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Learn the wildlife of national parks

Learn the wildlife of Namib-Naukluft National Park

Namibia

1,277 species have research-grade observations inside Namib-Naukluft National Park on iNaturalist. KnowKi turns the most recorded into short lessons with real photos, so you know what you're looking at before you go.

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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. Common Ostrich Struthio camelus293
  2. Cape Sparrow Passer melanurus289
  3. Pied Crow Corvus albus246
  4. Rüppell's Bustard Heterotetrax rueppelii202
  5. Familiar Chat Oenanthe familiaris142
  6. Tractrac Chat Emarginata tractrac113
  7. Lappet-faced Vulture Torgos tracheliotos109
  8. Dune Lark Calendulauda erythrochlamys105
  9. Mountain Chat Myrmecocichla monticola94
  10. Pale Chanting-Goshawk Melierax canorus81

Plants

  1. Camel Thorn Vachellia erioloba475
  2. Welwitschia Welwitschia mirabilis453
  3. !Nara Melon Acanthosicyos horridus373
  4. Dollar bush Tetraena stapffii250
  5. Quiver Tree Aloidendron dichotomum162
  6. Pencil bush Arthraerua leubnitziae150
  7. Rock Corkwood Commiphora saxicola148
  8. Namib Candelabra Naboom Euphorbia virosa145
  9. Painted Jaybee Jamesbrittenia maxii137
  10. Pale Starjasmine Orthanthera albida132

Mammals

  1. Gemsbok Oryx gazella430
  2. Springbok Antidorcas marsupialis240
  3. Black-backed Jackal Lupulella mesomelas155
  4. Mountain Zebra Equus zebra86
  5. South African Ground Squirrel Geosciurus inauris68
  6. Chacma Baboon Papio ursinus44
  7. Domestic Horse Equus caballus44
  8. Rock Hyrax Procavia capensis42
  9. Brown Hyaena Parahyaena brunnea35
  10. Klipspringer Oreotragus oreotragus34

Insects

  1. Namib Desert Dune Ant Camponotus detritus228
  2. Onymacris plana173
  3. Welwitschia Bug Probergrothius angolensis146
  4. Onymacris rugatipennis108
  5. Zigzag Blisterbeetle Hycleus zigzagus68
  6. Zophosis amabilis66
  7. Racingstripe Darkling Beetle Stenocara gracilipes64
  8. Tree Locust Anacridium moestum60
  9. Adesmia cribripes59
  10. Zophosis fairmairei59

Spiders and kin

  1. Gracile Lesser-Thicktail Scorpion Uroplectes gracilior57
  2. Uroplectes otjimbinguensis56
  3. Dancing White Lady Leucorchestris arenicola51
  4. Shaggy Thicktail Scorpion Parabuthus villosus46
  5. Small Thicktail Scorpion Parabuthus brevimanus29
  6. Robust Burrowing Scorpion Opistophthalmus carinatus20
  7. Opistophthalmus flavescens18
  8. Orange Lesser-Thicktail Scorpion Uroplectes planimanus17
  9. Sesriem Scorpion Hottentotta conspersus16
  10. Holm's Burrowing Scorpion Opistophthalmus holmi13

Reptiles

  1. Wedge-snouted Desert Lizard Meroles cuneirostris321
  2. Shovel-snouted Lizard Meroles anchietae158
  3. Common Namib Day Gecko Rhoptropus afer135
  4. Namaqua Chameleon Chamaeleo namaquensis106
  5. Namib Sand Gecko Pachydactylus rangei90
  6. Bradfield's Namib Day Gecko Rhoptropus bradfieldi79
  7. Pointed Thick-toed Gecko Pachydactylus punctatus71
  8. Kalahari Tree Skink Trachylepis spilogaster62
  9. Spotted Desert Lizard Meroles suborbitalis60
  10. Horned Adder Bitis caudalis59

Amphibians

  1. Poynton's River Frog Amietia poyntoni18
  2. African Clawed Frog Xenopus laevis8
  3. Tandy's sand frog Tomopterna tandyi6

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. Parks outside the U.S. are from the World Database on Protected Areas (UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, Protected Planet). KnowKi is not affiliated with the National Park Service or any park's managers. Free, with no ads, no account, and no purchases.