Tanzania







Carnivores


The overgrown pussies we refer to as ‘Big Cats’ are Africa’s best-known carnivores, and many would regard quality cat sightings to be the benchmark of a successful safari. For first-time visitors, the languid lion is the guaranteed showstopper, burt repeat visitors generally place a higher premium on the elusive leopard and localised cheetah. In fact, Tanzania is home to some 30 carnivore species, ranging from hyenas and jackals to mongooses and genets, all of which are described under the links below.



Viewing tip: Most carnivores are nocturnal and you’re likely to see the greatest variety on night drives (where available) or spotlighted waterholes after dark. Failing that, many species are also active at dusk and for a short period after dawn, with early morning drives (ideally, leaving shortly before sunrise) likely to be most productive.
Top spot: Serengeti and Ngorongoro for the greatest numbers and variety, but also Ruaha, Tarangire, Selous, Katavi, Mikumi and Manyara.




Lion

Leopard

Cheetah

Hyenas

African wild dog

Jackals

Small canids and felids

Mongooses

Mustelids and Viverrids



Lion Panthera leo

The world’s most sociable cat and second-largest after the tiger, the lion is the one animal that everybody hopes to see on safari. It is rendered unmistakeable by its size and tawny-grey coat. The male has a mane, while young adults are often subtly spotted. A pride typically consists of one adult male, 2-3 adult females, and assorted youngsters, but larger groups dominated by a coalition of 2-3 adult brothers are a feature of the northern Serengeti and Ruaha. Rivalry for domination is intense: takeover battles are frequently fought to the death, and very few males ever reach a ripe old age! When not fighting, however, lions are remarkably languorous, spending 20-plus hours at rest daily, though cubs tend to be more active and playful, and prides often cover large distances at night.


Viewing tip: Lions seldom move far in the heat of the day, so if you locate them at rest in mid-morning, it’s worth returning later in the afternoon to check for renewed activity.

Top spot: Serengeti (especially Gol Koppies), but also Ngorongoro, Selous (for daytime kills), Katavi, Ruaha (for large prides), Mikumi, Manyara (for tree-climbing).








Leopard
Panthera pardus


Stealthy, secretive and inscrutable, the leopard is the supreme solitary hunter, so well camouflaged that it often gets to within 5m of its prey before pouncing. This elusive creature is eagerly sought by the safari cognoscenti, partly because sightings are rare and often fleeting, but also because it’s astonishingly beautiful with its black-on-gold rosette spots and powerful build. With the exception of a female with cubs, the leopard is defiantly solitary and territorial - a chance meeting between individuals will be accompanied by real or feigned aggression, and coupling tends to be an ill-tempered affair.

Viewing tip: Leopards often lie up in trees by day, revealing their presence only by the occasional twitch of a dangling tail – a phenomenon often noticed in the acacia-lined Seronera River in the Serengeti.

Top spot: Serengeti (especially Seronera valley), but also Ruaha, Ngorongoro (crater rim only) and with a great deal of luck practically any other protected or uninhabited area.

 






Cheetah
Acynonix jubatus

The felid equivalent to the greyhound, the cheetah
is capable of outsprinting all other terrestrial animals, achieving speeds of 110km/hour in short bursts thanks to its streamlined built. Cheetahs are normally solitary and highly territorial, but coalitions of 2-3 brothers are often seen in the Serengeti, and fluffy-maned youngsters stick close to mum for two years while they learn to hunt. Favouring gazelles and other medium-sized antelope, this diurnal hunter will creep to within 20m of its intended prey before opening chase. It is often bullied off its kill by lions or hyenas, so it gobbles down its food quickly, consuming up to 10kg in 15 minutes.


Viewing tip: As might be expected of a creature that relies on speed to catch its prey, the cheetah is almost always seen in open country, pacing restlessly or resting up in short, flat grassland.

Top spot: Serengeti (especially southeast of Seronera) and abutting parts of Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Elsewhere, it is most likely in Ruaha.    

   



Hyenas



Hyenas habitually receive a bad rap as giggling, cowardly scavengers. However, the classic safari scenario of lions feeding on a fresh kill while hyenas lurk cravenly in the wings may be an inversion of what it seems – recent studies demonstrate that hyenas are adept hunters and are often chased off their kills by lions. The spotted hyena Crocuta crocuta is Africa’s second-largest carnivore, with a powerful build, hunched back and bone-crunching jaws, and it lives in loose matriarchal clans of up to 5-25 animals. Similar in size, the striped hyena Hyaena hyaena is pale brown with dark vertical stripes, while the insectivorous aardwolf Proteles cristatus is closer in size to a jackal. 



Viewing tip: Park back from a hyena den in the early morning to watch as various individuals return home and perform their elaborate dog-like greeting ritual.

Top spots: Ngorongoro (the crater harbours Africa’s densest population, unusually active by day), also Serengeti, Selous and to a lesser extent any other game reserve or thinly inhabited area.





African wild dog
Lycaon pictus

The African wild dog is distinguishable from other Tanzania canids by its large size and blotched cream brown coat. It is probably the world’s most sociable dog, living in packs of up to 50 animals, and is a co-operative hunter, with several individuals literally tearing apart their prey on the run. Formerly so common that it was listed as vermin, the African wild dog is now endangered, with the total wild African population estimated at 4-5,000.



Viewing tip: Wild dog packs are notoriously nomadic, and are most reliably sought during denning season (June/July), when pack members seldom range far from the denned pups.


Top spot: Selous Game Reserve, also Ruaha and to a lesser extent Mikumi and Mkomazi.






Jackals

Tanzania’s three jackal species all stand about 40cm tall at the shoulder, and are placed in the genus Canis alongside the domestic dogs they closely resemble. Most widespread is the black-backed jackal, whose ochre coat is broken by a flecked black saddle. The side-striped jackal has an indistinct pale vertical stripe on each flank and diagnostic white-tipped tail, while the duller common jackal is a northern hemisphere species whose range extends into parts of Tanzania bordering Kenya,


Viewing tip: Jackal pups usually disappear underground when a vehicle approaches, but if you park at a sensible distance, they will often re-emerge to play.

Top site: Serengeti (all three species), but also most other reserves and thinly inhabited areas.



Small canids and felids







Mongooses

These are the most prolific of African carnivores, and several species are likely to be seen on safari. Most are characterised by a slender build, narrow muzzle, long tail, small eyes and ears, non-retractable claws, and uniform grizzled coats. It is popularly assumed that mongooses feed mainly on venomous snakes, but most species are as likely to eat rats, insects, molluscs, crabs and any other small terrestrial creature.





Mustelids and Viverrids

Ancestral to most other modern carnivore families, the viverrids are small catlike nocturnal Old World hunters of which the best-known are the African genets and civets. The mustelids are a more diverse family of doglike carnivores comprised of 55 species worldwide but poorly represented in Africa.