Oryx, Springbok & Co.
Namibia's national animal is the oryx (gemsbok) — a majestic antelope with straight horns up to 1.2 meters long, capable of surviving in the desert without ever drinking (it extracts enough moisture from its food). The oryx adorns the Namibian coat of arms.
Other remarkable animals:
- Springbok: Namibia's most common antelope — it can leap up to 3.5 meters high in the air (the "pronking"), presumably to impress predators. Also on the coat of arms
- Black rhinoceros: Namibia has the largest free-ranging population worldwide — thanks to exemplary conservation programs (especially in Etosha and Damaraland)
- Cheetah: Namibia has the largest cheetah population in the world — around 1,500 animals, mainly on farmland. The Cheetah Conservation Fund near Otjiwarongo offers excellent tours
- Hartmann's mountain zebra: Endemic to Namibia — these zebras have no belly stripes and live in the mountains of Damaraland and the Namib fringe zones
- Desert lions: A small population of lions living off seals and oryx along the Skeleton Coast and in Damaraland — an extreme adaptation
- 200,000 Cape fur seals: At Cape Cross, the largest seal colony on land
