There are a total of 602 African animals compiled and organized in this comprehensive list. The selection includes verifiable, native or long-established species with accepted common and scientific names, primary habitats, and typical wild lifespans.

African animals are the continent’s native and long-established wild species found across savannas, forests, deserts, freshwater systems, and coastal seas. They range from microscopic plankton and diverse cichlid fishes to the African elephant, the world’s largest land mammal. They provide ecosystem services, cultural value, and livelihoods through tourism, food, and traditional knowledge. Many species also serve as indicators for habitat health and conservation planning.

Interesting and little-known facts about African animals:
– The Great Migration in East Africa involves about 1,500,000 wildebeest, plus hundreds of thousands of zebras and gazelles, making it the largest terrestrial migration.
– Lake Malawi contains over 700 cichlid species, most of which are endemic and illustrate rapid evolutionary diversification.
– African elephants can live up to 60–70 years in the wild and act as “ecosystem engineers,” creating water holes and opening forest clearings.
– The cheetah can accelerate to about 112 km/h (70 mph) in short bursts, relying on extreme acceleration rather than long endurance.
– Lesser flamingo colonies at Rift Valley lakes sometimes number in the hundreds of thousands, forming spectacular breeding aggregations.

The alphabetical index that follows links to A–Z entries for each common name. Each entry contains a sortable table with these columns: Common name; Scientific name (accepted binomial); Primary habitat(s) (broad category plus region); Typical lifespan in the wild (with captivity notes where relevant).