List of Kenya Wildlife

If you're heading out on a safari in Kenya, you're in for a wild treat! Here's a list of the incredible wildlife you might encounter along the way. A good guide will help you identify many of these animals and share fascinating insights about their behavior and habitats.

To get the most out of your experience, consider bringing along a field guide. We recommend The Safari Companion or Beat About the Bush—both are packed with valuable information and make excellent travel companions.


Wildlife Zones in Kenya


Kenya has two major wildlife regions:

  • Arid areas (like Samburu and Tsavo)
  • Lush highlands and forested zones (like the Aberdares and parts of the Rift Valley)


Thanks to two rainy seasons (short and long), Kenya supports a high density of animals, making it one of the best places in Africa for game viewing.


🐦 P.S. We’ve dedicated a whole page just to the Birds of Kenya, because they deserve the spotlight too!

CARNIVORES

  • Lion
  • Leopard
  • Cheetah
  • Serval
  • Caracal
  • African Civet
  • Large-Spotted Genet
  • Banded Mongoose
  • African Wild Dog
  • Black-Backed Jackal
  • Common Jackal
  • Bat-Eared Fox
  • Spotted Hyena
  • Striped Hyena
  • Aardwolf


PRIMATES

  • Common Baboon
  • Vervet Monkey
  • Sykes Monkey
  • Black & White Colobus Monkey
  • Bushbaby

ANTELOPES & GAZELLES

  • Roan Antelope
  • Sable Antelope
  • Oryx (Beisa & Fringe-Eared)
  • Common Waterbuck
  • Defassa Waterbuck
  • Common Wildebeest
  • Hartebeest
  • Topi
  • Common Eland
  • Greater Kudu
  • Lesser Kudu
  • Bongo
  • Sitatunga
  • Bushbuck
  • Thompson’s Gazelle
  • Grant’s Gazelle
  • Gerenuk
  • Impala
  • Bohor Reedbuck
  • Mountain Reedbuck
  • Klipspringer
  • Steenbok
  • Common Duiker
  • Kirk’s Dik-Dik

MAMMALS OF KENYA

  • African Elephant
  • Black Rhinoceros
  • White Rhinoceros
  • Rock Hyrax
  • Hippopotamus
  • Cape Buffalo
  • Masai Giraffe
  • Reticulated Giraffe
  • Rothschild’s Giraffe
  • Common Zebra
  • Warthog
  • Giant Forest Hog
  • Aardvark
  • Cape Clawless Otter
  • Spotted-Necked Otter
  • Scrub Hare
  • Unstriped Ground Squirrel
  • Bush Squirrel
  • Coast Squirrel