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• Amazing Kruger facts

Welcome to our AMAZING KRUGER FACTS page!

Learn some interesting things about the park and the animals that live in it. Link to some of our animal pages to learn even more and to see some amazing photographs, all taken in the park!

Did you know?

Approximately 147 species of mammals, 507 birds species, 114 reptile species , 49 fish species, 34 species of amphibians, and 336 tree species have been recorded in the Kruger National Park.

The Kruger National Park is nearly two million hectares in size. This is about the size of Israel or Wales!

A giraffe's tongue can grow up to 45cm / 17.7in.

A big male lion can weigh up to 260kg / 573lbs.

The serval cat can jump up to 2m / 6.6ft high.

An adult impala can jump up to 10m / 10ft far.

Of the 114 reptile species in the park, the flap-necked chameleon is the only chameleon.

The fence between the Kruger National Park and Mozambique where the Transfrontier park has been proclaimed in the east has been removed. The animals can now move freely between the two countries.

The tiny rock dassie is actually family of the massive elephant.

Warthogs and spotted hyaenas use old aardvark holes as den sites to raise their young.

Lesser bushbabies urinate on their hands and feet to leave chemical messages to other bushbabies that use the same trees.

If you are eating under the thatched-roof lapas at Skukuza's cafeteria, look up and you will see bats hanging from the roof.

Black-backed jackal pairs form a bond that can last a lifetime.

The markings on every zebra, leopard, wild dog and cheetah are unique. The markings are like our finger prints – no one else has the same set! (These are not the only species with unique markings.)

Certain antelopes, like impalas, can delay the birth of their young by as much as a few weeks if the rains are late.

Leopards don't live in trees, but often rest in them or take their prey up to safety. They spend a lot of time on the ground, too.

Porcupines can't shoot their quills at attackers. They can, however, stab any animal that tries to catch them, and in the process they may loose some quills.

Spotted hyaena females are dominant over all the males in the clan and the alpha female may even have more testosterone than any other male in the clan.

Cheetahs can't retract their claws and as a result are poor tree climbers. Their claws become blunt like those of dogs, giving them the traction they need to run at very high speeds!

Steenbok often bury their dung.

An adult kudu bull's horns may measure up to 181cm / 71.3in if measured along the curve.

Warthogs stick their thin tails straight up into the air when they run away from potential danger. This acts as a kind of beacon for piglets and other warthogs to follow in tall grass.

Rhino horns are actually made from hair and grow back when cut off.

There may be over 40 000 individual muscles in an elephant's trunk, allowing it to pick up a match stick and to push over a massive tree.

Each buffalo has a different facial expression. Make a point of looking at them individually when you come across a herd again!

Baboons, vervet monkeys and spotted hyaenas may become problem animals if they are fed, which then have to be killed by park officials.

If crocodiles catch and eat a massive prey animal like a blue wildebeest, they may go without food for many months, sometimes longer than a year.

An adult hippo can hold its breath for up to six minutes.

Most mongoose species in the Kruger National Park use termite mounds for cover.

Vervet monkeys have different warning calls for different types of predators. This way, they can get troop members to look up immediately when an eagle is spotted,  for example, or to look for a snake if a python is spotted.

Rhinos form large dung middens, often at the side of the road, which act as chemical information stations.

Elephants can swim well and often play in the water.

Giraffes often lie down to rest, but keep their necks upright.

Giraffes only have seven neck vertebrae.

Spotted hyaenas don't only scavenge, they hunt as well.

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