22 Animals That Live in the Savanna

The African Savanna is a vast grassland environment that spans the entire continent of Africa from the center to the southeast.

The Savanna is so vast that it extends into 27 other countries.

Warm and humid tropical weather prevails year-round, with the heaviest precipitation falling during summer.

Our post will list some animals living in the Savanna.

For decades, the Savanna, particularly regions such as the Serengeti, has drawn travelers from all over the world who want to get up close and personal with some of the most stunning animals that live there.

Let’s go!

Animals That Live in the Savanna

1. Grant’s Gazelle

Grant’s gazelle is first on our list of animals that live in the Savanna.

The upper parts of a Grant’s gazelle’s body and the outsides of its legs have a coat of fur that is a reddish brown color, while the bottom of its body and its rump are white. 

Two thin, alternating black and white lines adorn their faces, beginning at their antlers and continuing down over their eyes and into their noses.

Their faces are exquisite and slender. A further line of black coloring adorns each side of the animal’s rump.

These animals living in the Savanna have lengthy horns surrounded by rings.

Horns on males can reach lengths of up to 32 inches, while those on females are often only about half that size.

They hunt and gather their food, subsisting primarily on browse, and migrate when food is scarce.

Dominant males are responsible for herding groups and marking their territory with urine and waste products.

2. Lion

One of the most infamous animals in the Savanna, the lion, can be found in various habitats in sub-Saharan Africa.

Lions are also found in other parts of Africa. In addition to their agility and speed, they can attain high speeds of up to 50 miles per hour.

In contrast to other large cats, lions tend to congregate in family-like groupings known as pride, which can include as many as 30 members.

They can readily chase down and kill enormous prey such as wildebeests, zebras, antelopes, and even small giraffes since they are apex predators.

This means they hunt but are not hunted; female lions do the majority of the hunting.

The roar of a lion is one of the most impressive sounds in the animal kingdom, and it can be heard up to five kilometers away.

3. Blue Wildebeest

Blue wildebeest is also an animal that lives in the Savanna. It can reach lengths of up to 8 feet and stand up to 4.5 feet tall at the shoulder.

These animals, weighing up to 600 pounds, are classified as grazers, meaning they consume grasses while traveling large distances.

They are capable of running speeds of up to 63 kilometers per hour.

Wildebeests tend to travel in groups of 10 to 100 females and their young, even though they reside in enormous herds containing as many as 500 individuals at once.

The male wildebeest’s booming alarm call alerts the herd to a potential threat.

As a means of self-defense, creatures native to the Savanna, such as lions and stampedes, will hunt them.

Africa’s southern and eastern regions are the natural habitat of the huge antelopes known as blue wildebeests.

These gorgeous animals can be found roaming the savannas of several African countries, including Eswatini, Kenya, Tanzania, and a few others. 

4. African Bush Elephant

Elephants are among the heaviest and most massive animals that can be found on our planet.

They can range from 19 to 24 feet and reach 11 feet at the shoulders. 

Males can weigh up to 13,000 pounds, while females weigh just half.

Males can weigh up to 13,000 pounds. These remarkable animals that live in the Savanna have a potential lifespan of up to 70 years.

The length of their tusks, the way they curve outward, the way their trunks stick out, and the size of their ears all help to make them easily distinguishable.

They spend their days foraging for leaves, bark, fruits, and grazing grasses on the savanna floor. 

They must consume approximately 350 pounds of vegetation daily to maintain their energy levels.

Unfortunately, poaching for ivory has resulted in a fall in elephant numbers over several centuries.

5. Black Backed Jackal 

These mischievous animals living in the Savanna have a strip of black fur extending from the base of their neck to the tip of their tail.

They have white bellies and otherwise have fur that is a reddish-brown color all over their bodies.

Its pointed ears and long nose give it the look of a fox, which the black-backed jackal gets from having.

They have acute senses of smell and hearing, which aid them in tracking down their prey and bringing it to the kill.

They are glad to hunt for food and will take advantage of any feeding opportunity. 

In the wild, they will hunt both during the day and at night, keeping their ears perked up and their senses sharp.

Burrows are where the females give birth to their young, called pups.

6. Africa Leopard

These strikingly beautiful big cats have white fur on their bellies and transition into a reddish-brown color as it travels up their upper bodies.

They are straightforward to recognize since their bodies are covered in spots shaped like rosettes. 

Leopards found in Africa are incredibly athletic animals, capable of running up to 58 miles per hour and jumping up to 20 feet forward in a single bound.

These animals live in the Savanna and are skilled climbers. They spend much of their time perched high in tree branches, where they look for food they can pounce on from a greater height.

After successfully capturing their prey, which can range from a small insect to a giant wildebeest, they will hide it from the other top predators while they are not feeding.

7. Eland

The eland is the largest species of antelope found anywhere in the world.

They can reach up to 11 feet and have a height of up to 8 feet.

Even though they weigh almost a ton each, these large animals live in the Savanna. They can raise their bodies off the ground and jump as high as four feet in the air.

As they age, their coats change from light brown to dark brown, almost black.

They have horns that spiral beautifully and rise upwards into the heavens.

It should come as no surprise that elands are a favorite food source for the larger animals in the Savanna, including lions, hyenas, and even humans.

8. Warthog

There is a strong resemblance between warthogs and wild boars. Their skin is thick and grayish, and they have long, slender tails. 

These animals that live in Savanna’s mouth are adorned with two tusks, each measuring up to 25 centimeters (10 inches) in length.

This animal is distinguished by protrusions resembling tusks stretching the skin behind its eyes outward.

Warthogs are capable of astounding top running speeds of up to 35 miles per hour despite being neither extremely huge nor appearing to be athletes.

They will get down on their knees to eat grasses or use their tusks to dig out bulbs, roots, tubers, and even earthworms, which they will gnaw on.

Pumbaa, the warthog character from “The Lion King, ” famous for teaching “Hakuna Matata,” is a beloved example of a warthog in popular culture.

9. Caracal

Caracals are next on our list of animals that live in the Savanna. Their coat of fur is light brownish-red on the top and cream-colored on the underside. 

The African savanna is home to a kind of wild cat that reaches a maximum size of about medium.

Their weight ranges between 25 and 40 pounds, and their enormous, pointed ears are covered in long, black hairs that grow upward.

These animals that live in Savanna’s huge ears aren’t just for show; each one contains 20 muscles that allow it to spin and give the caracal an advantage when monitoring its surroundings for potential prey.

They feed on rodents, other small animals, birds, monkeys, hyrax, mongoose, and monkeys.

10. African Rock Python

The African Rock Python is the largest snake found on the African continent.

It can grow to lengths of up to 20 feet, equivalent to a giraffe’s height. It is a non-venomous type of snake that kills its prey through constriction, tightening its grasp around the unfortunate animal’s body with each exhalation.

They are capable of killing animals as huge as crocodiles and warthogs, and in extremely unusual circumstances, it has been recorded that they have swallowed small children.

Because they are reptiles, rock pythons reproduce by depositing eggs. Rock pythons can simultaneously lay up to one hundred eggs, which they fiercely guard until they hatch.

11. Africa Buffalo

The structure of a buffalo is remarkably comparable to that of a huge cow.

Four different subspecies of buffalo are found in Africa, and each varies greatly in size and coloring.

These massive animals that live in the Savanna are easily distinguished by the thick horns that curl out to the side over their ears and then follow the contour of their heads before returning to their original position.

The largest buffalo can grow to a height of up to 5 feet and weigh up to 1,840 pounds.

They travel in big herds that can number up to several hundred members. 

In the Serengeti, it is not uncommon for buffaloes to gather together in the thousands.

Their enormous numbers act as a defense mechanism against their many enemies.

12. Meerkat

These diminutive mammals reach a maximum length of 10–12 inches and weigh just about 2.2 pounds.

Meerkats are social animals congregating in larger populations from their smaller social groups.

They are friendly animals that cooperate by delegating different responsibilities. 

It is common practice to designate a small number of meerkats as lookouts while others seek food, such as insects, birds, fruits, and reptiles.

They do this to improve their perspective of their surroundings, raising their bodies and putting their weight on their back paws. 

They make a high-pitched, piercing call whenever they encounter a potential threat, such as a hawk or an eagle. When the warning sign is displayed, everyone takes cover.

13. Rhinoceros

Rhinos are also on our list of animals living in the Savanna that weigh more than 2,200 pounds (and can reach up to 4,400 pounds!).

The African savanna is the natural habitat of the white rhinoceros.

The savanna provides the perfect environment for this enormous animal, with watering holes, mud wallows, grasses to graze on, and sufficient cover from the sun’s intense heat.

The front horn of a white rhinoceros can grow to be as long as 60 inches, but it most commonly measures 24 inches. White rhinos have two horns. 

These enormous animals live in the Savanna and consume about 120 pounds of food daily. They have flat noses and broad lips, both of which have evolved to enable them to approach closer to the ground level to pick grasses and vegetables.

Their daily food intake is approximately 120 pounds.

14. Ostrich

Ostriches are enormous birds that cannot fly. Their appearance differs depending on whether they are male or female; males have a black body with white tail feathers, while females have brown feathers covering their entire body.

They have long, slender legs, as well as a long neck that is somewhat small. 

These gigantic animals that live in the Savanna can reach heights of up to 3 meters (9 ft).

Even though plants make up sixty percent of an ostrich’s diet, they can still consume other animals, such as insects, snakes, lizards, and small rodents. 

Ostriches are omnivores. They live in packs of around ten individuals, each led by a dominant female and male. When they run, they can reach speeds of up to 45 miles per hour.

15. Hartebeest

Hartebeests, other animals living in the Savanna, have faces that are amusingly stretched out.

They have a coat color similar to a fawn, while some subspecies have black legs and tails.

They can reach up to 45 miles per hour, which places them in close competition with cheetahs.

When they are at their largest, they can grow to be around 8 feet long, weigh 440 pounds, and have a shoulder height of about 5 feet.

In the same way as other types of animals that live in the Savanna, they are graceful grazers who spend most of their time with their heads bowed and eating on grass.

However, in contrast to other types of antelope, they do not migrate.

16. Giraffe

Giraffes, which may reach up to 6 meters (20 feet), are the tallest creatures on Earth.

They are long and skinny, with a spotty appearance all over their bodies. Each human has a distinct fingerprint, and similarly, each giraffe has a one-of-a-kind pattern of spots on its back. 

Another remarkable quality of these animals that live in the Savanna is the length of their prehensile blue tongue, which ranges between 15 and 18 inches.

Giraffes are ruminants, which means that they have a 4-chambered stomach, which aids in the digestion of the plant-based food that they consume. 

They consume the leaves of bushes and trees, with the acacia tree’s leaves being a particular favorite.

They must spend 16 to 20 hours grazing daily to sustain their massive bodies.

17. Impala

The structure of these beautiful and elegant mammals is comparable to that of a gazelle.

They have cinnamon-colored fur that is light in color and black-type ears, a white chin and underbelly, and two black stripes on their rumps and one along their tails. 

They are slim and have cinnamon-colored fur that is light in color.

Males are distinguished by their magnificent lyrate horns, ranging from 18 to 36 inches.

Impalas have evolved a sophisticated method of feeding that is ideally suited to their environment. 

During the wet season, they consume young grasses, but during the dry season, they switch to browsing dead vegetation.

They congregate in big herds, which can have up to one hundred members and are commanded by a single dominant male.

These hypervigilant animals live in the Savanna and can leap vertically up to 10 feet and horizontally up to 33 feet, a high jump worthy of an Olympic medal.

18. Aardvark

Aardvark has long, elongated skulls, clawed feet, and tails resembling armadillos. Their ears are enormous and pointed.

Their bodies are coated in short, brown fur that is darker around their limbs and becomes shorter as they move away from their bodies.

These medium-sized animals live in the Savanna and are found in the region south of the Sahara. Their length ranges between 43 and 53 inches, while their tails are between 21 and 26 inches long.

The word “aardvark” comes from the Afrikaans language of South Africa and translates to “earth pig.

Although these small creatures have similar characteristics to pigs, they are different. 

Aardvarks spend the day avoiding the heat in their underground tunnels and emerge at night to hunt for termites.

During the day, these animals that live in the Savanna seek shelter from the sun.

19. Spotted Hyena

Hyenas live in tightly-knit communities called clans. The spotted hyena is the longest of the three species, ranging from 34 to 59 inches. 

Although they resemble spotted dogs, these well-known animals that live in the Savanna are more closely related to cats than dogs.

They are well-known for the peculiar sounds that resemble the laughs that they make.

We tend to think of hyenas as being nothing more than scavengers, animals who spend their days feasting on the dead animals and crumbs left behind by hunters with more experience.

While these opportunistic feeders will cheerfully scrounge for food, they are also adept hunters who operate in groups and can bring down grazers as large as a wildebeest.

They dine on any food they can get their hands on.

20. Hippopotamus

The hippopotamus is a semi-aquatic mammal species that lives in sub-Saharan Africa.

Because of the animal’s aggressive nature, it is considered one of the most deadly creatures in the world.

When they come onto land to feed, Hippos are not nearly as possessive of their territory as they are in the water.

Hippos are not great swimmers despite enjoying being near water and spending time there.

Hippos can walk underwater thanks to their bulk, which allows them to use their weight to bounce off the riverbed as they travel.

When swimming underwater, these animals living in the Savanna can hold their breath for up to five minutes.

21. Kudus

Kudus are classified as members of the Tragelaphus, also known as the spiral-horned antelope.

There are two kinds of kudu, the bigger of which has adult males that can reach heights of more than 1.5 meters. Both species can be found in their natural habitat in Africa.

Kudus can avoid being hunted by predators by hiding in dense brush.

Thanks to their brown fur and white stripes, they blend very well with their surroundings.

On the other side, their horns draw attention to themselves. They have horns that, when stretched out to their full length, can reach a maximum length of 1.2 meters (120 cm). 

The African Wildlife Foundation reports that the kudu population is declining at an alarming rate, and as a result, the animal has been classified as near threatened. 

22. White-Backed Vulture

White-backed vultures are ending our list of animals that live in the Savanna.

The majority of a white-backed vulture’s body is covered in brown feathers.

The bird has pale underwings, a white-feathered neck, and a patch of white feathers on its rump that can only be seen while the bird is in flight. 

White-backed vultures have a white patch of feathers on their rump. Although they are the most widespread vultures in Africa, their numbers are currently on the decline.

These enormous animals live in the Savanna. They can have wingspans of up to 7.5 feet and glide through the air while scanning the ground below for dead animals that they can dine on.

They congregate in loose breeding groups on the limbs of trees in more open and wooded sections of the savanna, which is their preferred habitat.