List of mammals of Zanzibar
On the Zanzibar and Pemba islands off the eastern coast of Tanzania, 53 mammal species have been recorded. The first detailed work on their mammal diversity was done between 1942 and 1983. Of these 53 species, 17 are found only on Zanzibar, 6 are restricted to Pemba, and 17 occur on both islands. Seven species have been introduced by humans, including mongooses, pigs, and various rats.
Mammals on these islands come from many groups:
- Bats: the only true flying mammals; they use wing membranes stretched over elongated fingers and account for about 20% of all mammal species worldwide.
- Primates: humans and their close relatives, including lemurs, lorisoids, tarsiers, monkeys, and great apes; more than 100 described primate species exist globally.
- Carnivorans: a large group of meat-eating mammals that occupy top levels of the food web.
- Hyraxes: small, herbivorous mammals in the order Hyracoidea; four living species exist.
- Artiodactyls: even-toed ungulates; about 220 species worldwide, including cattle and antelopes.
- Rodents: the largest order of mammals, making up over 40% of all mammal species; they have two growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws.
- Eulipotyphla: includes shrews and related small mammals; elephant shrews (often called jumping shrews) are native to Africa.
This overview shows that Zanzibar and Pemba host a diverse mix of mammals from many major groups, with some species unique to each island and several introduced by people.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 17:39 (CET).