Below you can find a complete list of Sierra Leonean animals. We currently track 249 animals in Sierra Leone and are adding more every day!
Sierra Leone is a small country on the coast of West Africa. The country’s geography is divided between lowland plains, lush rainforests, and the Loma Mountains, which contain the highest peak, Mount Bintumani. Sierra Leone is particularly rich in birds, insects, primates, and other mammals, while the waters teem with whales, sea turtles, and manatees.
The Official National Animal of Sierra Leone
The national animal of Sierra Leone is the chimpanzee.
Where to Find the Top Wild Animals in Sierra Leone
Some of the most popular destinations from which you can see the country’s mammals, birds, and other wildlife are the Gola Forest Reserves in the south, the Outamba-Kilimi National Park in the north, and the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary located near the capital, Freetown.
The Most Dangerous Animals in Sierra Leone Today
- Nile Crocodile – Large and aggressive, the Nile crocodile causes many human deaths every year throughout Africa. It is generally more common and more dangerous than the dwarf and slender-snouted crocodiles.
- Snakes – Sierra Leone is home to many venomous snakes, including the western green mamba and spitting cobras. The symptoms of snake toxin vary by species, but they can include pain, swelling, nausea, vomiting, and nerve and tissue damage. Some of the most dangerous snakes are even capable of killing people and other large mammals.
Endangered Animals in Sierra Leone
- Western Chimpanzee – This subspecies of the chimpanzee is greatly imperiled by habitat loss. It is believed that no more than 50,000 remain in the wild.
- Western Red Colobus – This small, red-haired monkey is endemic to the rainforests and gallery forests of West Africa.
- Pygmy Hippopotamus – This smaller relative of the hippo is endangered due to logging and agriculture.
- Timneh Parrot – This gray-colored bird is now endangered by trapping and forest loss. It’s an intelligent bird, skilled in vocal mimicry.
The Flag of Sierra Leone
The flag of Sierra Leone features three horizontal stripes in green, white, and blue. The blue stands for the gorgeous waters of Freetown’s harbor, along with hope and desire for world peace. The green stripe symbolizes the nation’s natural resources, including its mountains. Lastly, the white represents the connection of the people and the importance of justice.
Sierra Leonean Animals
Can move 2ft of soil in just 15 seconds!
Secretes up to 4g of musk every week!
Both male and female African elephants have tusks. In Asian elephants, only the males have tusks.
African fish eagles belong to the genus of sea eagles
The first image of an African golden cat was captured in the wild in Gabon in 2002.
When a grey parrot named Yosuke got lost, it was reunited with its owner after giving the owner's name and address.
The males raise the young
Solitary but gathers in groups!
Despite its name, actually originated from Africa and the Middle East
First evolved 100 million years ago!
Renew their horns every year!
They are so named because they "march" in armies of worms from one crop to another in search of food
Axanthic ball pythons lack yellow pigment in their skin!
Banana cinnamon ball pythons came from combining the banana and cinnamon genes.
People spin clothing and fishing nets out of these spiders’ silk.
There are over 1768 known species!
Found everywhere around the world!
Bed bugs feed for 4-12 minutes.
Rock paintings of bees date back 15,000 years
There are more than 350,000 different species
The bichir species is more than 400 million years old
Not all birds are able to fly!
The biscuit beetle form a symbiotic relationship with yeast
They typically prey on insects!
Long and heavy spiralled horns!
“Mild-Mannered Minimonsters”
Females glue egg cases to furniture
Can live its entire life indoors
"They look like you owe them money."
The most common species of bee!
In a series of leaps, this creature can cover almost 30 feet of distance in just a few seconds.
Bush vipers are predators, sinking their fangs into prey while dangling from a tree limb
There are thought to be up 17,500 species!
Some species' babies use their hooked or scraper-like teeth to peel off and eat their mother's skin
Has 20 different muscles in it's ears!
Carpenter ants can lift up to seven times their own weight with their teeth!
May have been domesticated up to 10,000 years ago.
The larvae of a moth or butterfly!
There are nearly 3,000 different species!
There are about 3,000 documented species!
There are more than 160 different species!
First domesticated more than 10,000 years ago!
Has 32 teeth including fang-like canines!
There are more than 2 000 known species!
Dated to be around 300 million years old!
Pupae are able to undergo diapause to survive poor fruit yield years and winter.
The most common raptor in the UK!
The common furniture beetle feeds exclusively on wood
House spiders have the ability to eat most insects in a home.
Cosmic caterpillars have spots on their back that look like eyes to scare off predators.
There are nearly 1.5 billion worldwide!
There are 93 different crab groups
Crab Spiders can mimic ants or bird droppings
Many are critically endangered species!
Male crickets can produce sounds by rubbing their wings together
Have changed little in 200 million years!
Crocodylomorphs include extinct ancient species as well as 26 living species today.
A group of these birds is called a Murder.
Desert ghost ball pythons are even more beautiful when they're bred with another type like enchi ball pythons.
Solitary locusts are grey while gregarious locusts are yellow with stripes.
First domesticated in South-East Asia!
Dog ticks feed on dogs and other mammals
First domesticated 5,000 years ago!
Found in Europe, Africa and Asia!
It's larvae are carnivorous!
Rows of tiny plates line their teeth!
The dung beetle can push objects many times its own weight
Digs burrows in river banks to rest!
Has exceptional eyesight!
They are hermaphrodites, which means they have male and female organs
There are nearly 2,000 different species!
Eels can be a mere few inches long to 13 feet!
The electric catfish can discharge an electric shock up to 450 volts
Spends around 22 hours a day eating!
Found exclusively on the African continent!
The fastest creatures on the planet!
False spiders actually prey on black widow spiders and other hazardous spiders
The fiddler crab gets its name from the motion the males make with their over-sized claw during the mating ritual.
The fire ball python morph is known for its rich golden and reddish-brown coloration.
The firefly produces some of the most efficient light in the world
Adult fleas can jump up to 7 inches in the air
There are more than 240,000 different species!
Only 12 species are considered "true foxes"
Freeway ball pythons come from breeding yellow belly and asphalt ball pythons.
There are around 7,000 different species!
Among the largest bats in the world
Fruit flies are among the most common research animals in the world
Named for the Arabic word for love poems
There are thought to be over 2,000 species!
Originally known as the Desert Rat!
The most common type of urban roach
The biggest snail species on land!
Found inhabiting dense woodland and caves!
Males form large mating swarms at dusk
Most closely related to the Sheep!
Migrates between Europe and Asia!
Goliath beetles are the largest beetles in the world, and they can carry objects several times their weight.
There are 11,000 known species!
Green mambas are fast, and can travel up to 7 miles per hour.
Found in a vairety of African habitats!
One of the most invasive species in the world
Able to run as quickly backwards as forwards!
Can reach speeds of over 50 mph!
Many hawk moth caterpillars eat toxins from plants, but don’t sequester them the way milkweed butterflies do. Most toxins are excreted.
Thought to be one of the oldest mammals on Earth!
Inhabits wetlands around the world!
Has pink anti-bacterial sweat!
One of earth's bravest creatures!
There are only 8 recognized species!
Stunning bird with a stinky way to deter predators!
Has evolved over 50 million years!
Horseflies have been seen performing Immelmann turns, much like fighter jets.
Thought to have orignated 200,000 years ago!
Some huntsman spiders have an interesting way of moving around. Some cartwheel while others do handsprings or backflips.
There are four different species!
Found in swamps, marshes and wetlands!
There are an estimated 30 million species!
The jacana has the ability to swim underwater
One of the biggest species in the Caranx genus
Can maintain speeds of 16 km/h!
Some can jump 50 times the length of their bodies
Killer clown ball pythons can cost several thousand dollars.
Inhabits wetlands and woodlands worldwide!
There are more than 5,000 species worldwide!
The first two lavender albino ball pythons were wild-hatched and imported from Africa.
Spends much of the time high in the trees!
The lesser jacana is nomadic, often moving in search of temporary wetland habitats.
The offspring of a lion and tiger parents!
Lives in small groups called prides!
There are around 5,000 different species!
Each locust can eat its weight in plants each day.
Will only live in wet areas
They are found across Europe, Asia and Africa!
The marabou stork does not have a voice box.
They have a symbiotic relationship with ants.
Some species have a poisonous bite!
Instead of the typically banded or ‘alien head’ patterning of most ball python morphs, the Mojave morph’s patterning is characterized by lots of large, circular splotches with small, dark brown dots in their centers.
Primarily hunts and feeds on Earthworms!
Range in size from just 1 to 3 foot!
Has characteristics of two or more breeds!
Some species are thought to carry a weak venom!
There are around 260 known species!
Feeds on aquatic insects and water-spiders!
Only the female mosquito actually sucks blood
There are 250,000 different species!
Found on every continent on Earth!
The offspring of a horse and donkey parents!
Nematodes range in size from 1/10 of an inch to 28 feet long
Named more than 1,000 years ago!
Unlike other reptiles, the male Nile crocodile will stay with a female to guard their nest of eggs.
The Nile monitor is the world's fourth-largest lizard!
There are more than 5,000 species.
Northern pintails migrate at night with speeds reaching 48 miles per hour!
Olive baboons will sometimes form strong friendships with each other
The "Orange Dream" name came from the idea that the morph would make its first breeder a million dollars.
Females are about four times the size of males
Males oribis spend most of their time patrolling the borders of their territories; they can do this about 16 times an hour! However, 27% of their day is spent grazing.
The tradition of hiding your face with a napkin or towel while eating this bird was begun by a priest who was a friend of the great French gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin.
They reuse nesting sites for 70 years!
There are 13 different species worldwide
The owl can rotate its head some 270 degrees
The panda pied ball python morph is a combination of the piebald and black pastel traits.
Bad eyesight, but great sense of smell
Monk parakeets are the only parakeets that actually build nests. They’re also the only parakeets to nest in great colonies.
Can live for up to 100 years!
The fastest species of primate in the world!
Females lay between 8 and 12 eggs per clutch!
They can find their way back to their nests from up to 1300 miles away.
The mantis can turn its head 180 degrees.
This large snake is so-named because it will puff up its body to appear bigger than it is when directly threatened by a predator or person.
Spends more time on land than in water!
Inhabits woodland and forest areas worldwide!
There are more than 300 different species!
Rainbow Kribs sometimes nip the fins of other fish, especially ones with long, flowing tails, which is too tempting for them not to bite.
Omnivores that eat anything!
Is the most populous bird in the world
They build their nests off the ground in tree holes, cavities, stone walls, and roofs
It's horns are made from keratin!
Inhabits freshwater habitats around the world!
There are more than 45 species in Australia alone!
Actually related to Elephants and Manatees!
Rock pythons may have crossbred with the escaped Burmese pythons in Florida.
The capybara, the world’s largest rodent, likes to be in and around bodies of water. Because of this, the Catholic Church in South America decided that it was a fish, and people were allowed to eat it during Lent and First Fridays.
Will mate with the entire flock!
Ferrets were used during the Revolutionary War to keep down the rat population.
The sand crab burrows beneath the sand with its tail
Savannah monitors are one of the most popular lizards in captivity.
Aside from the ocular scales covering each of its eyes, the scaleless ball python's body is completely smooth.
There are around 2,000 known species!
The sea eagle tends to mate for life with a single partner
Males give birth to up to 1,000 offspring!
Can leap more than 1 meter into the air!
Around 35 million in the English countryside!
The spinal column of the shrew Scutisorex somereni is so strong and reinforced that it can support the weight of an adult human.
There are 2,000 different species worldwide!
Some skinks lay eggs in some habitats while giving birth to skinklets in other habitats.
They glide around on one foot, which is aided by the slime they produce
Has up to 45 eggs per egg case
There are nearly 1,000 different species!
There are around 4,000 known species worldwide
There are 140 different species!
They prey on spiders to feed their larvae or they parasitize other spider wasps.
Spitting cobras are types of cobras that can spit venom at predators and prey.
Small rodents found in woodlands worldwide!
There are more than 3,000 different species!
They can’t sing like other birds.
Sunset ball pythons are bred with several other morphs to get designer colors.
Populations have been affected by pollution!
Tarantula hawks are excellent pollinators, especially for milkweed.
Their mounds can be up to 9 meters tall!
The skate with the biggest spines!
The American robin is called the robin because its red breast reminded European settlers of the robin back in the old country.
They inject hosts with a chemical that stops them from feeling the pain of the bite
The adult tiger beetle is one of the fastest land insects in the world
Can live until they are more than 150 years old!
Found in warmer jungles and forests!
Tsetse flies are large biting flies that live in the tropical regions of Africa.
Their name means “banana-eater,” but they rarely ever eat bananas.
Some species of aquatic turtles can get up to 70 percent of their oxygen through their butt.
Vinegaroons can spray 19 times before the glands are depleted
Vipers are one of the most widespread groups of snakes and inhabit most
There are 30 different species worldwide!
Has two sets of tusks on it's face!
There are around 75,000 recognised species!
Has been domesticated for thousands of years!
There are two different types of white ferrets!
Carnivorous arachnid that hunts its prey.
This animal can roll up into a ball
There are 200 different species!
They feign death by making their bodies limp and closing their eyes.
The yellow belly gene is co-dominant and doesn't completely override other genes.
Stripe patterns are unique to each individual!
There are around 75 different species!
The offspring of Zebra and Donkey parents!
The offspring of a Zebra and Horse parents!
Sierra Leonean Animals List
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Has the rhino ever lived in Sierra Leone?
While the rhino once occupied most of sub-Saharan Africa, there is no evidence it was ever found in Sierra Leone.
What types of cats live in Sierra Leone?
The country is home to the leopard, African civet, African wildcat, serval, golden cat, genet, and occasionally the lion.