Cape Wildlife
Wildlife in Cape Town, South Africa
Don’t let the ‘town’ in ‘Cape Town’ mislead you. Despite being home to over 5 million residents and welcoming more than 4 million visitors each year, Africa’s Mother City offers a surprising range of wildlife experiences and exciting animal encounters. Cape Town is a thriving ‘green city’ that seamlessly blends urban living with breathtaking natural landscapes. From Table Mountain towering in the background to the Atlantic ocean coastlines that wrap around the Cape Peninsula, the city provides a unique mix of wilderness and modern living.
What wildlife can you see in the Cape?
There are many ‘wild animals’ unique to Southern Africa that travellers and locals can sight around the city. Dassies (rock hyrax), banded mongoose, chacma baboons, African penguins, cape fur seals, caracal, cape clawless otters and southern right whales are common urban wildlife sightings in the Cape. For keen-sighted birders and game reserve enthusiasts, Cape Town also offers some of South Africa’s best birdwatching locations and Big 5 safari destinations close to the city.
Urban Cape Wildlife
Many cities and towns in South Africa are seamlessly built in harmony with the natural biodiversity of thee region. Parks, botanical gardens, conservancies, nature reserves and game reserves can be found in and around many urban areas.
- Caracal or “African Lynx”
- Chacma Baboon
- Dassie or “Rock Hyrax”
- Klipspringer
- Cape Clawless Otter
- African Penguin
- Grey Squirrel
- King Gull
- Egyptian Geese
- Agama Lizard
Caracal (Caracal caracal)
Dassie (Spheniscus demersus)
Small Mammals
Small mammals like dassies (hyrax), grey squirrels, banded mongoose and chacma baboons are common sightings in Cape Town. Keep a look out for small wildlife especially when travelling around Table Mountain, Cape Point, Kirstenbosch Gardens, and even the Cape Winelands.
- Dassie or “Rock Hyrax”
- Banded Mongoose
- Meerkat
- Cape Porcupine
- Black-backed Jackal
- Cape Grey Mongoose
- Scrub Hare
- Vervet monkey
Rare Cape Wildlife Sightings
The Western Cape’s incredible diversity includes some of the world’s most rare and sought-after wildlife sightings — including animals most South Africans will never have the chance to see in the wild.
- Aardwolf or “earth-wolf”
- Bat-Eared Fox
- Cape Fox
- Cape Leopard
- Cape Buffalo
- Brown Hyena
- Aardvark
- Cape Genet (large-spotted genet)
- African wild cat
- Honey Badger
- Cheetah
Aardwolf (Proteles cristatus)
Southern Eland (Taurotragus oryx)
Antelope of the Cape
The Western Cape hosts over 83 species of mammals, and is home to many of Africa’s most iconic game and rare wildlife sightings. Here are a few of the antelope you can see in the Cape.
- Eland
- Cape Mountain Zebra
- Blesbok
- Kudu
- Springbok
- Bontebok
- Grey Rhebok
- Red hartebeest
- Giraffe
- Oryx (gemsbok)
Cape Town Marine Wildlife
Cape Town’s Atlantic coastline is home great white sharks, orca’s, Cape fur seals, African penguins, dolphins, stingrays, sun fish, marlin, and countless fish species.
- African Penguin
- Cape Fur Seal
- Southern Right Whale
- Cape Clawless Otter
- Great White Sharks
- Short-tail Stingray
- Humpback Whale
- Dusky Dolphin
- Heaviside’s Dolphin
- Bottlenose Dolphin
African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus)
Cape Cobra (Naja nivea)
Cape Reptiles and Amphibians
Although Cape Town isn’t known for its diverse reptilian and amphibian population, there are a few unique scaled and cold-blooded creatures that thrive in the region’s coastal, mountainous, and fynbos landscapes.
- Cape Cobra or “Yellow Cobra”
- Leopard Tortoise
- Angulate Tortoise
- Padloper (world’s smallest tortoise)
- Cape Legless Skink
- African Bull Frog
- Cape River Frog
- Leopard Toad
- Puff Adder
- Rinkhals
Cape Birds
The Cape is home to over 364 native bird species, many of which you can see in and around the city. Here’s a few birds to look out for in Cape Town, South Africa.
- Cape Eagle Owl
- Verreaux’s “Black” Eagle
- Cape Ostrich
- Great White Pelican
- Lesser Flamingo
- Kori Bustard
- Black-bellied Korhaan
- Cape Thrush
- Lemon Dove
- Blue Crane
- Pale Chanting Goshawk
- Cape Robin-chat
- Red-winged Starling
Cape Eagle Owl (Bubo capensis)
Conserving and Protecting Cape Wildlife
Cape Town is home to one of the world’s most diverse and unique landscapes, including the endemic fynbos biome and vast Karoo landscapes, and conserving and protecting the natural flora and fauna remains at the core of Aquila’s 10 000 hectare cape wildlife conservancy.
From 1999, Aquila has led various award-winning conservation efforts to restore the cape’s native wildlife, from returning rhinos to the Western Cape wild for the first time in 250 years, to establishing the Cape’s first big five game reserver only 2 hours from the city. Guests at Aquila are invited to experience and see the best of Cape Town’s wildlife on a day trip or overnight South African Big Five safari.
Wildlife Safari close to Cape Town
Whether you’re hiking Table Mountain, exploring Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, or venturing into Table Mountain National Park, you’re likely to encounter Cape Town’s wildlife. For those craving sightings of Africa’s iconic Big Five, Aquila Private Game Reserve is just a two-hour drive from the city and offers the ultimate safari experience.
