Animals in Botswana
Zebra
Equus quagga
The zebra is Botswana's national animal. Two zebras hold up the coat of arms adopted in 1966, one carrying an elephant tusk and the other an ear of sorghum, and the national football team is called the Zebras. Large herds migrate between the Chobe River and Nxai Pan.
View details→Wildlife in Botswana
Botswana is a landlocked country of about 582,000 square kilometers in southern Africa, home to fewer than 2.5 million people, most of them in the east around Gaborone. The rest is open wild land. The Kalahari covers most of the country with red sand, grass and thorn trees, and in the north the Okavango River spreads into a huge inland delta of channels, islands and floodplains, while the Makgadikgadi salt pans shine white in the dry season. Rain falls in the hot summer from November to March, but the delta floods in the dry winter, when water from the Angolan highlands finally arrives and animals crowd toward it.
Cattle have long been the center of life in Botswana, and the land is shared between herders, farms and wildlife. Chobe was set aside as a game reserve in 1960 and became the country's first national park in 1967, Moremi was created in 1963 at the request of the local Batawana people, and the Okavango Delta joined the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2014. Since the 2000s the country has also moved rhinos back into the wild from the Khama Rhino Sanctuary near Serowe.
Most visitors fly into Maun or drive in from Kasane, close to Victoria Falls, and many safaris run by small planes and dugout canoes. The wildlife follows these contrasts: elephants, big cats and buffalo along the rivers, antelopes and zebras on the pans, and desert animals that live with little water in the Kalahari.
Most Dangerous Animals in Botswana
Botswana's best camps are often unfenced, so animals walk freely between tents, and that is part of the magic. It also means a few simple rules matter. Never walk around camp alone after dark, use the escort that lodges provide and stay inside your tent if you hear animals close by.
The big cats get the attention, yet lions and leopards almost never attack people who stay in vehicles or tents. The larger plant eaters are the real danger. Hippos leave the water at night to graze and can be deadly if someone blocks their path back, buffalo can charge without warning, and elephants need a wide space, especially mothers with calves and males in musth. In the Okavango, canoe guides keep away from hippo pools for this reason.
Nile crocodiles live in every river and channel of the north, so never swim in the delta or the Chobe River, and keep away from the water's edge. Hyenas may raid camps for food at night. Venomous snakes live across the country but avoid people; wear closed shoes, use a flashlight after dark and never try to touch or kill a snake. Following your guide is the best protection of all.
Top 10 Animals in Botswana
Botswana is one of the best places in Africa to see big animals, and each one has its favorite corners. The African elephant is the symbol of Chobe: in the dry months, from about June to October, hundreds gather along the Chobe River, and boat trips from Kasane pass herds drinking and swimming next to hippos and Nile crocodiles. Buffalo herds move through Chobe, Linyanti and the Okavango, and lions follow them. In Savuti, lions are famous for hunting very large prey, while the Okavango has prides that cross water between islands.
Leopards are seen often around Moremi and the Khwai area, usually resting in trees in the late afternoon. Cheetahs prefer open ground, such as the plains of Savuti, Nxai Pan and the Central Kalahari. Giraffes are common across the north, from the edges of the delta to the dry woodlands near Nxai Pan. For rhinos, the easiest place is the Khama Rhino Sanctuary near Serowe, where guides track them on foot or by car, and a few also live inside the delta. The black mamba lives in the bush across the north and east, but it is shy and rarely seen by visitors.
African Elephant
Loxodonta africana
Botswana has the largest elephant population in the world, about 130,000 savanna elephants, roughly a third of all African elephants. Chobe National Park, where thousands come to drink and swim in the Chobe River in the dry season, is one of the best places on Earth to see them, and large herds follow the floods of the Okavango Delta. Botswana is the heart of the Kavango-Zambezi area, shared with four neighbors. IUCN status: Endangered.
Buffalo
Syncerus caffer
Botswana holds some of Africa's most significant buffalo populations, concentrated in the Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park, and the Linyanti wetlands. Chobe in particular is famous for its enormous herds, which gather along the river during the dry season. The species interacts closely with large predator populations in these ecosystems. Long veterinary fences keep these buffalo, which carry foot and mouth disease, apart from cattle. IUCN status: Near Threatened.
Cheetah
Acinonyx jubatus
Botswana is one of the cheetah's strongholds, holding about a fifth of southern Africa's cheetah range, with many living on farmland and in the Kalahari. The Central Kalahari Game Reserve and the Ghanzi farming region are key areas, and in 2013 collars on wild cheetahs in northern Botswana gave the first accurate measure of their speed, about 93 km/h. Springboks are a common prey here. IUCN status: Vulnerable.
Sable Antelope
Hippotragus niger
In Botswana, sable antelopes live in the north, in the woodlands of the Chobe District and along the Linyanti and Kwando rivers, always close to permanent water. Herds often come down to drink along the Chobe riverfront in the dry season, and the private concessions of Linyanti are among the best places in Africa to see large groups of black bulls. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Giraffe
Giraffa camelopardalis
Botswana has strong populations of southern giraffes, Angolan giraffes in the center and north and South African giraffes in the north and south. They are a common sight in Chobe National Park, the Okavango Delta and the Makgadikgadi area, where they browse on acacia and other trees. Large protected areas and low human density help keep their numbers healthy. IUCN status: Vulnerable.
Greater Kudu
Tragelaphus strepsiceros
Botswana has healthy greater kudu numbers in Chobe, the Okavango Delta and the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. In the Kalahari they survive long dry spells on the moisture in leaves, pods and wild fruits, drinking whenever water appears. Males are often seen at waterholes in the dry season. Kudus here are hunted by lions, leopards and wild dogs, and they rely on their stripes to vanish into the bush. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Hippopotamus
Hippopotamus amphibius
Botswana holds one of Africa's largest hippo populations, estimated at 11,000 to 15,000 in 2018, concentrated in the Okavango Delta and the Chobe, Linyanti and Kwando rivers. Their trails through the delta's reed beds help keep water channels open, shaping the wetland itself. Chobe riverfront boat trips are one of the best ways to see them alongside elephants and crocodiles. IUCN status: Vulnerable.
Spotted Hyena
Crocuta crocuta
Botswana has one of Africa's strongest spotted hyena populations, spread across the Okavango Delta, Chobe, Savuti, Moremi and the dry Kalahari, where they also share the land with brown hyenas. Large herds of zebras, wildebeest and buffalo keep the clans well fed, and rivalry with lions over kills is part of daily life in the delta. Dens with cubs are among the most popular sightings on safaris in the north of the country. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Impala
Aepyceros melampus
In Botswana impalas are a common sight in the Okavango Delta, Moremi and Chobe National Park, where they gather in large herds on the edges of floodplains and woodlands. They graze fresh grass after the rains and browse shrubs in the dry months, staying close to water. They are a main prey of leopards and wild dogs, and their alarm snort often warns safari guides that a predator is near. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Black backed Jackal
Lupulella mesomelas
The black backed jackal is a common resident across Botswana, from the salt pans of the Makgadikgadi and the grasslands of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve to the floodplains bordering the Okavango Delta. It is an opportunistic feeder, taking small prey, wild fruits, and carrion depending on the season. Its IUCN status is Least Concern. Bonded pairs defend territories together and raise their young with assistance from previous litters.
Leopard
Panthera pardus
Botswana has one of Africa's healthiest leopard populations, especially in the Okavango Delta, Moremi, Chobe and Linyanti, where leopards hunt impala and other antelopes and rest in trees along the floodplains. The Okavango is also where Legadema, a female leopard followed for years by filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert, grew up. Botswana suspended trophy hunting from 2014 to 2019. IUCN status: Vulnerable.
Lion
Panthera leo
Botswana has one of Africa's largest lion populations, with big prides in the Okavango Delta, Moremi, Chobe, Savuti and Linyanti. In the Kalahari, lions get through long dry seasons with little water, and in Chobe and Savuti some prides have learned to hunt young elephants. Huge protected areas and few people help them, although lions that wander onto cattle farms around the delta are still often killed. IUCN status: Vulnerable.
Oryx
Oryx gazella and Oryx beisa (genus Oryx)
In Botswana, the gemsbok is an iconic resident of the Kalahari. The Central Kalahari Game Reserve and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park protect large herds that roam the red sands and open scrub in search of grasses, roots and wild melons, which supply most of their water. Their bold black and white faces and long horns make them one of the most recognizable animals of the Botswana desert. IUCN status: Least Concern (gemsbok).
Springbok
Antidorcas marsupialis
In Botswana, springboks live across the Kalahari in the south and southwest, in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, where they gather on dry pans and fresh grass after rain. They can go without drinking, getting moisture from leaves, roots and tubers they dig up. Cheetahs and lions hunt them on the wide open plains of the Kalahari. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Warthog
Phacochoerus africanus
The common warthog is widespread across Botswana's savannas and dry woodlands, from the Okavango Delta and Moremi to Chobe National Park and the Makgadikgadi. It is regular prey for the lions, leopards and wild dogs of these ecosystems. Warthogs are often seen kneeling to graze on the floodplains or trotting off with their tails raised toward a burrow. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Wild Dog
Lycaon pictus
Northern Botswana is one of the great strongholds of the African wild dog. Packs roam the Okavango Delta, Moremi, Linyanti and Chobe, and are seen regularly on safari. A famous 2017 study of five packs in the Okavango showed that the dogs sneeze during their greeting rallies to decide when to set off and hunt. Here they chase impala and live alongside lions and spotted hyenas. IUCN status: Endangered.
Wildebeest
Connochaetes taurinus
In Botswana, blue wildebeest live in the Kalahari, the Okavango and Chobe areas. The Kalahari herds once made long migrations in search of water, but cattle fences built to stop disease blocked their routes in droughts, and wildebeest numbers in central and southern Botswana fell by an estimated 94 percent between 1979 and 1994. Today they are easiest to see in the Okavango and the Central Kalahari. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Zebra
Equus quagga
Botswana hosts two of Africa's great zebra migrations. Plains zebras move between the Boteti River and the Makgadikgadi Pans with the rains, and GPS collars showed in 2014 that some walk from the Chobe River in Namibia to Nxai Pan and back, about 500 kilometers, the longest known land migration in Africa. Large herds also graze the Chobe and Moremi floodplains, and the open, lightly fenced country lets them move freely between the seasons.
Black Rhinoceros
Diceros bicornis
Black rhinos were wiped out in Botswana and have been brought back from South Africa since the early 2000s, but the population is still small, only a few dozen animals. A poaching wave between 2018 and 2021 hit the Okavango Delta hard, and the government responded by dehorning rhinos and moving many into guarded sanctuaries. Their exact locations are kept secret for safety. IUCN status: Critically Endangered.
Meerkat
Suricata suricatta
In Botswana, meerkats live in the southwestern Kalahari, including the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, and on the grassy edges of the Makgadikgadi Pans, where habituated mobs let visitors sit beside their burrows at dawn. They share these dry plains with springboks, oryx and black backed jackals, and dash underground when a tawny eagle passes overhead, warned by the sentinel's alarm call. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Pangolin
Manidae (8 species)
Temminck's ground pangolin lives across much of Botswana, from the Kalahari to the woodlands around the Okavango Delta and the Chobe region. It often rests in burrows dug by aardvarks or springhares and, in the cold winter months, may come out in the afternoon, which gives safari guests a rare chance to see one. Trafficking for its scales is a growing problem, and the species is Vulnerable. IUCN status: varies by species.
Caracal
Caracal caracal
Botswana supports one of the more stable caracal populations in southern Africa, with the species present across the Kalahari shrublands, open savannas, and drier thornbush areas. It is well adapted to the dry conditions that dominate much of the country. While it preys on hares, small antelopes, and birds, it is frequently targeted by livestock farmers who consider it a threat to small stock. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Serval
Leptailurus serval
Botswana's servals are most common in the north, in the Okavango Delta and along the Chobe and Linyanti floodplains, where reed beds and tall grass are full of rodents. Safari guides spot them at dawn and dusk. In 2019 camera traps also recorded servals in Khutse Game Reserve and around Ghanzi, in the Kalahari, far from where they were thought to live. IUCN status: Least Concern.
African Civet
Civettictis civetta
In Botswana, the African civet is confined to the north and northeast, where permanent water and dense woodland converge. The Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park, and the Linyanti wetlands form the core of its range in the country. It does not extend into the Kalahari interior, which lacks the riverine cover it needs. Night drives in the Chobe and Okavango areas regularly produce sightings along watercourses and woodland edges. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Honey Badger
Mellivora capensis
Botswana's Kalahari and the Okavango Delta both hold honey badgers, and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, shared with South Africa, is where much of what we know about them was learned. Badgers there dig up gerbils, lizards and scorpions from the sand, hunt cobras and raid beehives. Night drives offer the best chance to see one. Retaliatory killing by beekeepers and farmers affects them in some areas. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Common Genet
Genetta genetta
In Botswana the common genet, often called the small spotted genet in southern Africa, is widespread in dry savanna, thornbush and woodland, including the Kalahari, where it does well even far from water. It sleeps by day in burrows, hollow trees or thick bushes and comes out at night to hunt mice, birds, lizards and insects. On night drives look for its white tail tip and black back crest. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Brown Hyena
Parahyaena brunnea
Botswana holds the world's largest brown hyena population, with a national estimate of about 4,600 animals spread across the Kalahari. The Central Kalahari Game Reserve and the Botswana side of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park offer wide, quiet land where they scavenge after lions and cheetahs and eat wild melons for water. In the north, where spotted hyenas are common, they are scarcer. Farm persecution is the main threat. IUCN status: Near Threatened.
Hartebeest
Alcelaphus buselaphus
Botswana has healthy numbers of red hartebeest, most visible in the Kalahari, especially the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park shared with South Africa. They graze the dry grasslands and pans, drinking when water appears and getting by on moisture from grass and melons in long dry spells. Lions and cheetahs hunt them on these open plains. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Topi
Damaliscus lunatus
Botswana is one of the best places to see the tsessebe, the southern form of the topi, which grazes the floodplains and grasslands of the Okavango Delta, Moremi and the Chobe region, including Savuti. It is credited with speeds of up to about 80 kilometers per hour. Aerial surveys found a decline in northern Botswana over recent decades, so the Okavango herds are watched closely. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Bushbuck
Tragelaphus scriptus
Botswana's bushbucks live in the north, in the riverine forests of the Okavango Delta and along the Chobe River, where the boldly spotted Chobe bushbuck is a common sight from boats and game drives. They are strong swimmers and move easily between the islands of the delta. Away from permanent water the country is too dry for them. Leopards are their main predator, and males defend themselves fiercely. IUCN status: Least Concern.
White Rhinoceros
Ceratotherium simum
White rhinos were reintroduced to Botswana from South Africa and live at Khama Rhino Sanctuary near Serowe and in the Okavango Delta. Poaching hit the delta hard between 2018 and 2021, and many rhinos were dehorned or moved to safer areas, so their exact locations are kept quiet. They share the country with black rhinos, also brought back after being wiped out. IUCN status: Near Threatened.
Aardvark
Orycteropus afer
In Botswana, the aardvark lives across the Kalahari and the savannas of the north, from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve to the woodlands around the Okavango Delta and Chobe. It is rarely seen, but its fresh diggings at termite mounds are common. Its burrows are vital in the Kalahari, sheltering ground pangolins, warthogs, brown hyenas and meerkats. It feeds only at night. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Nile Crocodile
Crocodylus niloticus
In Botswana the Nile crocodile thrives in the Okavango Delta and along the Chobe and Linyanti rivers, with smaller numbers in the Limpopo. The Okavango Panhandle, in the northwest, is its main nesting area, and crocodiles are easy to see from boats in the delta and on the Chobe River near Kasane. Fish and large mammals at the water's edge give it ideal conditions, though conflict with fishing communities remains a concern. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Black Mamba
Dendroaspis polylepis
In Botswana, the black mamba occupies the savanna and thornbush that cover much of the country, including the edges of the Okavango Delta and the wooded parts of the Kalahari. It is an active daytime hunter of rodents and birds and shelters in termite mounds and old burrows. Encounters with people are uncommon but serious: its fast acting neurotoxic venom makes prompt hospital care essential after any bite. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Bateleur
Terathopius ecaudatus
Botswana's Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park, and Kalahari woodlands provide some of the most important habitat for the bateleur in southern Africa. It is a regular sight soaring above open savanna and dry forest, often following elephant and predator activity to locate carrion. Listed as Endangered by the IUCN, it remains under threat from poisoning linked to wildlife crime in the region.
Grey Crowned Crane
Balearica regulorum
In Botswana the grey crowned crane lives mainly in the Okavango Delta, the Linyanti and the Chobe floodplains, some of southern Africa's most important wetlands. It feeds in shallow water and floodplain grasslands on seeds, insects and small animals, roosts in tall trees at night and nests on the ground among marsh vegetation. Botswana holds only a small population at the western edge of the range. IUCN status: Endangered.
Ostrich
Struthio camelus
Botswana is one of the strongholds for ostriches in southern Africa. They are a common sight across the Kalahari Desert and the dry savanna plains that cover much of the country. The ostrich thrives in Botswana's open, arid terrain and is regularly seen inside the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Their ability to go without water for extended periods suits this semi arid landscape well.
Steppe Eagle
Aquila nipalensis
Botswana's open savannas and dry plains attract wintering steppe eagles from Central Asia between November and March. The species reaches the southern edge of its wintering range here, so numbers vary from year to year. Birds are seen in the north and east, in places like the Okavango and Chobe areas, often in small groups at termite emergences after the rains or at carcasses with vultures. IUCN status: Endangered.
White backed Vulture
Gyps africanus
Botswana's Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park, and the Linyanti area hold some of the most important white backed vulture colonies in southern Africa. It is also where the species suffered one of its worst disasters: in June 2019, 468 white backed vultures died after feeding on poisoned elephants. In Linyanti, breeding pairs fell from 73 in 2007 to 22 in 2017. The species is Critically Endangered.
Lanner Falcon
Falco biarmicus
In Botswana, the lanner falcon is found across open and semi arid habitats, including the edges of the Kalahari and areas around rocky outcrops in the east of the country. It is a year round resident that hunts birds in coordinated pair flights and nests on cliff ledges or occasionally tall structures. The species benefits from the country's vast undisturbed savannas, though electrocution on power lines is a known risk for raptors here.
Tawny Eagle
Aquila rapax
Botswana's Kalahari and surrounding savannas are strongholds for the tawny eagle in southern Africa. In the Kgalagadi, almost every pair builds a new nest each year, and most eggs are laid in May and June. In northern Botswana, poachers poisoned elephant carcasses that killed 537 vultures and 2 eagles, one of the threats it faces with power lines. IUCN status: Vulnerable.
Secretary Bird
Sagittarius serpentarius
Botswana's sweeping grasslands and open savannas offer some of the best habitat for the secretary bird in southern Africa. It is regularly seen in the Kalahari and in areas surrounding the Okavango Delta. It hunts by stomping prey with tremendous force and pairs nest on flat topped trees. Expanding agriculture and livestock farming threaten its open grassland habitat. The IUCN lists it as Endangered.
African Fish Eagle
Haliaeetus vocifer
Botswana is one of the best places in Africa to see the African fish eagle. The Okavango Delta holds a large, stable population, and the bird is also common along the Chobe River and the Linyanti wetlands. It is easy to spot perched on dead trees above open channels or calling loudly across the floodplains. In the Okavango it is often one of the first birds visitors see. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Barn Owl
Tyto alba
The barn owl is found throughout Botswana in open savanna, farmland, and the vicinity of human settlements. It nests in hollow trees, old buildings, and rocky outcrops, and hunts rodents and other small prey by sound in complete darkness. In agricultural areas it is a valuable natural controller of rodent populations. It is present across a wide range of Botswana's landscapes, from the Kalahari scrubland to the Okavango Delta fringes.
Stork
Ciconia ciconia
Botswana attracts large numbers of wintering white storks, particularly in the Okavango Delta and the open grasslands of the east. These birds arrive from the northern hemisphere and take advantage of the warm months to feed on locusts, grasshoppers, and other abundant prey. The Okavango's seasonal floods create ideal conditions for foraging. The IUCN lists the white stork as Least Concern.
Peregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinus
In Botswana, the peregrine falcon is mainly a non breeding visitor, appearing during the southern hemisphere summer when migrants from the northern hemisphere arrive. It can be spotted over the Okavango Delta, the Kalahari, and open savannas, hunting birds in fast aerial pursuits. The vast open landscapes of Botswana suit its hunting style perfectly, giving it wide, unobstructed skies to reach its extraordinary speeds. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Flamingo
Phoenicopteridae (6 species)
In Botswana, lesser flamingos and greater flamingos appear seasonally at the Makgadikgadi Pans, a vast complex of salt flats in the northeast of the country. When seasonal rains flood the pans, the shallow brackish water draws flamingos in large flocks to feed on algae and small invertebrates. The number of birds visiting varies greatly from year to year depending on rainfall. The lesser flamingo is listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN.
Frequently Asked Questions
What animals live in Botswana?
Botswana has elephants, lions, leopards, cheetahs, buffalo, hippos, giraffes, zebras, rhinos, African wild dogs and many antelopes, such as impala, sable, kudu, oryx and springbok. Meerkats, brown hyenas and pangolins live in the drier south and center, and Nile crocodiles fill the rivers of the north. Birds of prey like the African fish eagle are easy to see along the water.
What is the national animal of Botswana?
The zebra. It has been on the national coat of arms since 1966, and the national football team is known as the Zebras. Botswana is also home to one of the longest zebra migrations in Africa: each year thousands walk from the Chobe River to Nxai Pan when the rains start.
Can you see the Big Five in Botswana?
Yes. Lions, leopards, elephants and buffalo are common in the Okavango Delta, Moremi and Chobe. Rhinos are the hardest, since there are few in the wild, but they can be seen at the Khama Rhino Sanctuary near Serowe and in a few areas of the delta. Botswana also has more elephants than any other country, about 130,000 according to the 2022 aerial survey.
Where can you see wild dogs in Botswana?
Northern Botswana is one of the last strongholds of the African wild dog, an endangered species. Packs live in the Okavango Delta, Moremi, Khwai, Linyanti and Chobe. They roam over huge areas, but from about June to August they stay near their dens to raise pups, which is the best time to find them.
Are there meerkats in Botswana?
Yes. Meerkats live in the dry grasslands of the Kalahari and around the Makgadikgadi Pans. Some colonies near the pans are used to people, and visitors can sit a few meters away while the meerkats stand guard on their back legs, sometimes even climbing onto a person to look farther.
Researched and written by Juan Pablo. Sources: IUCN Red List, scientific literature and regional field guides. Last updated: .