Africa · Fish by region

Fish of East Africa & the Rift Lakes

The Great Rift lakes — Tanganyika, Malawi, Victoria — and the rivers of the East African highlands.

1,676 species across 13 families

The East African Rift Valley and its great lakes (Tanganyika, Malawi/Nyasa, Victoria, and the smaller soda and satellite lakes) plus the highland and coastal rivers of the region: Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and Djibouti. The epicentre of the cichlid species flocks.

1,676 of 1,676 species

Cichlids · 1278

Arowanas & Oddballs · 46

Barbs · 129

Bichirs & Ropefish · 2

Gobies & Gudgeons · 12

Gouramis · 4

Killifish · 93

Pufferfish · 1

Tetras · 30

A fish appears here when its recorded range includes East Africa & the Rift Lakes; wide-ranging species also appear under other regions. Prefer to browse by the water itself? Explore the waters →

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