Travel With Tamara | Unique Species of Kenya

Honey badger

It might come as a surprise to hear that the honey badger is one of Kenya’s most aggressive animals. Not only do they have sharp teeth and strong, long, curved claws but, when provoked, they release a foul reeking discharge. Even Kenya’s famed big cats and bold hyenas give them a wide berth. Usually nocturnal, they’re occasionally seen at dawn or dusk. Omnivorous, they feed on everything from insects to fish, reptiles to eggs, and fruit to small mammals. They are black, with a white mantle along their back, and are found in a wide range of habitats including open savannah, forests and mountainous regions.

Wild dog

While these animals don’t look dissimilar to your friendly household pet, their characters are polar opposites. Also known as the painted dog or hunting dog, they hunt in packs, running their prey down until it’s exhausted then ripping it apart. They roam across huge areas of as much as 2,000km². Highly social creatures, they communicate through a variety of sounds including twitters, hoots and barks. Their preferred food is the smaller gazelles and antelopes although they have been known to take down zebras and wildebeest. They have splotched coats of golden, brown and white and, unlike other dog species, only four toes.

Black rhino

These huge prehistoric-looking animals were probably named to differentiate them from the more common white rhino – which in its turn was named for the Dutch word weit, meaning wide. More suitable names would be wide-lipped rhino and hook-lipped rhino. Despite the widespread belief to the contrary that has led to them being severely poached, rhino’s horns aren’t aphrodisiacs but composed of keratin like people’s fingernails. They use their horns to defend themselves and to dig for salt and water. Unlike the more gregarious white rhinos, black rhinos are solitary. Browsers, they feed on leaves, branches, herbs and shrubs, and can live without water for up to five days.

Crested porcupine

Africa’s largest rodent, the porcupine has strong curved claws and black-and-white quills with barbed tips. Although they’re erroneously believed to be able to shoot their quills, in fact, when challenged, they charge backwards and embed their quills into their opponent. The high-pitched noise they emit when alarmed isn’t a shriek but the rattle of its quills – they also stamp their feet and raise their crest when distressed. As well as plants, roots, bulbs, fruit and tree bark, they eat meat and gnaw bones. Porcupines are nocturnal, and live in a range of habitats including savannah, riverine and mountainous regions.