African Rainforest

The steamy heart of Africa, where gorillas and okapi move through deep green shadow.

ClimateHot, humid and rainy almost every day, around 25°C.

LandscapeDense, dripping jungle beneath a towering green canopy.

Species recorded293

Written profiles4

Groups present7

Coordinates-1.0°, 23.0°

About the African Rainforest

The Congo Basin holds the second-largest tropical rainforest in the world and the largest in Africa, a block of forest that is still, in places, genuinely remote. It is wetter and more consistently warm than the savanna to its south and east, with rain falling most of the year, and the result is a closed canopy under which the light is dim and green and the understorey is dense. The animals reflect that: many are hard to see, several were unknown to science until surprisingly recently, and a great deal of what lives there communicates by sound because sight does not carry. Forest elephants, gorillas, okapi and bongo all move along a network of established trails and clearings. The forest's fate is tied closely to logging roads, which bring access before they bring anything else.

Featured animals of the African Rainforest

All profiles →

4 species have a full written profile.

Western Gorilla

Gorilla gorilla

Critically endangeredHerbivore

Most-recorded wild species here

Photographed and identified by iNaturalist contributors in this region, ordered by number of records.

Campylomormyrus numenius

Fish

Hyllus grandis

Arachnids

Dorylus titan vinalli

Insects

Red River Hog

Potamochoerus porcus

Mammals

Red Groundling

Brachythemis lacustris

Insects

Marsh Mongoose

Atilax paludinosus

Mammals

Mountain Gorilla

Gorilla beringei beringei

Mammals

Central African slender-snouted crocodile

Mecistops leptorhynchus

Reptiles

Village Weaver

Ploceus cucullatus

Birds

Jameson's Mamba

Dendroaspis jamesoni

Reptiles

Polyptychus lagnelae

Insects

Aranoethra cambridgei

Arachnids

Lizard Buzzard

Kaupifalco monogrammicus

Birds

Small Striped Swordtail

Graphium policenes policenes

Insects

De Brazza's Monkey

Cercopithecus neglectus

Mammals

Inspector

Chalcostephia flavifrons

Insects

L'Hoest's Monkey

Allochrocebus lhoesti

Mammals

Guttera plumifera plumifera

Birds

Full species checklist

A further 271 species recorded in the African Rainforest.

Common name	Scientific name	Group	Records
Trichonephila turneri	Trichonephila turneri	Arachnids	195
Congo Puffer	Tetraodon miurus	Fish	195
Western Honey Bee	Apis mellifera	Insects	194
Phago boulengeri	Phago boulengeri	Fish	194
African Cuckoo-Hawk	Aviceda cuculoides	Birds	193
Forest Elephant	Loxodonta cyclotis	Mammals	193
Forest Hairtail	Anthene larydas	Insects	192
Olive Marsh Snake	Natriciteres olivacea	Reptiles	192
Big Red Large Carpenter Bee	Xylocopa flavorufa	Insects	192
Cornish Jack	Mormyrops anguilloides	Fish	192
Habrodera nilotica	Habrodera nilotica	Insects	191
Great Egret	Ardea alba	Birds	191
Mesotopus imperator	Mesotopus imperator	Insects	191
Western Lowland Gorilla	Gorilla gorilla gorilla	Mammals	191
Black Kite	Milvus migrans	Birds	190
Blue-spot Pansy	Junonia oenone oenone	Insects	190
Straw-coloured Fruit Bat	Eidolon helvum	Mammals	190
Freshwater Butterflyfish	Pantodon buchholzi	Fish	190
Reed Cormorant	Microcarbo africanus	Birds	189
Speckled Mousebird	Colius striatus	Birds	189
Upside-down Catfish	Synodontis nigriventris	Fish	189
Pied Crow	Corvus albus	Birds	188
Bronze Dropwing	Trithemis aenea	Insects	188
Doggett's Silver Monkey	Cercopithecus mitis doggetti	Mammals	188
Dilycochtha tenuicornis	Dilycochtha tenuicornis	Insects	188
Pseudonacaduba aethiops	Pseudonacaduba aethiops	Insects	187
Olive Sunbird	Cyanomitra olivacea	Birds	187
Macrotermes amplus	Macrotermes amplus	Insects	187
Monk	Amauris tartarea	Insects	186
Red-billed Firefinch	Lagonosticta senegala	Birds	186
Orangestriped Squeaker	Synodontis flavitaeniatus	Fish	186
Argiope flavipalpis	Argiope flavipalpis	Arachnids	185
Telchinia ntebiae ntebiae	Telchinia ntebiae ntebiae	Insects	185
Yellow-billed Kite	Milvus migrans parasitus	Birds	184
Technomyrmex laurenti	Technomyrmex laurenti	Insects	184
Echinosoma congolense	Echinosoma congolense	Insects	184
Variegated grasshopper	Zonocerus variegatus	Insects	183
Ruwenzori Black-and-White Colobus	Colobus angolensis ruwenzorii	Mammals	183
Palm-nut Vulture	Gypohierax angolensis	Birds	183
Acraea Swordtail	Graphium ridleyanus	Insects	182
Harpendyreus reginaldi	Harpendyreus reginaldi	Insects	182
Portia Widow	Palpopleura portia	Insects	181
Terina wardi	Terina wardi	Insects	181
Eugnathichthys macroterolepis	Eugnathichthys macroterolepis	Fish	181
White-throated Blue Swallow	Hirundo nigrita	Birds	180
Cassin's Hawk-Eagle	Aquila africana	Birds	180
Tetramorium gabonense	Tetramorium gabonense	Insects	179
Western Guereza	Colobus guereza occidentalis	Mammals	179
Patchwork Porcelain Roach	Gyna bisannulata	Insects	178
Gasteracantha curvispina	Gasteracantha curvispina	Arachnids	177
Tylochromis lateralis	Tylochromis lateralis	Fish	176
Derby's Anomalure	Anomalurus derbianus	Mammals	175
Pale-headed forest snake	Buhoma depressiceps	Reptiles	174
Freadelpha eremita	Freadelpha eremita	Insects	174
Jackson's Forest Lizard	Adolfus jacksoni	Reptiles	173
Belonophago hutsebouti	Belonophago hutsebouti	Fish	173
Excised Wanderer	Bematistes excisa	Insects	172
Golden Monkey	Cercopithecus mitis kandti	Mammals	171
Bottletail	Olpogastra lugubris	Insects	171
Tupalus maculatus	Tupalus maculatus	Insects	170
Phylloxiphia illustris	Phylloxiphia illustris	Insects	169
Guanchia sjoestedti	Guanchia sjoestedti	Insects	168
Chloroclanis virescens	Chloroclanis virescens	Insects	168
Scopula dentilinea	Scopula dentilinea	Insects	167
Putty-nosed Monkey	Cercopithecus nictitans	Mammals	166
Aethiopocassis cinctidorsum	Aethiopocassis cinctidorsum	Insects	165
Forest Sitatunga	Tragelaphus spekii gratus	Mammals	165
Leopard	Panthera pardus	Mammals	164
Pied Kingfisher	Ceryle rudis	Birds	163
Oubangui Red Colobus	Piliocolobus oustaleti	Mammals	162
Ancala fasciata	Ancala fasciata	Insects	161
Wood Sandpiper	Tringa glareola	Birds	160
Elephantnose Fish	Gnathonemus petersii	Fish	160
Acanthosphinx guessfeldti	Acanthosphinx guessfeldti	Insects	159
Rwenzori Turaco	Gallirex johnstoni	Birds	158
Centaurus Beetle	Augosoma centaurus	Insects	157
African Giant Skipper	Coeliades iphis	Insects	156
Dorylus nigricans	Dorylus nigricans	Insects	154
Willow Warbler	Phylloscopus trochilus	Birds	153
Yellow-streaked Greenbul	Phyllastrephus flavostriatus	Birds	151
Camponotus brutus	Camponotus brutus	Insects	151
Rhypteira sordida	Rhypteira sordida	Insects	150
Poll's Bichir	Polypterus polli	Fish	149
Brimstone Canary	Crithagra sulphurata	Birds	148
Enochletica ostentatrix	Enochletica ostentatrix	Insects	148
Bush Bronze	Cacyreus lingeus	Insects	147
Damon johnstonii	Damon johnstonii	Arachnids	147
Heterochromis multidens	Heterochromis multidens	Fish	146
Common Bulbul	Pycnonotus barbatus	Birds	145
Orange-chested Sunbird	Cinnyris venustus igneiventris	Birds	144
Giant Blue Swallowtail	Papilio zalmoxis	Insects	144
Coarse Chameleon	Trioceros rudis	Reptiles	143
Great Blue Turaco	Corythaeola cristata	Birds	143
Green White-eye	Zosterops stuhlmanni	Birds	142
Cucumber Moth	Diaphania indica	Insects	142
Pink-backed Pelican	Pelecanus rufescens	Birds	141
Holopercna gerstaeckerii	Holopercna gerstaeckerii	Insects	141
Bronze Mannikin	Spermestes cucullata	Birds	140
Uganda blue-headed tree agama	Acanthocercus ugandaensis	Reptiles	139
Black-kneed Duskhawker	Gynacantha bullata	Insects	139
Giraffe Catfish	Auchenoglanis occidentalis	Fish	138
Eastern Chimpanzee	Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii	Mammals	137
African Woolly-necked Stork	Ciconia microscelis	Birds	137
Lanner Falcon	Falco biarmicus	Birds	136
Bebearia fulgurata	Bebearia fulgurata	Insects	136
Lead Pearl	Syllepte vagans	Insects	136
White-bellied Robin-Chat	Cossyphicula roberti	Birds	135
Blue Jewel	Chlorocypha aphrodite	Insects	135
Anapisa monotica	Anapisa monotica	Insects	134
Papilio nireus nireus	Papilio nireus nireus	Insects	133
Osorio's Spiny Reed Frog	Afrixalus osorioi	Amphibians	132
African Finfoot	Podica senegalensis	Birds	132
White-thighed Hornbill	Bycanistes albotibialis	Birds	131
Green-backed Camaroptera	Camaroptera brachyura	Birds	130
Mackinnon's Shrike	Lanius mackinnoni	Birds	129
Wandering Glider	Pantala flavescens	Insects	129
Black-crowned Waxbill	Estrilda nonnula	Birds	128
Cupreous Hairtail	Anthene princeps	Insects	128
African Stonechat	Saxicola torquatus	Birds	127
Pale Babul Blue	Azanus mirza	Insects	127
African Harrier-Hawk	Polyboroides typus	Birds	126
Cassin's Flycatcher	Muscicapa cassini	Birds	126
Chabulina astomalis	Chabulina astomalis	Insects	125
Papilio dardanus dardanus	Papilio dardanus dardanus	Insects	124
Augur Buzzard	Buteo augur	Birds	123
Forest Leopard	Phalanta eurytis eurytis	Insects	123
Guttural Toad	Sclerophrys gutturalis	Amphibians	122
Ctenopoma gabonense	Ctenopoma gabonense	Fish	122
Bathroom Moth Fly	Clogmia albipunctata	Insects	121
African Brown Knifefish	Xenomystus nigri	Fish	121
Eurasian Kestrel	Falco tinnunculus	Birds	120
Achaea durfa	Achaea durfa	Insects	120
Yellow-fronted Canary	Crithagra mozambica	Birds	119
Red-eyed Dove	Streptopelia semitorquata	Birds	118
Speckle-lipped Mabuya	Trachylepis maculilabris	Reptiles	118
Black-faced Apalis	Apalis personata	Birds	117
Silver Pendant	Problepsis digammata	Insects	117
Grey Heron	Ardea cinerea	Birds	116
African Fish-Eagle	Icthyophaga vocifer	Birds	115
Marabou Stork	Leptoptilos crumenifer	Birds	114
grey-mantled grey-cheeked mangabey	Lophocebus albigena	Mammals	114
Walker's Owl	Erebus walkeri	Insects	113
Streaky Seedeater	Crithagra striolata	Birds	112
Mung Bean Moth	Maruca vitrata	Insects	112
Short-tailed Admiral	Vanessa dimorphica dimorphica	Insects	110
White-barred Amber	Telchinia encedon encedon	Insects	110
MacKinnon’s Swallowtail	Papilio mackinnoni	Insects	109
Mountain Buzzard	Buteo oreophilus	Birds	106
Zebra Pyrale	Zebronia phenice	Insects	106
Pseudacraea lucretia protracta	Pseudacraea lucretia protracta	Insects	105
Chnootriba scutellaris	Chnootriba scutellaris	Insects	104
Zamarada undimarginata	Zamarada undimarginata	Insects	104
Scalloped Blue Judy	Afriodinia rutherfordii	Insects	103
Rubraea cepheus cepheus	Rubraea cepheus cepheus	Insects	103
Hairy Headed Slug	Stroter capillatus	Insects	102
Neoclosterus curvipes	Neoclosterus curvipes	Insects	101
Cassin's Spinetail	Neafrapus cassini	Birds	100
African Migrant	Catopsilia florella	Insects	98
Mazuca dulcis	Mazuca dulcis	Insects	97
Olive-bellied Sunbird	Cinnyris chloropygius	Birds	95
Hartlaub's Duck	Pteronetta hartlaubii	Birds	94
Boulenger's Featherfin Tetra	Bryconaethiops boulengeri	Fish	94
Western Nicator	Nicator chloris	Birds	93
Petrocephalus zakoni	Petrocephalus zakoni	Fish	93
Velvet Tree Nymph	Sevenia occidentalium	Insects	91
Western Citril	Crithagra frontalis	Birds	90
Large emerald pearl	Stemorrhages sericea	Insects	90
African Striped Skink	Trachylepis striata	Reptiles	89
Red Jungle-skimmer	Hadrothemis defecta	Insects	89
Red-legged Sun Squirrel	Heliosciurus rufobrachium	Mammals	88
Eastern Long-tailed Hornbill	Horizocerus cassini	Birds	88
Fulvous Hawk	Coelonia fulvinotata	Insects	87
Telchinia lycoa lycoa	Telchinia lycoa lycoa	Insects	85
Sipalinus guineensis	Sipalinus guineensis	Insects	85
Palla ussheri interposita	Palla ussheri interposita	Insects	84
Chattering Cisticola	Cisticola anonymus	Birds	84
Northern African Snout	Libythea labdaca	Insects	83
Eastern Lowland Gorilla	Gorilla beringei graueri	Mammals	82
Kivu blue-headed tree agama	Acanthocercus kiwuensis	Reptiles	81
Balacra preussi	Balacra preussi	Insects	80
Yellow Bishop	Euplectes capensis	Birds	79
Ugada limbata	Ugada limbata	Insects	79
Northern Grey-headed Sparrow	Passer griseus	Birds	78
Narthecusa tenuiorata	Narthecusa tenuiorata	Insects	78
Taurotagus impressus	Taurotagus impressus	Insects	77
Syllepte glebalis	Syllepte glebalis	Insects	76
Whitebanded Nephele	Nephele rosae	Insects	75
Forest Leopard	Phalanta eurytis	Insects	74
Neurellipes onias	Neurellipes onias	Insects	73
Red-faced Woodland-Warbler	Phylloscopus laetus	Birds	71
Orange-cheeked Waxbill	Estrilda melpoda	Birds	69
Black-headed Heron	Ardea melanocephala	Birds	68
Congo Pied Hornbill	Lophoceros fasciatus	Birds	68
Ogovia pudens	Ogovia pudens	Insects	68
Grey-throated Barbet	Gymnobucco bonapartei	Birds	67
Forest Buffalo	Syncerus caffer nanus	Mammals	66
Hamerkop	Scopus umbretta	Birds	65
Polyptychus carteri	Polyptychus carteri	Insects	65
White-browed Robin-Chat	Cossypha heuglini	Birds	64
Yellow-bellied Waxbill	Coccopygia quartinia	Birds	63
Tailspot Ctenopoma	Ctenopoma kingsleyae	Fish	63
Tropical Boubou	Laniarius major	Birds	62
Yellow-billed Egret	Ardea brachyrhyncha	Birds	62
Yellow-billed Stork	Mycteria ibis	Birds	61
Asian Tear Sucker	Botyodes asialis	Insects	61
Common Waxbill	Estrilda astrild	Birds	60
Pygmy Basker	Aethriamanta rezia	Insects	60
Metoeca foedalis	Metoeca foedalis	Insects	59
Siffling Cisticola	Cisticola brachypterus	Birds	58
African red-rumped swallow	Cecropis melanocrissus	Birds	57
Blue-headed Coucal	Centropus monachus	Birds	56
Vundu	Heterobranchus longifilis	Fish	56
Southern Tree Hyrax	Dendrohyrax arboreus	Mammals	54
African Paradise-Flycatcher	Terpsiphone viridis	Birds	53
Nkoelon Half-toed Gecko	Hemidactylus coalescens	Reptiles	53
Kikuyu Mountain Greenbul	Arizelocichla kikuyuensis	Birds	52
Colias electo pseudohecate	Colias electo pseudohecate	Insects	50
Sitatunga	Tragelaphus spekii	Mammals	50
Robust Jungle-skimmer	Hadrothemis coacta	Insects	49
Great Cormorant	Phalacrocorax carbo	Birds	48
Southern Red Bishop	Euplectes orix	Birds	48
Kiriakoffalia costimacula	Kiriakoffalia costimacula	Insects	47
Central African Dotted Border	Mylothris agathina richlora	Insects	46
Aspidomorpha obovata	Aspidomorpha obovata	Insects	46
Pseudopachybrachius reductus	Pseudopachybrachius reductus	Insects	45
Lined African Pike	Hepsetus lineatus	Fish	44
Common Glider	Cymothoe caenis	Insects	43
African Clouded Yellow	Colias electo	Insects	42
Plectropoda bicolor	Plectropoda bicolor	Insects	39
Sadaka virescens	Sadaka virescens	Insects	38
Palpita metallata	Palpita metallata	Insects	37
Eltringham’s Sapphire Gem	Iridana hypocala	Insects	35
Eroded Hingeback Tortoise	Kinixys erosa	Reptiles	33
Angular Glider	Harma theobene	Insects	32
Bronze Sunbird	Nectarinia kilimensis	Birds	31
White-eyed Slaty-Flycatcher	Melaenornis fischeri	Birds	30
Tropical House Gecko	Hemidactylus mabouia	Reptiles	30
Black Cuckooshrike	Campephaga flava	Birds	28
Hypolimnas anthedon anthedon	Hypolimnas anthedon anthedon	Insects	28
two spot synodontis	Synodontis nummifer	Fish	27
Western Blotched Leopard	Lachnoptera anticlia	Insects	26
Lady's Maid Butterfly	Vanessula milca	Insects	25
Hadada Ibis	Bostrychia hagedash	Birds	23
Ivory Pintail	Acisoma trifidum	Insects	23
Giant Kingfisher	Megaceryle maxima	Birds	21
Pin-tailed Whydah	Vidua macroura	Birds	19
Cryptosara caritalis	Cryptosara caritalis	Insects	19
Abyssinian Thrush	Turdus abyssinicus	Birds	18
Mormyrus caballus	Mormyrus caballus	Fish	18
Junonia terea terea	Junonia terea terea	Insects	17
Yellow-crowned Canary	Serinus flavivertex	Birds	16
Semyrilla lineata	Semyrilla lineata	Insects	16
Chirista compta	Chirista compta	Insects	15
Mountain Yellow-Warbler	Iduna similis	Birds	14
Ugada grandicollis	Ugada grandicollis	Insects	14
De Saeger's River Frog	Amietia desaegeri	Amphibians	13
Anterhynchium synagroide	Anterhynchium synagroide	Insects	13
Dorippus Tiger	Danaus chrysippus dorippus	Insects	12
Strange Weaver	Ploceus alienus	Birds	11
Slender Jungleskimmer	Hadrothemis infesta	Insects	11
Cinnamon-bellied Reed Frog	Hyperolius cinnamomeoventris	Amphibians	10
Northern Double-collared Sunbird	Cinnyris reichenowi	Birds	9
Variable Sunbird	Cinnyris venustus	Birds	8
Dusky Line Blue	Pseudonacaduba sichela sichela	Insects	8
White-necked Raven	Corvus albicollis	Birds	7
Hadraphe aprica	Hadraphe aprica	Insects	6
Angola Swallow	Hirundo angolensis	Birds	5
Little Egret	Egretta garzetta	Birds	5
White-headed Woodhoopoe	Phoeniculus bollei	Birds	4
Banded Jewel Cichlid	Hemichromis elongatus	Fish	4
Penelope Acraea	Telchinia penelope	Insects	2

African Rainforest

About the African Rainforest

Featured animals of the African Rainforest

Most-recorded wild species here

Full species checklist

Groups found here

Mammals

Birds

Fish

Reptiles

Amphibians

Insects

Arachnids