu prime territory.

Where found

Open plains, especially the southern Serengeti and Ndutu during calving season

Male vs female

Males sometimes form small lifelong coalitions, usually with brothers, for hunting and territory; females are solitary except when raising cubs

Lifespan

10–12 years in the wild

Young

Called cubs. Litters can number up to 6, though cub mortality is high — many are lost to lions and hyenas before adulthood

From flocks of flamingos on the soda lakes to raptors patrolling the plains, Tanzania is one of Africa’s richest birding destinations.

Where found

Soda lakes like Manyara and Natron for flamingos; open plains and woodland for raptors and ground birds

Signature species

The secretary bird hunts on foot, stamping on snakes and small prey; vultures play a vital clean-up role across the ecosystem

Best season

November–April, when migratory species from Europe and Asia join the resident birdlife

Fun fact

Lesser flamingos can gather at soda lakes in flocks of hundreds of thousands, drawn by the algae that also tints their feathers pink

Beyond the headline species, Tanzania’s parks hold a huge cast of supporting characters — each with its own story.

Black rhino

Critically endangered; the Ngorongoro Crater is one of the few places left to see one in the wild

Hippo

Spends most of the day submerged to protect its sensitive skin from the sun, emerging at night to graze

Nile crocodile

An ambush predator that lies in wait at river crossings during the Great Migration

Spotted hyena

A skilled hunter in its own right, living in complex matriarchal clans — not just a scavenger, as often assumed