Asking what kind of animals live in South Africa may result in a very long list of answers. South Africa is home to one of the most diverse ranges of wildlife in the world. It is sometimes easier to categorise them according to whether they live in the sea.
If you start with sea creatures when you ask what kind of animals live in South Africa you will also be met with a very long list. Its oceans are filled with thrilling aquatic life such as sharks, whales, dolphins and beautiful fish. The number of sea creatures that you can find is huge because South Africa has two very different coastlines. The west coast of South Africa has a very cold sea current making whales and Great White sharks common visitors. The east coast has a much warmer current and you can often sea bottlenose dolphins surfing the waves. This means that activities like whale watching and shark cage diving can be done on the west coast, and activities like swimming with dolphins are easier on the east coast. The sea is also home to many marine birds such as seagulls and fish eagles.
There are so many different kinds of land animals too. South Africa is well known for being home to the Big Five – Lion, Rhino, Cheetah, Leopard and Buffalo. These enormous animals often roam free in Game parks, which means that to scope out the Big Five you will need to go on a safari. What bliss! In the ‘bush’ as it is known in South Africa you will also be able to spot hundreds of kinds of birds including eagles, hawks, kites. There are also some scary reptiles to be seen like the crocodile and black and green mamba snakes. These are only some of the answers you can give when someone asks you “What kind of animals live in South Africa?”