Animals in Togo
Lion
Panthera leo
The lion has been Togo's national symbol since independence, appearing as a pair of red lions on the country's coat of arms adopted in 1962. The two lions represent the bravery and resilience of the Togolese people, each armed with bow and arrow as a symbol of active defense of freedom. Like many African nations that chose the lion as a national emblem, Togo made this choice at a time when lions still roamed parts of the country. Today lions are functionally extinct in Togo, their disappearance driven by hunting and the loss of the savanna habitat they once occupied in the north.
View details→Wildlife in Togo
Togo packs a surprising range of habitats into a narrow country stretching from the Gulf of Guinea to the Sahel. The south is defined by coastal lagoons, mangrove forests and beaches that support manatees, dolphins and coastal birds. Moving inland, the Togo Mountains shelter forest elephants, bushbucks, civets and a rich bird community including the national bird, the African grey parrot. The north opens into savanna and gallery forests where hippos, buffaloes, kobs and raptors thrive. Fazao-Malfakassa National Park in the center is the largest protected area and the main destination for wildlife watching in the country.
Most Dangerous Animals in Togo
Togo's most dangerous encounters are concentrated around its rivers and wetlands. Hippos are responsible for more human deaths in Africa than any other large mammal and Togo's river systems, particularly the Oti in the north and the Mono in the center and south, hold resident populations that should never be approached by boat or on foot near the water. Buffaloes in the northern parks can be aggressive if surprised at close range. In the south, bull sharks enter river mouths and coastal lagoons and have been recorded in the Gulf of Guinea region. Forest elephants in the center warrant careful distance.
Top 10 Animals in Togo
Togo rewards wildlife travelers with variety across its climate zones. In the south, coastal lagoons and mangrove forests are the best places to encounter African manatees and waterbirds, while boat trips off the coast occasionally yield dolphins. The Togo Mountains in the center hold bushbucks, civets and the African grey parrot in patches of gallery and montane forest. The northern savanna is where large mammals concentrate: hippos along the Oti River, buffalo herds, kobs, hartebeest and the remnant elephant population connected to the WAP transboundary complex across the borders with Benin and Burkina Faso.
Buffalo
Syncerus caffer
Buffalo in Togo are very scarce. A few survive in the north, in the Oti-Kéran-Mandouri protected areas near the borders with Burkina Faso and Benin, and in Fazao-Malfakassa National Park in the center of the country. Habitat loss and poaching have reduced buffalo numbers across the region, making cross-border conservation cooperation essential for keeping viable populations in Togolese territory. IUCN status: Near Threatened.
Hippopotamus
Hippopotamus amphibius
In Togo, hippos live in small, scattered numbers, mainly along the Oti River in the north and the Mono River in the south, with some in the rivers of Fazao Malfakassa National Park in the center. Farming and settlements along the riverbanks have reduced their habitat, and hunting has made them rare. Their population is small compared with neighboring Ghana and Benin. IUCN status: Vulnerable.
Warthog
Phacochoerus africanus
In Togo, warthogs live mainly in the savannas of the center and north, around Fazao Malfakassa National Park. Farming and hunting have reduced wildlife across much of the country, but warthogs adapt well and can survive in patchy landscapes. They still turn up near farmland edges as well as inside protected areas, where buffalo also live. IUCN status: Least Concern.
African Forest Elephant
Loxodonta cyclotis
Togo's elephants are few. A small group lives in Fazao-Malfakassa National Park in the center of the country, and elephants move between the Oti-Kéran and Oti-Mandouri reserves in the north and the Pendjari and W parks of Benin and Burkina Faso, a population of mixed forest and savanna ancestry. Decades of poaching and the loss of protection in the 1990s left Togo with only a remnant of its former herds. IUCN status: Critically Endangered.
Caracal
Caracal caracal
In Togo, the caracal occupies savanna zones and dry woodlands in the northern part of the country, where open terrain and sparse vegetation suit its hunting style. This wild cat of medium size, instantly recognizable by the black tufts on its ears, is solitary and hunts at night, taking rodents, hares, and birds. The IUCN classifies it as Least Concern, though habitat loss and human pressure remain ongoing concerns across West Africa.
Serval
Leptailurus serval
In Togo, servals live in the savannas of the center and north and along river valleys where tall grass and seasonal wetlands support rodents, frogs and birds. They hunt mostly at dusk and at night and are rarely seen. As in much of West Africa, land clearing for farms, bush fires and hunting have reduced the habitat they need, and data on their numbers are scarce. IUCN status: Least Concern.
African Civet
Civettictis civetta
The African civet is present across Togo, from the forests of the southwest and the Kpalimé highlands to the Guinea savanna woodlands of the center and the drier north. Fazao-Malfakassa National Park, the largest protected area in the country, provides core habitat. Civets adapt to secondary forest and agricultural edges but are most reliably found wherever permanent watercourses and dense cover coincide. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Honey Badger
Mellivora capensis
In Togo the honey badger lives in the savanna and dry woodland of the center and north, including Fazao Malfakassa and the Oti Kéran area, rather than in the humid zone near the coast. It feeds on rodents, insects, reptiles and wild fruit and raids beehives without hesitation. It is rarely seen, and the loss of habitat to farming and hunting is a growing concern across the region. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Common Genet
Genetta genetta
In Togo the common genet lives in the wooded savannas of the center and north, using open woodland, gallery forest along rivers and thick scrub, and it is scarcer in the forested south. It is a secretive night animal, rarely seen by people, that feeds on rodents, small birds, reptiles and insects. It is not well studied in Togo, but it is part of the West African savanna fauna. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Kob
Kobus kob
In Togo, Buffon's kob lives in the central and northern savannas. Fazao-Malfakassa National Park, the country's largest, holds the main population, with a park estimate of about 3,200 kobs, and smaller numbers survive in Kéran National Park in the north. Kobs graze grassy plains near rivers and need water every day. Decades of poaching and farming inside the parks cut their numbers sharply. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Hartebeest
Alcelaphus buselaphus
In Togo, the western hartebeest has a small, scattered presence in the northern savannas, around the Oti-Kéran and Oti-Mandouri protected areas, which border Ghana and Burkina Faso. Farming, cattle and poaching have reduced its habitat sharply in recent decades, and many reserves lost much of their wildlife. It is listed as Near Threatened, and protecting the north is key to its survival here. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Bushbuck
Tragelaphus scriptus
Togo's bushbucks are of the striped harnessed form. They live in the gallery forests and woodland of Fazao-Malfakassa National Park in the center of the country and in the Kéran and Oti areas of the north, as well as in remnant forests and farmbush in the south. Heavy hunting has made them scarce outside protected areas, where they hide by day. They feed mostly at night on leaves, shoots and fallen fruit, and males bark loudly when alarmed. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Sea Turtle
Chelonia mydas
Green turtles are found in Togo's short stretch of Gulf of Guinea coast, mostly as foraging juveniles and adults, while most nests on Togolese beaches belong to olive ridleys and leatherbacks. Togo takes part in West African networks that coordinate sea turtle monitoring across the region. Bycatch in fishing nets and the taking of turtles and eggs remain the main threats. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Bateleur
Terathopius ecaudatus
In Togo, the bateleur inhabits the savanna and open woodland zones of the north, including areas around Fazao-Malfakassa National Park. It is an uncommon sight and its populations across West Africa have declined considerably. Classified as Endangered, it is threatened by habitat conversion for agriculture, poisoning, and disturbance at nest sites. Its presence in Togo reflects the western limits of its more continuous sub-Saharan range.
White backed Vulture
Gyps africanus
The white backed vulture is an uncommon but recorded resident in Togo, found mainly in the savanna habitats of the north, including the Fazao Malfakassa National Park. As large mammal populations in Togo have declined, sightings of this vulture have become rarer. Critically endangered throughout West Africa, the species is under severe pressure from poisoning. Even a single poisoning event near a carcass can eliminate an entire local group of birds.
Lanner Falcon
Falco biarmicus
The lanner falcon is present in Togo across the drier savanna zones of the north, where open ground and scattered rocky outcrops provide hunting and nesting opportunities. It preys mainly on birds, using fast and low pursuit flights rather than steep dives. Habitat loss tied to agricultural expansion is a concern in the region. The species is thinly distributed across West Africa. The IUCN lists the lanner falcon as Least Concern.
Tawny Eagle
Aquila rapax
The tawny eagle occurs in Togo's northern savanna belt, where open woodland and dry grassland give it room to hunt. It is much less common in the south. As elsewhere in West Africa, its numbers have fallen in recent decades because of farming expansion, tree cutting and poisoning. It nests in tall savanna trees and feeds on small animals, carrion and food stolen from other raptors. IUCN status: Vulnerable.
Secretary Bird
Sagittarius serpentarius
The secretary bird is present in Togo's northern savanna zones, where open grassy habitats provide the hunting grounds it depends on. It walks steadily through these landscapes in search of snakes, insects, and small vertebrates. Togo's savannas face ongoing conversion to farmland, which shrinks the space available to this Endangered bird. Sightings here are less frequent than in parts of East or southern Africa, making each record ecologically significant.
African Fish Eagle
Haliaeetus vocifer
The African fish eagle lives in Togo along the country's rivers and the coastal lagoons near the Gulf of Guinea. The Mono and Oti rivers are the main freshwater corridors, and Lake Togo and the wetlands near Lomé also offer habitat. It is not very common, since the country is small and has little freshwater, but it is resident near permanent water and can be seen on the main rivers and lagoons. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Barn Owl
Tyto alba
The barn owl is found across Togo in open savanna, farmland, and areas near villages and towns from the Sahel fringe in the north through the Guinea savanna to the more forested south. It nests in old buildings, hollow trees, and rocky outcrops, and hunts rodents at night. In farming communities across the country it helps control the small mammal populations that damage stored millet, sorghum, and maize. It is less commonly found in the dense forest zones of the southwest coastal region.
Stork
Ciconia ciconia
In Togo, the white stork passes through during its annual migration between Europe and Africa south of the Sahara. Flocks can be seen moving across the country's northern savanna and agricultural plains, typically between October and March. They feed on insects, frogs, and small animals found in open fields. Togo sits along a well traveled corridor for migratory birds heading to and from their wintering grounds further south. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Peregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinus
The peregrine falcon occurs in Togo mainly as a passage migrant and winter visitor, moving through the country between the Sahara and the wetter regions further south. Open savanna, agricultural land, and rocky terrain in the north can offer good hunting opportunities for this bird. Systematic survey data from Togo is limited, but the IUCN lists the peregrine falcon as Least Concern globally.
Nightingale
Luscinia megarhynchos
Togo forms part of the nightingale's West African wintering range, where the bird inhabits scrub and woodland edges in the Guinea savanna zone. It travels here from breeding grounds in Europe and western Asia each autumn, spending the dry season foraging quietly among vegetation. Togo's relatively small size belies its importance as a stopover and wintering site for many migratory birds making this journey. IUCN status: Least Concern.
African Manatee
Trichechus senegalensis
In Togo, the African manatee is found in the coastal lagoon system that extends along the Gulf of Guinea and in the lower stretches of rivers draining toward the coast. The species is considered rare within the country and is seldom observed. Accidental entanglement in fishing gear and hunting remain the main threats, and very little research has been conducted on manatee populations within Togo specifically. IUCN status: Vulnerable.
Barracuda
Sphyraena barracuda
Togo has only about 50 kilometers of coast on the Gulf of Guinea, and the great barracuda lives in those waters, over the sandy and rocky bottoms of the continental shelf and near the lagoon outlets of Lomé and Aného. There are no coral reefs here, so it is rarely seen by divers. It is mostly known as a catch of the artisanal canoes that land fish on the beaches of Lomé, often alongside the Guinean barracuda. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Tiger Shark
Galeocerdo cuvier
Warm water and a rich continental shelf make the coast of Togo good tiger shark habitat. The species hunts fish, rays and turtles near shore and in deeper water. Togo has only about 50 kilometers of coast on the Gulf of Guinea. Sharks are an important catch for local fishers, who sell the meat fresh or smoked and the fins to traders. Bites on people along this coast are almost unknown. IUCN status: Near Threatened.
Bull Shark
Carcharhinus leucas
Warm, murky water and many river mouths make the coast of Togo good bull shark habitat. The species hunts close to shore, and its young grow up in the lagoons near Lomé and Aného, on the country's short coast. Togo has only about 50 kilometers of coast on the Gulf of Guinea. Like other sharks in West Africa, it is heavily fished by artisanal fleets, and very little is known about how its numbers are changing. IUCN status: Vulnerable.
Researched and written by Juan Pablo. Sources: IUCN Red List, scientific literature and regional field guides. Last updated: .