KnowKi

Learn the wildlife of any country

Learn the wildlife of Botswana

Africa

4,942 species have research-grade observations in Botswana on iNaturalist. KnowKi turns the most recorded into short lessons with real photos, so you can learn a country's wildlife from home.

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Āki the kiwi, KnowKi's guide

Most recorded here

The species with the most research-grade observations on iNaturalist, and how many each has. Most recorded doesn't mean native.

Birds

  1. African Fish-Eagle Icthyophaga vocifer1,248
  2. Lilac-breasted Roller Coracias caudatus1,044
  3. White-backed Vulture Gyps africanus860
  4. African Jacana Actophilornis africanus766
  5. Blacksmith Lapwing Vanellus armatus728
  6. Southern Red-billed Hornbill Tockus rufirostris715
  7. African Darter Anhinga rufa705
  8. Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis688
  9. Yellow-billed Stork Mycteria ibis643
  10. Marabou Stork Leptoptilos crumenifer618

Plants

  1. African baobab Adansonia digitata607
  2. Makalani Palm Hyphaene petersiana548
  3. Camel Thorn Vachellia erioloba449
  4. Day Waterlily Nymphaea nouchali337
  5. Black thorn Senegalia mellifera316
  6. Silver terminalia Terminalia sericea264
  7. Mopane Colophospermum mopane256
  8. Umbrella thorn Vachellia tortilis225
  9. Leadwood Combretum imberbe209
  10. Purplepod clusterleaf Terminalia prunioides188

Mammals

  1. African Savanna Elephant Loxodonta africana2,700
  2. Lion Panthera leo1,756
  3. Southern Giraffe Giraffa giraffa1,553
  4. Common Hippopotamus Hippopotamus amphibius1,412
  5. Impala Aepyceros melampus1,273
  6. Greater Kudu Tragelaphus strepsiceros1,114
  7. Plains Zebra Equus quagga1,073
  8. African Buffalo Syncerus caffer927
  9. Chacma Baboon Papio ursinus854
  10. Common Warthog Phacochoerus africanus825

Insects

  1. Southern Banded Groundling Brachythemis leucosticta310
  2. Pioneer White Belenois aurota255
  3. Plain Tiger Butterfly Danaus chrysippus251
  4. Sundowner moth Sphingomorpha chlorea186
  5. Vestal Rhodometra sacraria183
  6. Broad Scarlet Crocothemis erythraea149
  7. Blue Basker Urothemis edwardsii142
  8. Creamstriped Owl Cyligramma latona127
  9. African Migrant Catopsilia florella126
  10. Yellow Pansy Junonia hierta117

Spiders and kin

  1. Banded-legged golden orb-web spider Trichonephila senegalensis154
  2. Hyllus treleaveni83
  3. Orange Lesser-Thicktail Scorpion Uroplectes planimanus77
  4. Kalahari Burrowing Scorpion Opistophthalmus wahlbergii72
  5. Common Garden Orbweb Spider Argiope australis67
  6. Eastern Bark Scorpion Uroplectes vittatus66
  7. Tropical Tent-web Spider Cyrtophora citricola57
  8. Brown Widow Latrodectus geometricus54
  9. Granulated Thick-tailed Scorpion Parabuthus granulatus50
  10. Giant Cellar Spider Artema atlanta47

Reptiles

  1. Nile Crocodile Crocodylus niloticus1,109
  2. Nile Monitor Varanus niloticus550
  3. Wahlberg’s Striped Skink Trachylepis wahlbergii445
  4. Leopard Tortoise Stigmochelys pardalis397
  5. Chobe Dwarf Gecko Lygodactylus chobiensis154
  6. Flap-necked Chameleon Chamaeleo dilepis146
  7. Tropical House Gecko Hemidactylus mabouia125
  8. Fischer's Thick-toed Gecko Chondrodactylus laevigatus110
  9. Puff Adder Bitis arietans105
  10. Common Dwarf Gecko Lygodactylus capensis100

Amphibians

  1. Angolan Reed Frog Hyperolius parallelus317
  2. Grey Foam-nest Tree Frog Chiromantis xerampelina103
  3. Senegal Running Frog Kassina senegalensis43
  4. Red-Banded Rubber Frog Phrynomantis bifasciatus43

How a trip works

A trip has its own trail of lessons: meet six species, match them to new photos, then practice with four choices. Species you learn go into your Fieldbook, and starting a trip earns its Passport stamp. Your home place stays as it is.

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Species lists and counts from research-grade observations on iNaturalist, as of October 2026. Free, with no ads, no account and no purchases.