10 Kenya Animals That Are More Than Famous

If there is any thing Kenya is known for, it is the abundance and nature’s generosity of wild life. Tourism, travels and safaris form a very large chunk of Kenya’s national revenue and all efforts have been made to improve the satisfaction that visitors get from taking a trip to Kenya. Kenya as a country has built a reputation as one of East Africa’s premier safari destinations. Kenyan animals are among the most amazing species of wildlife in Africa, and it is always fun seeing these amazing creatures; from the mighty African Elephants found in Kenya to the speedy cheetahs ready to outrun and overtake any prey that crosses its path.

If you are planning a vacation to Kenya, among your priorities should be a first hand experience of Kenya animals as they promise to keep you bewildered. Below are the 10 Most Famous Kenya Animals that will make your day any time.

Famous Animals in Kenya

10. Baboon

Yellow Baboon

Baboons are species of monkeys that are ground dwelling and prefer living in groups called “troops”. Baboons live in groups of eight to 200 individuals per troop and these animals are specialists when it comes to tree climbing and can be aggressive and ready top attack when provoked in order to defend themselves even from leopards. These animals love to live in the Savanna. The specie called the yellow baboons inhabit the savannas and light forests in the eastern part of Africa especially Kenya and Tanzania. Baboons generally are omnivores and can eat anything from plants and insects up to small antelopes. They are also efficient predators of smaller animals and their young, keeping some animals’ populations in check.

9. Bushbaby

bushbaby

Galagos is another name for bushbabies. They are part of the common Kenya animals that usually feed at night. Bushbabies are most famous for several myths associated with them. According to some of the myths, bush baby is a boy-spirit that weeps and goes about with a rolled-up mat with which he could beat anyone to death! And that bush babies cry like a lost baby in nearby woods, especially at night, as a way of attracting captives-to-be. There was also the myth that if you could snatch the mat from him and sleep on it, you would become wealthy! The fact is that bushbabies are small, nocturnal primates that feed mostly on fruits and insects and are native to continental Africa.

8. Giraffe

giraffe

Giraffe is an even-toed ungulate animal of Africa and one of the interesting Kenya animals. Giraffes are unmistakably the tallest living terrestrial animal in existence and the largest known ruminant. The main distinguishing feature a giraffe has is its extremely long neck and limbs. A fully-grown giraffe can measure up to 5.5 m high. They are browsing animals that eat tree branches and twigs from trees, something they are well endowed for by the virtue of their extremely long necks. There are three subspecies of giraffes found in Kenya and they are not among the list of endangered animals in the country since they can co-exist with cattle and are not adversely effected by spreading farmlands.

 7. Crocodile

crocodile

Crocodiles are among the most famous Kenyan Animals. Its famed has been increased in recent times by the fact that the scaly, huge and dangerous reptile capable of crushing the strongest bone with one bite of its powerful jaw has been attacking humans. The Tana and Mara rivers that run through the famous Masai Mara game park in Kenya is particularly known to be quite dangerous because of crocodiles. In this region, crocodiles have been targeting human prey with devastating success. Within the Tana village, crocodile attacks claimed six lives in 2010 and these attacks has been on the increase since then. However, against all odds, Crocs are still among the Kenya animals worth taking a look at (from a very safe distance though).

6. Ostriches

Ostriches

Ostriches are large birds (the largest living species of bird) without the capability to fly. They are usually seen living in small groups of 5 to 50 on the plains of Kenya. They are amazing to behold and their beautiful long feathers are of immense decorative value. They lay their eggs which is the largest for any living bird in nests scratched into the bare ground. Ostriches eat mainly plant materials, along with invertebrates and insects. When threatened or attacked, their long legs can give a powerful kick to ward of predators. They can run at a steady speed of 30 miles per hour (mph) which they can increase up to 45 miles/hr (an equivalent of 70km/hr).

5. Leopard

Leopard is one of the Animals of Kenya with the most amazing skin. It is known for its smartness and “selfishness” when it comes to feeding for it would usually drag its prey into the trees of the Savannah for the sole purpose of not sharing it with scavengers in the likes of hyenas. Typically, a leopard is mostly nocturnal and well endowed for hunting at night while it spends its day resting on trees.

4. Buffalo

Buffalo

The African buffalo has a reputation for being one of the most stubborn animals found in Kenya. They live all across the country of Kenya and are especially found to gather in their hundreds around water bodies. The buffalo physically resembles the typical cow but generally has a distinct grayish black color and dangerously up-curving horns giving it a very terrifying look. A buffalo is unpredictable in its behaviour and is known to gore people who get too close. They are also known to be fearless and can attack and chase Lions and other predators of the wild that dare to come too close to the herd and this is an incredible event to witness. The Masai Mara is home to the largest buffalo herds.

3. Rhinos

Rhino

There are two species of rhinoceros commonly found in Kenya: the black and white rhinos. They commonly live in variable habitat which ranges from dense forest to open scrub feeding on leaves and branches. Rhinos have a poor sense of vision but what they lack in good eyesight, they make up for in sense of hearing and smell. These heavily built Kenya animals have a lifespan of 35 to 40 years with weight of up to 2 tons. The largest population of white rhinos are usually found in Lake Nakuru National Park Kenya.

The black rhinos are the more dangerous of the two species. If you would love to feed your eyes with these animals, the Masai Mara National Reserve has the largest population of black rhinos and is one of the best places to go.

2. Lions

Lion

Among all the animals of Kenya, lions are the most glorious to witness as they seem to draw the largest amount of attention. Lions are the largest among the great cats in Africa. They spend a great deal of time resting in the shade when they are not hunting for prey. Lions are social animals and its massive size, majestic walk, strength and hunting prowess all make it a very fascinating creature to watch. Their highly developed social behaviour enable them to get involved in a highly complex team work. They live in prides of 1 to 3 males and the females can be up to 20. A single male rules each group, but the females do all the hunting. Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve is a great location for seeing lions.

1. Elephants

Elephants

The African elephants are the largest known creatures in the animal kingdom. The African elephants are commonly seen in Kenya where they are recognized as one of the most famous animals. The Shimba Hills Reserve is particularly well-known for harboring large populations of elephants which are known to wreak havoc on the local vegetation within the environment. The elephants living in Tsavo National Park have a characteristic reddish-brown color that distinguishes them from others which are usually greyish. They obtained this trait from the red volcanic soil in Tsavo.

Elephants are known to live up to 70 years and would need to consume vast amounts of vegetation each day for its survival. They have a sharp sense of smell; are known to be highly intelligent, being the only animals that recognize each other, even after death.

Kenyan safari reserves are known to offer a lot more variety of wildlife that will not cease to amaze and leave you only wishing for more.

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