Country · ZA

Animals in South Africa

35 animal species on file have openly licensed sighting records from South Africa, 12 of them threatened. Records include captive animals and introduced populations.

Tick-off checklist What did I see in South Africa?

Species recorded: 35
Threatened: 12
Groups represented: 8
Sighting records: 173,891

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 South Africa?

The most looked-up species with records here.

What kinds of animals are recorded in South Africa?

Mammals
red fox, grey wolf, lion, tiger …
10 species
Birds
mallard, european robin, bald eagle, peregrine falcon …
8 species
Reptiles
green turtle, nile crocodile, american alligator
3 species
Fish
atlantic salmon, great white shark, ocean sunfish, whale shark …
6 species
Insects
honey bee, seven-spot ladybird, emperor dragonfly
3 species
Arachnids
black widow spider
1 species
Molluscs
north pacific giant octopus, giant squid
2 species
Other invertebrates
earthworm, common starfish
2 species

Which threatened animals are recorded in South Africa?

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

Common name	Scientific name	Family	Status	Records here
Lion	Panthera leo	Felidae	Vulnerable	1,053
Tiger	Panthera tigris	Felidae	Endangered	4
Leopard	Panthera pardus	Felidae	Vulnerable	392
Cheetah	Acinonyx jubatus	Felidae	Vulnerable	4,582
Blue whale	Balaenoptera musculus	Balaenopteridae	Endangered	4
Northern giraffe	Giraffa camelopardalis	Giraffidae	Vulnerable	43
Great white shark	Carcharodon carcharias	Lamnidae	Vulnerable	178
Ocean sunfish	Mola mola	Molidae	Vulnerable	25
Whale shark	Rhincodon typus	Rhincodontidae	Endangered	30
African bush elephant	Loxodonta africana	Elephantidae	Endangered	1,748
Wandering albatross	Diomedea exulans	Diomedeidae	Vulnerable	8,929
Giant oceanic manta ray	Mobula birostris	Myliobatidae	Endangered	18

All animals recorded in South Africa

Open this list in the browser to filter and sort it

Common name	Scientific name	Family	Status	Records here
Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Anatidae	Least Concern	14,187
European robin	Erithacus rubecula	Muscicapidae	Least Concern	1
Red fox	Vulpes vulpes	Canidae	Least Concern	1
Grey wolf	Canis lupus	Canidae	Least Concern	67
Bald eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Accipitridae	Least Concern	1
Peregrine falcon	Falco peregrinus	Falconidae	Least Concern	15,891
Lion	Panthera leo	Felidae	Vulnerable	1,053
Common ostrich	Struthio camelus	Struthionidae	Least Concern	83,507
Tiger	Panthera tigris	Felidae	Endangered	4
Leopard	Panthera pardus	Felidae	Vulnerable	392
Western barn owl	Tyto alba	Tytonidae	Least Concern	32,710
Atlantic salmon	Salmo salar	Salmonidae	Near Threatened	2
Honey bee	Apis mellifera	Apidae	Data Deficient	9,465
Cheetah	Acinonyx jubatus	Felidae	Vulnerable	4,582
Blue whale	Balaenoptera musculus	Balaenopteridae	Endangered	4
Emperor penguin	Aptenodytes forsteri	Spheniscidae	Near Threatened	1
Northern giraffe	Giraffa camelopardalis	Giraffidae	Vulnerable	43
Great white shark	Carcharodon carcharias	Lamnidae	Vulnerable	178
Green turtle	Chelonia mydas	Cheloniidae	Least Concern	22
Seven-spot ladybird	Coccinella septempunctata	Coccinellidae	Not recorded	1
Common bottlenose dolphin	Tursiops truncatus	Delphinidae	Least Concern	44
Ocean sunfish	Mola mola	Molidae	Vulnerable	25
Whale shark	Rhincodon typus	Rhincodontidae	Endangered	30
African bush elephant	Loxodonta africana	Elephantidae	Endangered	1,748
Emperor dragonfly	Anax imperator	Aeshnidae	Least Concern	209
Wandering albatross	Diomedea exulans	Diomedeidae	Vulnerable	8,929
Nile crocodile	Crocodylus niloticus	Crocodylidae	Least Concern	752
American alligator	Alligator mississippiensis	Alligatoridae	Least Concern	3
Earthworm	Lumbricus terrestris	Lumbricidae	Not recorded	2
Common starfish	Asterias rubens	Asteriidae	Not recorded	1
Black widow spider	Latrodectus mactans	Theridiidae	Not recorded	3
Giant oceanic manta ray	Mobula birostris	Myliobatidae	Endangered	18
Common clownfish	Amphiprion ocellaris	Pomacentridae	Least Concern	1
North Pacific giant octopus	Enteroctopus dofleini	Enteroctopodidae	Least Concern	4
Giant squid	Architeuthis dux	Architeuthidae	Least Concern	10

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