Amazing Animals Tanzania

The Eastern African country Tanzania borders Uganda to the north, Rwanda to the west, and the Indian Ocean to the east. Habitats in the country include savannas, wetlands, grassland plains, and wooded forests. Tanzania is home to Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, and Lake Tanganyika, the second deepest lake on Earth.

Official National Animal

Giraffe

Native Animals

African buffalo are a large species of bovine native to sub-Saharan Africa. They are known for being very dangerous, aggressive, and unpredictable.

African bush elephants are the largest terrestrial animals on Earth. They are also the most iconic animals from the African continent. They inhabit seasonally flooded grasslands, wetlands, woodlands, temperate and subtropical forests, and agricultural land. African bush elephants are herbivores, eating grasses, barks, leaves, roots, and fruit. Elephants require significant water intake, drinking up to 50 gallons (about 190 liters) a day, depending on the environment and season.

African leopards are the most widespread and common subspecies of the leopard, being found across sub-Saharan Africa. They inhabit a wide range of habitats within Africa, from mountainous forests to grasslands and savannas, excluding only extremely sandy deserts.  Leopards are carnivores and have an exceptional ability to adapt to changes in prey availability. They have a very broad diet ranging from dung beetles to adult elands. In sub-Saharan Africa, at least 92 prey species have been documented in leopard scat, including rodents, birds, small and large antelopes, hyraxes, hares, and arthropods.

Black rhinos are also referred to as hook-lipped rhinos. They are a species of rhino native to eastern and southern Africa. They inhabit a variety of habitats, among them plains, sparse thorn scrub, savannas, thickets, and dry forests. Black rhinos can also be see in mountain forests and moorlands at high altitudes. These rhinos are herbivores that enjoy leafy plants, branches, shoots, thorny wood bushes, and fruit.

Burchell’s zebras are a subspecies of the plains zebras located in southern Africa. They are named after the British explorer and naturalist William John Burchell. Like most plains zebras, Burchell's live in small family groups.

Eastern chimpanzees are native to central and eastern Africa. (pictured above) Eastern chimpanzees spend time both in trees and on the ground but usually sleep in trees, where they build a nest for the night. Chimpanzees live in communities of typically 20 to over 150 members but usually travel in small parties of just a few individuals. They are omnivores, eating seeds, fruits, honey, leaves, bark, fungi, and insects such as termites and ants, and small prey such as birds and monkeys. They often use a twig as a tool to reach termites or ants in nests and have been seen using sticks to hunt other small mammals.

Hippopotamuses, also known as the common hippopotamus or the river hippopotamus, or simply the hippo, is a large species of semi-aquatic ungulate native to much of sub-Saharan Africa. They  are recognizable for their barrel-shaped torsos, wide-opening mouths with large canine tusks, nearly hairless bodies, pillar-like legs, and large size. The eyes, ears, and nostrils of hippos are placed high on the top of their skulls As semiaquatic creatures, they prefer living in shallow water bodies such as lakes, rivers, or swamps.  These hippos are highly social, nocturnal, and sedentary animals. They usually form groups of 20-100 individuals. Common hippos are herbivores and feed almost entirely on grass, with only minimal consumption of aquatic plants.

Southern African lions are a subspecies of the lions native to eastern and southern Africa. The fur of Southern lions varies in color from light buff to dark brown. They have rounded ears and a black tail tuft. Mane color varies from sandy, tawny, isabelline, and light reddish yellow to dark brown and black. Most hunting often takes place at dusk.  Southern lions are hypercarnivores and prey foremost on ungulates such as gemsbok, Cape buffalo, blue wildebeest, giraffe, common eland, greater kudu, nyala, roan antelope, sable antelope, plains zebra, bushpig, common warthog, hartebeest, common tsessebe, waterbuck, kob, and Thomson's gazelle.

Spotted or laughing hyenas are fascinating and intelligent creatures with a very interesting social system. Their heads are wide and flat with blunt muzzles and broad rhinariums. In contrast to the striped hyena, the ears of the spotted hyena are rounded rather than pointed. Each foot has four digits, which are webbed and armed with short, stout, and blunt claws.  They have excellent night vision, being mostly nocturnal, hunting at night, and sleeping or staying near their den in the daytime. Spotted hyenas are carnivorous animals that hunt and scavenge. When hunting alone, they prey on smaller animals such as hares, foxes, jackals, birds, fish, and snakes, as well as carrion. In a group, they hunt medium- to large-sized hoofed animals like zebra, wildebeest, Grant’s gazelle, Thompson’s gazelle, topi, waterbuck, eland, hartebeest, and impala. They also supplement their diet with eggs, fruit, and invertebrates.