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Top nocturnal animals to look out for on a Tanzania safari

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TanzaniaHundreds of thousands of people take a trip to Tanzania every single year, with a growing number of these visiting for adventure safaris and there’s even growing evidence that travel can benefit our mental health.

As families, solo travellers and couples ditch the traditional beach getaway, this has triggered a rise in interest for the type of tailored and luxury safaris provided by Tanzania Odyssey, which enables travellers to access a number of diverse locations and experience some of the most fascinating wildlife experiences known to man.

Below, we’ll look at three nocturnal animals to look out for during a Tanzanian safari, including some that you may not be completely familiar with!

1. The Aardwolf

We star with one of the most fascinating species of African wildlife, namely the Aardwolf.

A member of the hyena family, it’s completely unlike its bigger, striped cousins, in that it doesn’t hunt large animals or scavenge for foods.

Instead, it simply eats insects including termites and insect larvae, while it treads a lone and often isolated path in the midst of the African wilderness.

With its strange appearance and unique habits, it’s one of the most unusual examples of African wildlife and one that can is often only visible at night.

2. The Aardvark

Tanzania safariNext up is another strange but altogether more familiar species, with the Aardvark being an undoubtedly well-known and revered member of the animal kingdom.

Like the Aardwolf, the Aardvark mostly feeds on ants and termites, while it tends be spotted at night in various habitats dotted throughout sub-Saharan Africa. These include various savannas, grasslands, woodlands and bushlands, with this diverse creature likely to pop up in a number of different locations.

Often, you’re most likely to see an Aardvark during the Great Wildebeest Migration, when thousands of creates make their way north across Tanzania.

The name ‘aardvark’ comes from old Afrikaans dialect and translates into ‘earth pig’ in English, and this is fitting given the creature’s habit of hiding in deep underground burrows during daylight hours and hunting termite mounds at night.

3. The Bushbaby

Interestingly, there are least 20 different species of Bushbaby, who are also known as Galagos in some jurisdictions.

This arguably makes them easier to spot by eagle-eyed travellers, particularly as most of these species are listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

This means that they’re not endangered, threatened or even near-threatened, so there’s likely to be an abundance out there in the African wilderness. Throw in the fact that Bushbabies all have loud piercing cries and bright reflective eyes, and we’d be surprised if you didn’t see on your travels.

These creatures live primarily in the trees, while they can typically found in the forests and woodlands of around 25 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. These include popular safari destinations such as Kenya, Tanzania and Botswana, along with rival nations like Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Transvaal and Swaziland.

Put simply, you’ll see at least one species of Bushbaby if you book a night-drive in one of these locations, with the creature’s reflective eyes likely to be the first thing that catches your attention.

Contributors

Contributors

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