When people talk about safaris in Africa, minds immediately think of Lions, Elephants, Rhinos, and Leopards. Maybe you already know what the “Big 5” are, but I’m not a fan of that term because it was coined by hunting groups. They are the five hardest animals to hunt on foot and are now the ones most requested on safaris. But is all this attention fair to those underappreciated animals of Namibia? We don’t think so. It’s time to give those other safari animals no one talks about some time in the spotlight. We compiled a list of the top 10 safari animals no one talks about, so you have even more to look forward to on your African Safari.
Don’t worry – you can read all about the popular clique here.
Ten Underappreciated Animals of Namibia
1. Gemsbok
These beautiful creatures wandered through many of our campsites. This group of the Oryx family lives in northern Namibia and in the desert region. It’s so special to the country that it is actually featured on their coat of arms. Those horns are present on males and females and can reach 35 inches in length.
2. Black Backed Jackal
These little guys were not too hard for us to find on our adventures. We didn’t get to see any other canine family members while in Africa, so these were special to us. The series of photos below shows one of our favorite lunchtime moments. We were sitting in the car watching this Jackal drink at the watering hole when the bird decided it wanted to mess with the poor little guy. The bird kept biting at his tail. It happened at least three times before the Jackal lost all patience and ran the bird off. Seeing the real-life animal interactions were incredible. This was a classic case of an annoying pest on the school playground that won’t leave you alone.
3. Termites
We don’t “love” bugs, but learned some amazing things about Termites. Each mound has a queen that is in charge of the population. She pumps out about 25,000 eggs per day and lives for 40 years. The king’s job is to fertilize all those eggs; he lives only about one year. It’s a lot of pressure to keep up with the main lady.
The rest of the population are workers and soldiers in the mound. It definitely made me appreciate this strange creature a little more once I understood what happens inside those odd structures.
4. Springbok
Being able to see these graceful animals jump and run is a scene that I will not forget. They can jump up to 2 meters (a little more than 6 feet) in the air. Once they get running, they can reach speeds of 55 mph. They aren’t as big as some of the other animals in Namibia, but they are incredible to watch move.
5. Black Faced Impala
These beautiful animals have a pretty awesome story. Read this article if you have a minute. It tells about the success of some conservation efforts to save this endangered subspecies. About half of their total population lives in the Etosha area now.
6. Blue Wildebeest
These are the animals famous for killing Mufasa in The Lion King. Their migrations are a popular event to witness for people traveling to Africa in May and June. We were just happy to witness them minding their business in Etosha. No Lions were harmed in our viewing.
7. Hornbill
These rascals will be unforgettable for us. They became our built-in alarm clocks while in the tent. For reasons unknown to us, they loved to perch themselves on our windows and windshields and tap with their giant beaks.
The first time it happened, I checked the car for snacks that they might be able to see through the window but came up empty-handed. They must love the sound of the tapping. Sometimes, it was on the mirror, and other times on the window itself. We watched them make the rounds of the campground, tapping away and ensuring everyone was aware of their presence.
Zazu might have been a bit of a pill in The Lion King, but these birds proved that the character was fairly realistic in his incessant chattering.
8. Honey Badgers
The second most fearless animal in Africa is none other than the Honey Badger (keep reading to find out who is more fearless). These animals will fight anything, and because of their thick skin, they are hard to defeat for many predators. On top of that, the Honey Badgers can develop an immunity to even the most dangerous snake venom. Their teeth are strong enough to break through a tortoise shell. While seeing them from far away was fun, I’m glad we didn’t have any bad run-ins with this badass animal.
9. Dik-Dik
These tiny little Antelopes look like babies for their entire lives. They only grow to about 15 inches tall and weigh about 10 lbs. It might be the cutest animal we saw, and they were all over our campsites. They are fairly timid, but the ones we saw seemed a little bolder and wandered close to our picnic table often. You would be crazy not to fall in love when seeing these pint-sized animals.
10. Warthogs
And last, but most definitely not least, is the Warthog. This is the animal I would call the most fearless. Why? Because they don’t remember what’s happening. Their short-term memory is almost non-existent. If a predator is chasing them, they will run for a few seconds and then forget what they were running from and stop to eat. That’s pretty fearless.
I was also really excited that our Instagram followers seemed to love Warthogs as much as we did. They are next to so many of the roadsides in Namibia and happened to be the first animals we saw right after leaving the airport. I couldn’t get enough of their fat little bodies. The driver who picked us up from the airport got a good laugh when I started crying over my excitement for these funky animals. I quickly learned just how common they are.
What’s your favorite?
Did any of these surprise you? They are definitely a group of safari animals no one talks about. It’s hard for me to pick a favorite, but the Warthog has a very special place in my heart after our trip.
