Country · NG

Animals in Nigeria

21 animal species on file have openly licensed sighting records from Nigeria, 8 of them threatened. Records include captive animals and introduced populations.

Tick-off checklist What did I see in Nigeria?

Species recorded: 21
Threatened: 8
Groups represented: 5
Sighting records: 1,450

None on record
1–7
8–12
13–17
18+

species per country · small islands are not drawn at this scale

Which well-known animals are recorded in Nigeria?

The most looked-up species with records here.

What kinds of animals are recorded in Nigeria?

Mammals
grey wolf, lion, koala, leopard …
9 species
Birds
bald eagle, peregrine falcon, common kingfisher, common ostrich …
5 species
Reptiles
green turtle, nile crocodile, american alligator, king cobra
4 species
Insects
honey bee, emperor dragonfly
2 species
Arachnids
emperor scorpion
1 species

Which threatened animals are recorded in Nigeria?

Species listed as Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. The category is global, not specific to Nigeria.

Common name	Scientific name	Family	Status	Records here
Lion	Panthera leo	Felidae	Vulnerable	2
Koala	Phascolarctos cinereus	Phascolarctidae	Vulnerable	1
Leopard	Panthera pardus	Felidae	Vulnerable	8
Cheetah	Acinonyx jubatus	Felidae	Vulnerable	5
Northern giraffe	Giraffa camelopardalis	Giraffidae	Vulnerable	8
African bush elephant	Loxodonta africana	Elephantidae	Endangered	3
Chimpanzee	Pan troglodytes	Hominidae	Endangered	15
King cobra	Ophiophagus hannah	Elapidae	Vulnerable	1

All animals recorded in Nigeria

Open this list in the browser to filter and sort it

Common name	Scientific name	Family	Status	Records here
Grey wolf	Canis lupus	Canidae	Least Concern	4
Bald eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Accipitridae	Least Concern	1
Peregrine falcon	Falco peregrinus	Falconidae	Least Concern	95
Lion	Panthera leo	Felidae	Vulnerable	2
Common kingfisher	Alcedo atthis	Alcedinidae	Least Concern	4
Common ostrich	Struthio camelus	Struthionidae	Least Concern	9
Koala	Phascolarctos cinereus	Phascolarctidae	Vulnerable	1
Leopard	Panthera pardus	Felidae	Vulnerable	8
Western barn owl	Tyto alba	Tytonidae	Least Concern	738
Honey bee	Apis mellifera	Apidae	Data Deficient	528
Cheetah	Acinonyx jubatus	Felidae	Vulnerable	5
Northern giraffe	Giraffa camelopardalis	Giraffidae	Vulnerable	8
Green turtle	Chelonia mydas	Cheloniidae	Least Concern	1
Common bottlenose dolphin	Tursiops truncatus	Delphinidae	Least Concern	1
African bush elephant	Loxodonta africana	Elephantidae	Endangered	3
Chimpanzee	Pan troglodytes	Hominidae	Endangered	15
Emperor dragonfly	Anax imperator	Aeshnidae	Least Concern	6
Nile crocodile	Crocodylus niloticus	Crocodylidae	Least Concern	11
American alligator	Alligator mississippiensis	Alligatoridae	Least Concern	1
King cobra	Ophiophagus hannah	Elapidae	Vulnerable	1
Emperor scorpion	Pandinus imperator	Scorpionidae	Not recorded	8

Method: a species is listed if GBIF holds at least one CC0 or CC BY occurrence record for it in Nigeria. Zoo animals, escapes and introduced populations are included, and native species nobody has recorded are missing. See the methodology.