Wildlife

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Botswana is well known for its diverse range of wildlife. Most of the major African game
species can be found, along with a number of species that are endemic to the region.

the country is home to 164 species of mammals, 157 of reptile, 80 of fish, 550 of bird and uncountable different kinds of insects.

The Government of Botswana has set aside thousands of square kilometers of national territory as protected areas (around 17% of the country area) and wildlife management areas (another 20% of the country).

Among the largest protected areas in Botswana are Chobe National Park in the north, Central Kalahari Game Reserve (second largest protected area in the world), Moremi Game Reserve in Okavango Delta and the recently launched Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park which spans the border between Botswana and South Africa.

Mammals
Approximately 164 species of mammals have been recorded in Botswana.

The mammals that may be seen include the following: vervet monkey, chacma baboon, wild dog, bat-eared fox, black-backed jackal, large-spotted genet, small-spotted genet, mongoose, spotted hyaena, brown hyaena, lion, leopard, cheetah, aardvark, Burchell's zebra, square-lipped (white) rhino, warthog, giraffe, common duiker, klipspringer, springbok, steenbok, impala, blue wildebeest, tsessebe, gemsbok, sable antelope, roan antelope, reedbuck, waterbuck, lechwe, bushbuck, kudu, eland, buffalo, hippopotamus, elephant

Birds
Some 550 bird species in total have been accepted for the Botswana national bird list.

Not only is the diversity of bird species high in the national parks and reserves, but also
throughout the north and east of the country. Over 400 species have been recorded in the Gaborone area alone. In many regions the terrain adds to the ease of bird viewing.

The birds you are most likely to see include the following: ostrich, cormorant; darter, hammerkop, greater and lesser flamingo; pygmy goose, knobbilled duck and Egyptian
goose; African jacana; black korhaan and kori bustard; Cape vulture, bateleur eagle and African fish eagle

The majority of these species can be seen in the Okavango Delta and Chobe River in northern Botswana.

Reptiles
About 157 species of reptiles have been recorded in Botswana. The reptiles are divided
into crocodilians, tortoises, terrapins and turtles, snakes, lizards and amphibians.

Some of the most common for Botswana are: crocodile, python, gecko, tortoise, black
mamba, green mamba, Cape cobra, Egyptian cobra, spitting cobra, horned adder, egg eater, tiger snake, boomslang, shield-nose snake, Cape skink, striped skink, bushveld lizard, sand lizard, ground agama and flap-neck chameleon.