Serengeti Wildlife

The Serengeti wildlife cast is an all-star line-up. Whether you've always wanted to witness the sheer mass of thousands of wildebeest and zebra on the move, watch the predators taking brutal advantage of the convoys of game headed their way, or delight in the smaller cameos of African life playing out before you, you're in for an unforgettable experience at the Serengeti National Park.

While the Serengeti is a fantastically game-rich destination at any time of the year, the Great Wildebeest Migration is a spectacular event. Click here for a guide to the different stages of this mass movement of grazers, and the predators that lie in wait.

Plains Game

On the Serengeti's vast and treeless plains thousands of hoofed animals are continually on the move in search of fresh and fertile grasslands.

Over one million wildebeest inhabit the area, along with an estimated 200,000 zebra, making these game animals the main inhabitants of the Serengeti National Park, and the star participants in the famous migration.

Wildebeest and zebra are often seen in mixed herds. Other antelope species number almost half a million when combined and include gazelle, impala, eland and kongini.

Warthog families are also a common sight in the Serengeti, trotting along with erect radio aerial tails and officious dispositions reminiscent of traffic policeman.

Read more about the Great Wildebeest Migration here.

Predators

Predator concentrations on a Serengeti Safari are some of the highest in Africa and it's quite common to encounter two or three lion prides on a game drive.

Perhaps upset that they are overshadowed by the millions of game animals, the Serengeti's lions have resorted to some rather strange tactics to attract a visitor's attention. For one, certain prides have taken to climbing trees.

It's a remarkable sight, though seldom seen. If you have your heart set on seeing these lazy cats perched up in trees pay nearby Lake Manyara a visit where the tree climbing fashion is very much in vogue with the local felines.

In contrast to lazy lions that tend to move only when utterly necessary, the park's numerous cheetah can often be spotted darting across the Serengeti's open plains in a manner that makes you wonder whether they are chasing something ... or whether something is chasing them.

For leopards, you will want to visit the Seronera Valley. They hang about in sausage trees looking like tribal-clothed butchers; the small number of trees means that spotting leopards in the Serengeti is easier than anywhere else in Africa.

Spotted hyenas are also common in the reserve and African wild dogs- the most successful predator of all - also inhabit the area.

The crocodiles of the Grumeti River are massive, thanks for the most part to years of gorging their reptilian bellies on the migratory herds that are forced into their path.

Birdlife

More than 500 different species of birds occur in the Serengeti National Park.

This includes marabou storks, kori bustards, guineafowl, lilac breasted rollers, bateleur eagles, Egyptian geese, herons, secretary birds and many kinds of vultures, as well as sunbirds, starlings, grey loeries, weavers and barbets.

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