Category: Other Wildlife

Botswana holds somewhere between 130 and 155 reptile species, including around 72 snakes, most of which are not venomous, alongside roughly 40 amphibians. The Okavango Delta accounts for a disproportionate share of both, with over 70 reptile species and 33…

Botswana's trees are worth knowing because they explain the country: mopane woodland covering the north, baobabs standing alone on the salt pans, jackalberries and sausage trees along the Delta channels, and leadwoods that stay upright for centuries after dying. Many…

The zebra is Botswana's national animal, appearing on the coat of arms as two supporters flanking the shield, chosen at independence as a symbol of black and white living together in equality. The country holds only one species, the plains…

The Nile crocodile is the apex predator of the Okavango Delta and a keystone species in the system, and Botswana's population has declined substantially over the past century through hide hunting and human disturbance. Almost all breeding happens in the…

Botswana is unusual in holding both subspecies of southern giraffe, with Angolan giraffe in the Central Kalahari and the western farms and South African giraffe across the north and east. The Okavango Delta supports one of the most important giraffe…

Hippos are abundant in the Okavango Delta and along the Chobe River, and they shape the Delta itself by ploughing the channels that water and boats then follow. They are also the animal most likely to kill you, being unpredictable,…

Botswana holds two hyena species: the spotted hyena, common and highly successful across the north, and the brown hyena, shy, rarely seen and largely confined to the Kalahari. Both are far better hunters than their reputation allows, with spotted hyenas…

Botswana holds around 160 mammal species across habitats running from permanent wetland to semi-arid desert, and the country's distinction is that the same species behave differently in each. Lions here go months without drinking in the Kalahari and hunt buffalo…

The Makgadikgadi is among the best places on earth to see meerkats, because years of patient research have left several colonies semi-habituated to people. They are not tame and cannot be touched or fed, and having no high ground on…

An entire cast of Botswana's wildlife only appears after dark, including aardvark, pangolin, porcupine, civet, genet, serval, honey badger, springhare, bushbaby and aardwolf. Seeing them requires a night drive, which national parks prohibit and private concessions and community areas permit.…