Serengeti National Park

🇹🇿 Tanzania

🦁 Lion Prides on the Serengeti Plains

🌍 #110 Global · 4.0 ★★★★★ ★★★★★ #39 in Africa #41 in Savanna & Grassland

East Africa, Tanzania 1381 spp. recorded

Serengeti National Park lies in Tanzania’s eastern savanna belt, a sweeping landscape of golden grass, scattered acacia, and seasonal rivers. Its open plains contrast with the forested parks of the region, offering uninterrupted horizons where herbivores graze and predators roam.

-2.548° S 34.829° E

Wildlife

⭐ Iconic Species

Lion

Panthera leo

60–70% · Likely

Cheetah

Acinonyx jubatus

50–60% · Likely

African Bush Elephant

Loxodonta africana

50–60% · Likely

Nile Crocodile

Crocodylus niloticus

40–50% · Likely

📊 Most Spotted

East African Giraffe

Giraffa tippelskirchi

50–60% · Likely

Spotted Hyena

Crocuta crocuta

50–60% · Likely

Common Hippopotamus

Hippopotamus amphibius

50–60% · Likely

Topi

Damaliscus korrigum

40–50% · Likely

Plains Zebra

Equus quagga

40–50% · Likely

Blue Wildebeest

Connochaetes taurinus

40–50% · Likely

Leopard

Panthera pardus

40–50% · Likely

Impala

Aepyceros melampus

40–50% · Likely

African Buffalo

Syncerus caffer

40–50% · Likely

Superb Starling

Lamprotornis superbus

40–50% · Likely

Thomson's Gazelle

Eudorcas thomsonii

40–50% · Likely

Mwanza Flat-headed Rock Agama

Agama mwanzae

40–50% · Likely

⭐ Iconic Species

Lion

Panthera leo

60–70% · Likely

Cheetah

Acinonyx jubatus

50–60% · Likely

African Bush Elephant

Loxodonta africana

50–60% · Likely

📊 Most Spotted

East African Giraffe

Giraffa tippelskirchi

50–60% · Likely

Spotted Hyena

Crocuta crocuta

50–60% · Likely

Common Hippopotamus

Hippopotamus amphibius

50–60% · Likely

Topi

Damaliscus korrigum

40–50% · Likely

Plains Zebra

Equus quagga

40–50% · Likely

Blue Wildebeest

Connochaetes taurinus

40–50% · Likely

Leopard

Panthera pardus

40–50% · Likely

Impala

Aepyceros melampus

40–50% · Likely

African Buffalo

Syncerus caffer

40–50% · Likely

Thomson's Gazelle

Eudorcas thomsonii

40–50% · Likely

Hartebeest

Alcelaphus buselaphus

30–40% · Possible

Common Warthog

Phacochoerus africanus

30–40% · Possible

📊 Most Spotted

Superb Starling

Lamprotornis superbus

40–50% · Likely

Cape Turtle Dove

Streptopelia capicola

30–40% · Possible

Lilac-breasted Roller

Coracias caudatus

30–40% · Possible

Crowned Lapwing

Vanellus coronatus

20–30% · Possible

Rüppell's Glossy-starling

Lamprotornis purpuroptera

20–30% · Possible

Helmeted Guineafowl

Numida meleagris

20–30% · Possible

Tawny Eagle

Aquila rapax

20–30% · Possible

Egyptian Goose

Alopochen aegyptiaca

20–30% · Possible

Common Ostrich

Struthio camelus

20–30% · Possible

Northern White-crowned Shrike

Eurocephalus ruppelli

20–30% · Possible

Marabou Stork

Leptoptilos crumenifer

20–30% · Possible

Grey-backed Fiscal

Lanius excubitoroides

20–30% · Possible

⭐ Iconic Species

Nile Crocodile

Crocodylus niloticus

40–50% · Likely

📊 Most Spotted

Mwanza Flat-headed Rock Agama

Agama mwanzae

40–50% · Likely

Leopard Tortoise

Stigmochelys pardalis

20–30% · Possible

Nile Monitor

Varanus niloticus

10–20% · Possible

African Striped Skink

Trachylepis striata

10–20% · With luck

Flap-necked Chameleon

Chamaeleo dilepis

10–20% · With luck

Helmeted Turtle

Pelomedusa subrufa

0–10% · With luck

Puff Adder

Bitis arietans

0–10% · With luck

Boomslang

Dispholidus typus

0–10% · With luck

Black-necked Spitting Cobra

Naja nigricollis

0–10% · Rare

Tropical House Gecko

Hemidactylus mabouia

0–10% · Rare

Southern African Python

Python natalensis

0–10% · Rare

Bell’s Hingeback Tortoise

Kinixys belliana

📊 Most Spotted

Peters' Foam-nest Tree Frog

Chiromantis petersii

Insufficient data

African Common Toad

Sclerophrys gutturalis

Insufficient data

Common Reed Frog

Hyperolius viridiflavus

Insufficient data

Crowned bullfrog

Hoplobatrachus occipitalis

Insufficient data

Red-Banded Rubber Frog

Phrynomantis bifasciatus

Insufficient data

Anchieta's Ridged Frog

Ptychadena anchietae

Insufficient data

Shovel-nosed Frog

Hemisus marmoratus

Insufficient data

Sharp-nosed ridged frog

Ptychadena oxyrhynchus

Insufficient data

Mababe puddle frog

Phrynobatrachus mababiensis

Insufficient data

Grey Foam-nest Treefrog

Chiromantis xerampelina

Insufficient data

Senegal Kassina

Kassina senegalensis

Insufficient data

Animal Events

🦎

Crocodile breeding season

Jul

Adult Nile crocodiles gather on riverbanks to mate and build nests, increasing sightings of hatchlings later in the year.

Nile Crocodile

Crocodylus niloticus

40–50% · Likely

🦌

Wildebeest calving season

Feb

Mass calving of wildebeest occurs, drawing predators and creating dramatic predator‑prey interactions.

Plains Zebra

Equus quagga

40–50% · Likely

🐦

Rainy‑season bird breeding

FebMar

Numerous bird species, especially the superb starling, breed during the early rains, filling the sky with displays.

Superb Starling

Lamprotornis superbus

40–50% · Likely

Sighting Calendar

Chance of spotting each species, month by month

Species Total

40–50

50–60

40–50

40–50

40–50

40–50

40–50

40–50

40–50

40–50

40–50

40–50

60–70

60–70

50–60

50–60

50–60

60–70

60–70

60–70

60–70

60–70

50–60

60–70

50–60

60–70

50–60

40–50

40–50

50–60

50–60

50–60

50–60

60–70

50–60

50–60

African Bush Elephant

40–50

50–60

40–50

50–60

40–50

50–60

50–60

40–50

50–60

50–60

50–60

50–60

30–40

40–50

30–40

40–50

40–50

40–50

50–60

40–50

40–50

30–40

40–50

40–50

East African Giraffe

50–60

50–60

50–60

50–60

40–50

50–60

50–60

40–50

50–60

50–60

50–60

60–70

50–60

50–60

40–50

40–50

40–50

50–60

40–50

40–50

50–60

50–60

60–70

50–60

Common Hippopotamus

40–50

50–60

40–50

40–50

40–50

50–60

50–60

50–60

50–60

40–50

50–60

50–60

40–50

40–50

50–60

40–50

40–50

50–60

40–50

40–50

40–50

50–60

50–60

50–60

40–50

60–70

40–50

40–50

40–50

40–50

40–50

40–50

40–50

40–50

40–50

50–60

Blue Wildebeest

40–50

50–60

30–40

40–50

40–50

50–60

50–60

40–50

40–50

40–50

30–40

40–50

40–50

40–50

40–50

30–40

40–50

40–50

40–50

40–50

40–50

40–50

50–60

40–50

40–50

50–60

40–50

40–50

30–40

40–50

40–50

30–40

40–50

40–50

40–50

40–50

African Buffalo

40–50

40–50

30–40

40–50

30–40

40–50

30–40

40–50

40–50

40–50

40–50

40–50

Superb Starling

30–40

50–60

40–50

50–60

40–50

30–40

30–40

30–40

30–40

30–40

30–40

30–40

Thomson's Gazelle

30–40

40–50

30–40

30–40

30–40

40–50

40–50

40–50

30–40

40–50

40–50

40–50

Mwanza Flat-headed Rock Agama

40–50

30–40

30–40

40–50

30–40

30–40

40–50

40–50

40–50

40–50

30–40

40–50

Animal Events

🦎 Crocodile breeding season

🦌 Wildebeest calving season

🐦 Rainy‑season bird breeding

Sighting Zones

Warm areas are where all species together are recorded most, so they track where people go as much as where animals are. For one species, see the map on its own page.

0.0 ★★★★★ ★★★★★ Excellent

🦁 Lion Prides on the Serengeti Plains

🦜

Biodiversity

Excellent

How rich is the wildlife?

4.3 Global avg

4.8 ★★★★★ ★★★★★

Species by taxon

🦅 Birds

940

🐒 Mammals

269

🦎 Reptiles

129

🐸 Amphibians

43

1381 Total Species

841 Global average across 280 parks

44 Threatened 8 Endemic

🔭

Sighting

Very good

How likely to see animals?

3.6 Global avg

3.5 ★★★★★ ★★★★★

🎯

Top-12 Avg Probability

62% Global avg

50%

📊

Coverage (193 species at ≥5% of 1381 in the inventory)

24% Global avg

14%

🔀

Taxon variety in top 12 (11 mammal, 1 reptile)

47% Global avg

20%

🔭

Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)

132 Global avg

150

🌟

Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)

14 Global avg

33

⭐

High-prob species (>40%)

26 Global avg

16

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