List of African Mammals

Bovids of Africa

• Bovids are mammals with hoofed feet and hollow horns, which they use as protection. The bovids form a major group of herbivores, but there are a few that are omnivores. Among the bovid group, you will find as many as 120 species living in the world, of which 72 species live in Africa. Some examples are the blue duiker, the kob antelope, the waterbuck, the wildebeest, the African buffalo, the oryx, the giraffe, the impala and the sable antelope.

Herbivore Mammals of Africa

• Herbivores are animals that only eat plants, and they usually make up the diets of the carnivores that occupy Africa. Among the most popular herbivore mammals found in the African subcontinent are the hippopotamus, the African elephant, the black rhinoceros, the zebra and the warthog.

Carnivore Mammals of Africa

• Carnivores are meat eaters; those animals that eat other animals. Africa is one of the favorite tourist destinations, especially for its safaris that showcase the big cats. Some of the carnivores to see and photograph on these African wildlife safaris are the majestic African lion, the leopard, the cheetah, the civet, the honey badger and the wild dog. Other known carnivores that can also be found in Africa are the hyenas, which are scavengers unlike most other large carnivores who are hunters, and the side-striped jackal.

Primates

• Africa boasts of 64 species of primates, out of which four are great apes, i.e. the western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla), the eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei), the common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) and the bonobo chimpanzee (Pan paniscus). Among the long list of other primates are the aye-aye, the vervet monkey, the macaques, the baboons, the crested mangabeys, kipunji, swamp monkeys, white-eyed mangabeys, and patas monkeys.

Omnivore Mammals

• Omnivores are animals that eat both plants and other animals. Primates, like the apes and chimpanzees, make up a large group of the omnivores living in Africa. They eat all types of plants including fruits, and their meats consist of mostly herbivores but sometimes small carnivores and other omnivores. Among the omnivores living in Africa, you have the whole pig family with the exception of the warthog, which is herbivorous.