East Africa's iconic wildlife

The largest land animal on Earth and one of the most intelligent. Matriarchal herds, deep family bonds, and extraordinary memory.

The only truly social cat. Prides of related females hunt together, raise cubs together, and defend territory together.

One of our closest living relatives, and one of the rarest animals on Earth. Fewer than 1,100 remain, all in the Virunga mountains and Bwindi.

The most elusive of the Big Five. Solitary, nocturnal, and famously fond of dragging prey into trees.

Fewer than 6,500 remain. Poaching for their horn has pushed them to the edge, but East Africa's conservancies are fighting back.

The fifth member of the Big Five. Unpredictable, powerful, and the only bovid that will come back to rescue a fallen herd member.

A distinctive long-faced antelope with sharply angled horns. Endemic to Kenya and northern Tanzania, often seen in open grassland.

One of the four giraffe species. Sharp geometric patterns, and only found in northern Kenya, Samburu and Laikipia.

Not a scavenger but a brilliant hunter with the strongest bite of any mammal. Females dominate, and clans can be 80 animals strong.

The icon of the African savannah. Every zebra's stripes are unique, like a fingerprint.

The star of the Great Migration. 1.5 million animals move in a clockwise loop each year, driven by rain and grass.

The fastest land animal, reaching up to 120 km/h in short bursts. Built for speed, but too fragile to defend kills from lions and hyenas.

The world's largest bird: 2.7m tall, 150kg, and capable of 70 km/h. A male's pink neck intensifies during mating season.

Pink from head to toe, with the colour coming from the algae they eat. East Africa hosts 75% of the world's population.

Africa's largest crocodile, up to 5 metres long. The apex ambush predator of the Mara River migration crossings.