Wildlife Icons

Covering more than 12 million square miles, the savanna is a vast biome that makes up almost half of Africa's surface. But this iconic landscape is also a living, breathing system of diverse plant and animal species.

Meerkats may be small and vulnerable, but they're also tenacious creatures that thrive in the unforgiving Kalahari Desert.

As a creature that thrives on waste, the dung beetle is easy to dismiss. But it's actually a key player in the Serengeti's ecosystem, recycling the flow of energy to fuel the lives of every animal on the plains--from the smallest herbivore to the largest predator.

Covering nearly 8,000 square miles of diverse habitats, South Africa's Kruger National Park is home to an abundance of wildlife, many among them predators.

Five of Africa's key species--the lion, rhino, leopard, buffalo, and elephant--thrive thanks to a variety of adaptations. Power in numbers, reliance on the family unit, and battling their way to the top of the hierarchy are just a few ways they excel in the face of nature's challenges.