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Animals in South Africa

74 mammal species are recorded in South Africa in this dataset, 18 of them in a threatened Red List category. South Africa sits in Africa, where 267 species are recorded in total. Every species below is listed because the range description of its IUCN Red List assessment names South Africa.

They belong to 32 families, the best represented being Bovidae (15), Chrysochloridae (10), Felidae (4). By Red List category: 3 Critically Endangered, 6 Endangered, 9 Vulnerable, 6 Near Threatened, 49 Least Concern, 1 Data Deficient.

These counts come from the text of each assessment rather than from an official country checklist, so a species whose assessment names a region without naming South Africa is missing here, and a wide-ranging animal is counted in every country it crosses. All 74 of them have a full written profile.

Species recorded
74
Threatened
18
Continent
Africa
Data updated
August 9, 2026

Conservation status in South Africa

The most threatened species in South Africa

8 of the 18 species recorded here that the IUCN Red List places in a threatened category — Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered.

The families found in South Africa

  • Bovidae 15
  • Chrysochloridae 10
  • Felidae 4
  • Muridae 4
  • Bathyergidae 3
  • Canidae 3
  • Cercopithecidae 3
  • Otariidae 3

Every species recorded in South Africa

Species 1 to 50 of 74, written profiles first.

Where to go from South Africa

The countries in Africa that share the most species with South Africa, by number of species recorded in both.

Species data from the IUCN Red List; countries are derived from the range description of each assessment. Last refreshed on August 9, 2026.