African savanna · Grassland
Savanna Animals
African savanna animals — lions, cheetahs, elephants, zebras and wildebeest — depend on grassland corridors and prey webs increasingly fragmented by fences, snaring and habitat loss. This hub links 16 WARN guides and endangered-species answers across South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Africa, Southern Africa and South America savanna context.
- ~20,000
- Estimated wild African lions remaining — Vulnerable on IUCN Red ListSource: IUCN
- 1.5M
- Wildebeest in the Serengeti–Mara Great Migration ecosystem
- 100 km/h
- Cheetah top speed — fastest land mammal on open savanna
Quick answers
- Why are lions endangered? African lions are Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List — populations down roughly 43% since 1993. Habitat loss, human–wildlife conflict, prey depletion and poaching for body parts drive decline. As few as 20,000 wild lions may remain across fragmented African range.
- Why are cheetahs endangered? Cheetahs are Vulnerable — fewer than 7,000 adults remain in fragmented African populations and a tiny Iranian group. Habitat loss, human conflict, prey depletion and illegal pet trade demand for cubs are the main threats. Cheetahs reproduce slowly and cannot recover quickly from removals.
- What is the fastest land animal? The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is the fastest land animal — reaching roughly 110 km/h (68 mph) in short bursts over flat ground. It accelerates faster than most sports cars but tires quickly.
- What is the difference between African and Asian elephants? African elephants have larger ears shaped like the African continent; Asian elephants have smaller, rounded ears. African elephants include savanna and forest species — both larger than Asian elephants. Only male Asian elephants typically carry visible tusks.
Savanna species guides
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Vulnerable
Lion
The lion (Panthera leo) is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, with an estimated 23,000 mature and subadult lions remaining in Africa plus around 670 in India, and the overall population is decreasing.
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Vulnerable
Cheetah
The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is the fastest land animal, reaching roughly 100-120 km/h (about 60-75 mph) in short bursts, and is classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN, with the Asiatic cheetah in Iran listed as Critically Endangered.
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Not Evaluated
Leopard
Leopards are spotted Panthera cats of Africa and Asia — Vulnerable (Panthera pardus) — plus clouded leopards and snow leopards as distinct species covered in separate WARN guides.
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Not Evaluated
Zebra
A zebra is a striped African member of the horse genus Equus; there are three species — plains, mountain, and Grevy's — ranging from Near Threatened to the Endangered Grevy's zebra, of which fewer than about 2,000 mature animals survive.
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Vulnerable
Giraffe
Giraffes are the tallest animals on Earth and are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List; the group was split into four species in 2025, and while overall numbers are now near 117,000, some subspecies such as the Kordofan and Nubian giraffe are Critically Endangered.
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Endangered
Elephant
Asian elephants are Endangered; their main threats are habitat loss and human-elephant conflict, while African elephants also face poaching for the illegal ivory trade.
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Vulnerable
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) is a large semi-aquatic African mammal listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN, with roughly 115,000-130,000 individuals remaining and a declining population driven by habitat loss and demand for its tooth ivory.
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Not Evaluated
Rhino
Rhinoceroses are five living species of horned megaherbivores in Africa and Asia; all are threatened by poaching for keratin horn, with three species Critically Endangered including the Sumatran rhino with fewer than 50 individuals.
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Not Evaluated
Wildebeest
The blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) is a gregarious grazing antelope of African savanna, central to the Great Migration of over a million animals between Serengeti and Maasai Mara; listed as Least Concern but declining outside protected areas.
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Not Evaluated
Hyena
The spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) is Africa's most common large carnivore, living in matriarchal clans on the savanna; listed as Least Concern, it is a skilled hunter — not merely a scavenger — facing persecution and habitat loss.
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Near Threatened
Buffalo
The African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is a Near Threatened bovid of sub-Saharan Africa — a 900 kg herd grazer and formidable prey for lions, with roughly 400,000 individuals; Asian wild water buffalo is a separate Endangered species.
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Not Evaluated
Impala
The impala (Aepyceros melampus) is Africa's most widespread medium-sized antelope, listed as Least Concern; it inhabits savanna woodland across eastern and southern Africa and is a keystone prey species for major predators.
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Not Evaluated
Warthog
The common warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) is a grazing wild pig of African savanna, listed as Least Concern; recognisable by facial warts and tusks, it kneels to graze and shelters in burrows when threatened.
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Not Evaluated
Gazelle
Gazelles are small swift antelopes of Africa and Asia; Thomson's gazelle (Eudorcas thomsonii) of East Africa is Least Concern with roughly 500,000 individuals and is the cheetah's primary prey.
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Not Evaluated
Antelope
Antelope are horned ruminants of the family Bovidae — roughly 90 species across Africa and Asia; African savanna antelope form the prey base for the continent's great predators, with conservation status ranging from abundant to Critically Endangered.
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Not Evaluated
Ostrich
An ostrich (Struthio camelus) is the world's largest and heaviest living bird, a flightless African species standing over two metres tall. Built for running rather than flight, it is the fastest bird on land at around 70 km/h and lays the biggest eggs of any living bird.