24 Wild Animals in Namibia [Wildlife in Namibia]

Learn All About Namibian Animals

Ready to learn all about Namibian animals?

I’ve always been fascinated by animals, and by how they can be so different from one country to another. In this guide, we’ll focus on the many animals Namibia has on the land, in the sky, and underwater.

I’ve split the guide into 6 categories:

• Native animals from Namibia
• Endangered animals of Namibia
• What is the national animal of Namibia?
• How many animals native to Namibia?
• What animals are only found in Namibia?
• What is the most common animal in Namibia?

Let’s dive in right away with our first category!

Native Animals from Namibia

Namibia is an African country located in the southwestern part of the continent, next to the Atlantic Ocean. It is the driest country in sub-Saharan Africa, is a stable multi-party democracy, and used to be a German colony (a country from which it suffered the first genocide of the 20th century). It is bordered by Zambia, Angola, Botswana, and South Africa (and is separated from Zimbabwe by fewer than 200 m / 660 ft of the Zambezi River), and its capital and largest city is Windhoek, which counts more than 431,000 inhabitants.

An interesting part of the country that I wanted to tackle is its wildlife. In light of that, I have listed the best of it, and I hope you will love learning what animals live in Namibia.

Here’s the Namibia animals list.

1. Plains zebra

• Name: Plains zebra
• Scientific name: Equus quagga
• Conservation status: Near threatened

The plains zebra, also known as the common zebra, is the most widespread and common species of zebra. However, its range is seriously fragmented, as it suffers from human activities such as competition with domestic livestock, encroachment on much of its habitat, and hunting for its hide and meat.

In Namibia, it can mainly be found in Etosha National Park, in the northern part of the country, and has been depicted in rock art for tens of thousands of years!

2. Great hammerhead

• Name: Great hammerhead
• Scientific name: Sphyrna mokarran
• Conservation status: Critically endangered

The great hammerhead is the largest species of hammerhead shark, and it is a strong-swimming, solitary fish that inhabits warm temperate and tropical coastlines of the world. Despite being one of the most dangerous animals in Namibia, it usually does not attack humans and is treated with respect by divers it sometimes approaches.

In Namibia, it can be found in the northwestern parts of the country, and it is a strong apex predator which feeds on other sharks, bony fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods.

3. Ground pangolin

David Brossard / CC BY-SA

• Name: Ground pangolin
• Scientific name: Smutsia temminckii
• Conservation status: Vulnerable

The ground pangolin, also known as the Cape pangolin, the steppe pangolin, or Temminck’s pangolin, is one of four African species of pangolin, and the only one in the eastern and southern parts of the continent.

It is almost completely covered in protective, overlapping scales which represent about a fifth of its weight. The ground pangolin inhabits savanna woodland and scrub areas, usually at low elevations, and feeds exclusively on termites and ants.

4. African buffalo

• Name: African buffalo
• Scientific name: Syncerus caffer
• Conservation status: Near threatened

The African buffalo is a large species of wild bovine native to sub-Saharan Africa. It has never been domesticated because of its highly unpredictable and aggressive temperament, and is in fact quite dangerous, having run over, gored, and killed several people.

Interestingly enough, this animal forms large herds, which always stick together when a predator approaches, making it hard for it to pick out a weak member! This is pretty rare in nature since animals usually don’t show such signs of unity and protection for one another.

5. Blue wildebeest

• Name: Blue wildebeest
• Scientific name: Connochaetes taurinus
• Conservation status: Least concern

The blue wildebeest, also known as the white-bearded gnu, the brindled gnu, the white-bearded wildebeest, or the common wildebeest, is a species of bovine-like antelope native to the southern parts of Africa. It is very common in Namibia and also gathers in very large herds which commonly migrate through the country.

It is one of the major herbivores of the southern half of Africa and is of particular economic importance to Namibia thanks to all the tourists it draws.

6. Springbok

• Name: Springbok
• Scientific name: Antidorcas marsupialis
• Conservation status: Least concern

The springbok is a medium-sized species of antelope native to southern and southwestern Africa. It has a particularly long, slender body with curved horns. It gathers in mix-sexed herds or harems, and it is well-known for its high, repetitive leaps of up to 2 m / 6.6 ft above the ground, known as pronking.

This antelope is widespread across all of Namibia, where it is hunted as a game. Also, the export of springbok skins is a pretty profitable business in the country.

7. Kirk’s dik-dik

• Name: Kirk’s dik-dik
• Scientific name: Madoqua kirkii
• Conservation status: Least concern

Kirk’s dik-dik is a small species of antelope native to eastern and southwestern Africa, and one of four species of dik-dik. It is herbivorous and is well-camouflaged in its arid habitat. Its name comes from its call, which literally sounds like “dik-dik”, and it usually lives 5 years, up to 10 years in the wild, and up to 18 years in captivity.

Despite its very small size, this animal is particularly alert and fast and can reach incredible speeds of up to 42 km/h / 26 mph.

8. White rhinoceros

• Name: White rhinoceros
• Scientific name: Ceratotherium simum
• Conservation status: Near threatened

The white rhinoceros, also known as the square-lipped rhinoceros, is the largest species of rhinoceros in the world. It is also the most social one and has a wide mouth, ideal for grazing in grasslands and savannas.

While one of its two subspecies, the southern white rhinoceros, is doing well, with around 20,000 individuals in the wild, the other, the northern white rhinoceros, is functionally extinct: only 2 females are left in captivity, and the last male died in 2018.

9. Cheetah

• Name: Cheetah
• Scientific name: Acinonyx jubatus
• Conservation status: Vulnerable

The cheetah is the fastest terrestrial animal in the world, reaching record speeds of up to 128 km/h / 80 mph. It is a particularly athletic species of wild cat and lives in three different types of groups: all-male groups, solitary males, and females with their cubs.

Namibia is home to the largest population of cheetahs in southern Africa which is not only restricted to national parks. There, they are the major predators of livestock.

10. Common eland

• Name: Common eland
• Scientific name: Taurotragus oryx
• Conservation status: Least concern

The common eland, also known as the eland antelope or the southern eland, is one of the largest species of antelope in the world. It inhabits plains, savannas, and arid areas of southern and eastern Africa, and is only rivaled in size by its close relative, the giant eland.

Depending on the country, its population is more or less threatened, and Namibia’s herds are either stable or increasing.

11. Aardvark

ucumari photography / CC BY-NC-ND

• Name: Aardvark
• Scientific name: Orycteropus afer
• Conservation status: Least concern

The aardvark, also known as the antbear, is a unique species of mammal native to the entirety of sub-Saharan Africa. It is characterized by its long, pig-like snout, and is a nocturnal, burrowing, and solitary animal.

This animal has particularly strong claws and legs which it uses to dig out ants and termites. In Namibia, it can be found all around the country, except for the coastal areas.

12. Honey badger

• Name: Honey badger
• Scientific name: Mellivora capensis
• Conservation status: Least concern

The honey badger, also known as the ratel, is another species of solitary, nocturnal mammal native to Namibia and the rest of sub-Saharan Africa. Outside of the continent, it can also be found on the Arabian Peninsula, western Asia, and the Indian subcontinent.

This mammal is officially carnivorous, but actually feeds on honey, insects, frogs, reptiles, rodents, snakes, birds, and their eggs, and despite its name resembles more a weasel than a badger.

13. African bush elephant

• Name: African bush elephant
• Scientific name: Loxodonta africana
• Conservation status: Endangered

The African bush elephant, also known as the African savanna elephant, is the largest terrestrial animal on the planet, and one of the most important symbols of Africa as a whole. Sadly, it is seriously endangered by poaching for its meat and ivory, as well as habitat fragmentation and loss.

Namibia and Mali are the only countries in which this elephant lives in desert and semi-desert areas, and it is protected within the country.

14. Mohol bushbaby

Joachim S. Müller / CC BY-NC-SA

• Name: Mohol bushbaby
• Scientific name: Galago moholi
• Conservation status: Least concern

The Mohol bushbaby is a small species of primate native to the southern part of Africa. It inhabits woodlands, and some individuals were already seen around the suburbs of large South African cities such as Pretoria or Johannesburg.

The diet of the Mohol bushbaby is primarily made of insects and acacia tree gum. If it can, it only travels in the trees, and it spends most of its day sleeping and resting on branches.

15. African leopard

• Name: African leopard
• Scientific name: Panthera pardus pardus
• Conservation status: Vulnerable

The African leopard is a large species of wild cat native to most of sub-Saharan Africa. While it can only be found in scattered, small populations in several countries, its historical range used to be much wider, mainly due to habitat conversion. It inhabits savannas, grasslands, and mountainous forests, and only avoids very sandy deserts.

The main threats to the African leopard are poaching for its skin, intense persecution, and habitat loss.

16. Black-backed jackal

• Name: Black-backed jackal
• Scientific name: Lupulella mesomelas
• Conservation status: Least concern

The black-backed jackal is a medium-sized species of canine native to southern and eastern Africa, in a range of about 900 km / 559 mi long. The local subpopulation in Namibia is known as the Cape black-backed jackal, and they sometimes feed on brown fur seals and springboks.

This canine is highly opportunistic and adaptable and feeds on anything from plant matter and human refuse to small to medium-sized animals.

17. African wild dog

• Name: African wild dog
• Scientific name: Lycaon pictus
• Conservation status: Endangered

The African wild dog, also known as the African painted dog or the African hunting dog is an iconic species of wild canine native to much of sub-Saharan Africa. It is well-known for being a specialized pack hunter of antelopes, and although not very fast, it is particularly endurant and chases its prey to exhaustion.

The majority of the African wild dog populations occur in Namibia, and they are globally threatened by human conflicts, habitat fragmentation, and disease outbreaks.

18. Brown fur seal

• Name: Brown fur seal
• Scientific name: Arctocephalus pusillus
• Conservation status: Least concern

The brown fur seal, also known as the South African fur seal, the Cape fur seal, or the Australian fur seal, is a large species of fur seal native to the southwestern coastline of Africa, and the southeastern coast of Australia.

One of the main colonies of brown fur seals in Namibia is located in Cape Cross, in the western part of the country. Its main predators are black-backed jackals, brown hyenas, and sometimes lions.

19. Southern African lion

• Name: Southern African lion
• Scientific name: Panthera leo melanochaita
• Conservation status: Vulnerable

The Southern African lion, also known as the Southern lion, is a subspecies of the African lion. It can be found in the southern, but also the eastern countries of the continent, and its populations have increased in protected areas in Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana, while they have decreased in East African countries.

The main reason for the previous decline of the Southern African lion was massive killings by farmers since the beginning of the 1970s.

20. Brown hyena

• Name: Brown hyena
• Scientific name: Parahyaena brunnea
• Conservation status: Near threatened

The brown hyena, also known as the strandwolf, is a lesser-known species of a hyena (opposite to its relatives, the spotted or laughing hyena and the striped hyena). It primarily inhabits the southwesternmost countries of Africa, namely Namibia, South Africa, and Botswana, as well as Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

This hyena lives in the Etosha National Park in Namibia, where it is strictly protected. Its main threats are persecution and poaching for medicine and ritual uses.

21. Meerkat

• Name: Meerkat
• Scientific name: Suricata suricatta
• Conservation status: Least concern

The meerkat, widely known as the suricate, is a small species of mongoose native to southern Africa. It is famous for its behavior, usually standing and looking around in groups of up to 30 individuals, making sure no predator is around. It creates complex burrow systems and lives in rock crevices.

These burrows have about 15 openings and are 5 m / 16 ft in diameter. The meerkat lives in open, arid habitats with scarce woody vegetation, and can be found in the western and southern parts of Namibia.

22. Aardwolf

Derek Keats / CC BY

• Name: Aardwolf
• Scientific name: Proteles cristata
• Conservation status: Least concern

The aardwolf, also known as the civet hyena, the termite-eating hyena, and in Afrikaans the maanhaar-jackal, is a species of mammal native to southern and eastern Africa. It is an insectivorous mammal that primarily feeds on termites, and can eat about 250,000 of them in a single night, thanks to its long, sticky tongue!

This mammal inhabits open shrublands and is only active at night, spending the day resting in burrows.

23. Angolan giraffe

• Name: Angolan giraffe
• Scientific name: Giraffa camelopardalis angolensis
• Conservation status: Least concern

The Angolan giraffe, also known as the Namibian giraffe, is a subspecies of the giraffe, which can be found in northern Namibia, southwestern Zambia, western Zimbabwe, and Botswana. There are only 20 of them in zoos around the world, and about 13,000 individuals are in the wild.

This giraffe can mainly be found in the Etosha National Park and the Namib Desert in Namibia, and has more or less large home range sizes, depending on the habitat and the other animals.

24. Common warthog

• Name: Common warthog
• Scientific name: Phacochoerus africanus
• Conservation status: Least concern

The common warthog is the only species of wild pig adapted to savanna habitats and grazing. It is an incredibly adaptable animal that feeds on almost anything, from plants and grasses to cereals, small animals, invertebrates, and carrion.

The local subpopulation in Namibia is known as the Southern warthog, and although not territorial, it lives in a large, specific home range. Despite being quick to run, it can be a very tough opponent, and can sometimes kill big cats such as African leopards.

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So there you have them, these were my 24 wild animals in Namibia. I hope you enjoyed this list and that you learned something new today.

In case you want to learn more about Namibia wildlife, feel free to keep reading, as I still have lots of things to tell you about:

Endangered Animals of Namibia

This is definitely the saddest part of the list, but it is very important to raise awareness. Because of this, let’s go through the list of endangered animals in Namibia.

Here are the animals in danger of extinction in Namibia.

Extinct in the wild

• None

Critically endangered

• Black rhino
• Great hammerhead
• Hooded vulture
• Duckbill eagle ray
• Tristan albatross
• and 10 more…

Endangered

• Lappet-faced vulture
• Secretarybird
• African savanna elephant
• Whale shark
• Black harrier
• and 36 more…

To see the full list of endangered species in Namibia, head over to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List.

What is the National Animal of Namibia?

The national animal of Namibia is the gemsbok.

Also known as the gemsbuck or the South African oryx, this large species of antelope is native to arid areas of southern Africa, mainly the Kalahari Desert. It is a symbol of pride, courage, and elegance.

There are about 373,000 individuals in Namibia, and the gemsbok is featured on the country’s coat of arms. In some cities, it even roams freely around the streets and feeds on vegetation within the town, such as trees in the streets and grasses in the parks.

How Many Animals Native to Namibia?

What is the diversity of native animals in Namibia?

Let’s look at the total number of species of Chordata (mammals, birds, fishes, and reptiles).

Total number of animal species in Namibia: 1,963 (14,205 in total in sub-Saharan Africa)

What animals are only found in Namibia?

Outside of the outstanding 708 endemic species of plant in Namibia, there are 14 endemic mammals, 14 endemic birds, 6 endemic frogs, and 1,541 endemic insects, while about 15 species are considered near-endemic.

Some examples of these unique animals in Namibia are the Hartmann’s mountain zebra and the dune lark.

What is the most common animal in Namibia?

There are quite a few common animals in Namibia, especially the country’s national animal, the gemsbok. But one of them is even more numerous, and that is the blue wildebeest.

The blue wildebeest is a large species of antelope with a robust muzzle. It is one of the most iconic herbivores of Africa and feeds on short grasses. It lives in very large herds which frequently migrate and move in loose aggregations, and is a particularly alert and fast mammal.

More About Animals in the World!

Loved these Namibia animal facts? Want to see what animals live in other countries?

Then check out these posts:

• Wild Animals in South Africa
• Wild Animals in Eswatini
• Wild Animals in Botswana

Or click here to see ALL the facts up on the blog! Spoiler alert: there’s A LOT of them.

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