Richly blessed

Kenya is blessed with many different environments, from snow-capped mountain ranges with cool wooded slopes, to flat savannah plains and deserts, lowland equatorial forests, coasts with mangrove swamps and sandy beaches sheltered by coral reefs.

With this variety of natural habitats, it is hardly any wonder that Kenya boasts over a hundred species of mammals, 12 different types of primate, a range of reptiles and more than 1,000 species of birds, including over 75 birds of prey and more than ten different woodpeckers.

Kenya’s diversity of flora also reflects the varying conditions, with many plants adapted to their surroundings, such as the Acacia thorn tree which withstands the fires and drought of the grasslands.  Some families of plants, such as mallows and orchids, thrive across a range of habitats and can be found throughout the country.

Mammals you may or may not know

Though the common predators and grazers can be seen in abundance by safari tourists, Kenya is also home to a number of less well-known species. For example, the lucky visitor may see large cats such as the spotted and striped serval or the tuft-eared caracal, a kind of lynx.

Other more unusual animals found in Kenya include omnivores like the civet and genet (both relatives of the mongoose), termite-eaters such as the aardvark and pangolin, rodents such as the jumping hare and giant forest squirrel and rock and tree hyraxes.  Hyraxes look like rodents, but are in fact ungulates (hoofed animals) and their closest living relative is the mighty elephant.

Into the water

In the marine environment, the dugong lives in the shallows around the Lamu Archipelago; this marine mammal which looks like a walrus is believed to have given rise to the myth of mermaids.  Another unusual resident of the mangrove swamps is the mudskipper, a fish on the evolutionary road to becoming an amphibian.

The coastal region also contains an abundance of fish which are happy to stay in the water, with important coral areas protected by reserves.  As with Kenya’s birds, many marine species – such as butterfly and angelfish are wonderfully colourful. Larger and less conspicuous underwater residents include eels, octopus and barracudas.

Kenya also has at least four species of turtle – the green, hawksbill, loggerhead and giant leatherback. Private initiative projects to protect egg sites and release baby turtles back into the sea are protecting these populations.