Top 10 Most Popular Zimbabwean Wildlife

There on doubt that wildlife contributes to a large part of Zimbabwe’s tourism. It is home to over 5000 species which is a big number for a relatively small country. Although drought and illegal poaching has caused some of the wildlife to be scarce or to non exist, there’s hope to keep the ones left.

Here is our top ten of the most popular wildlife in Zimbabwe.

1.Lion – The African lion is one of the most popular wildlife in Zimbabwe, one of the very few African countries where they exist. Lions are the only cats that live in groups, which are called prides, prides can have up to forty members and among them no more than three males. The average lion is 1.4-2meters long from its head to its rump and its tail measures from 26.25 to 39.5 inches. They typically weigh 120-191kgs. Lions habitat in territories of about  100square miles and the territories consists of scrub, grasslands or open woodlands. They feed on other wild animals like antelopes or zebras.

 2. Elephants – Zimbabwe’s elephants are called the Savanna type, it is the largest type of elephants and they are easily distinguished by their very large ears which allow them to radiate heat and the front legs which are noticeably longer than hind legs. An elephant family consists of around ten females and their calves, they join with other family units to form a clan which is led by a female called matriarch. Their selection of food varies depending on the season, they feed on grass more during the rainy season than in dry seasons. Most of them are found in the Hwange National Park.  

3. Leopard- The Zimbabwean leopard is called Panthera Pardus and is easily identified because of its square spots as compared to the circular spots in West African leopards. They are kept in Parks like the Hwange National Park. Leopards purr and are excellent swimmers. They can jump 3meters straight up and they stalk and pounces their prey rather than chase it long distance. The white spots on the tip of their tails and back of their ears help leopards locate and communicate with each other in tall grass.

4. Giraffe – The type of giraffes found in Zimbabwe is called Camelopardalis giraffe which is Latin for camel marked like a leopard. It has rounded or blotched spots some with star like extensions on a light tan background, running down to the hooves. It is the tallest animal in the world which helps them feed on on the foliage of trees which are not accessible to other herbivores.The weigh from 800-1200kgs and attain a height of 5.5m with its long neck accounting for the most of its height. Because of illegal hunting and poaching, the remaining giraffes are kept in game reserves. 

5. Zebra-There are two types of species of Zebra found in Zimbabwe, the Plains or Burchell’s Zebra and the Mountain Zebra. They occur in vastly different habitats although they can occur together in places where plains and mountains overlap as the names suggests. No two Zebra have the same stripping, just like fingerprints in humans, the stripes of Zebra are unique to an individual. They have a lifespan of 40 years. Burchells Zebra inhabit savanna from treeless grasslands to open woodlands.

6. Wild-beast – The Blackbeest is the most common in Zimbabwe. They are dark coloured with a distinctive white horse like tail. They inhabit the open grasslands and scrub woodland habitats where they graze on grass mainly. They have a characteristic nasal called ‘ge-nu’ from which the common name gnu is derived. The wildebeest habitat is threatened by fragmentation which is caused when land is fenced off.

7. Buffalo – Known as the Southern African Buffalo, it is one of the “Big Five”. It has a range of habitats including open woodlands with abundant grass and drinking water, areas of montane grassland and forests and also lowland rainforests. As one of the “Big Five”, they are sought by tourists on wildlife safaris and by game hunters giving people great economic incentive to conserve them.

8. Spotted Hyena – The spotted hyena has a life expectancy of 40years. It can travel 40km in a night. Its jaws and stomach are so strong it can devour the whole carcass of a medium antelope. It’s a creature of open woodlands or savannah. The spotted hyena finds their carcasses by scent, listening to the noises of other predators and also by watching vultures. Its family is a matriarchal society with the heaviest female being the leader, the single dominant male will defer to the ruling matriarch. 

9. Hippo – The hippo is recognized by its barrel shaped torsos wide open mouths revealing large canine tusks. They weigh up to 1,500kgs and despite its stocky shape and short legs it is capable of running 30km/hr. It is ranked the most dangerous animal in Africa. Hundreds of hippos are short each year because of its fat and ivory tusks which are valuable to humans. Most hippos in Zimbabwe can be found along the Zambezi river.

10. Sable – Matetsi area in South West Zimbabwe is considered the best Sable habitat in Southern Africa. The Sable frequents in the woodlands or grasslands ecotone. They spend the wet season in woods open enough to support an understory of grasses no more than 30cm high on well drained soils and in the dry season they emerge onto grasslands in search of green grass and fobs.