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Africa Centre |
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INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT AFRICAN WILDLIFE
Information from:
Brothers Safari Wildlife Trivia
The Little Guides: Mammals
Compiled by
Brittney Holder
CHAMELEON
A chameleon’s tongue is twice as long as
its body.
The word “chameleon” derives from the Greek
for “small lion”.
Almost half of the world’s chameleon’s
species live on the island of Madagascar, 59 of these species exist nowhere
else.
A chameleon’s skin changes color in
response to temperature, light, and mood. They communicate with each other
through
Chameleon’s have independently moveable eyes, allowing for nearly 360-degree vision.
Anton Marais
LEOPARD
The call of a leopard sounds a lot like
someone sawing wood.
A group of Leopards is called a “Leap of
Leopards”
Spend most of their day up in a
comfortable tree. They will even carry prey up there so other contenders
will have a difficult time stealing it.
The name 'leopard' came from the mistaken belief that they were a hybrid between a lion and a panther. A recessive gene causes melanism in some leopards, which people call panthers, but they are really just black leopards
ANTELOPE
The Grysbok is the smallest antelope found in the South Luangwa National Park, being only 40cm tall and weighing 9kg.
Wildebeest are actually a large, bearded antelope. Their head and mouth are shaped so that they can harvest the shortest grass that other grazing animals have difficulty feeding on.
http://rosswarner.com/antelope.html
The Thomson gazelle is exceptionally alert to sounds and movements, and its fine senses of hearing, sight and smell balance its vulnerability on the open plains.
An impala can leap up to 3 meters high and 11 meters in length.
http://www.ntrautanen.fi/safari/images/dikdik.jpg
Dikdiks are tiny antelopes, slightly larger than a hare. When frightened or disturbed, the dikdik produces a whistling sound through the nose that sounds like "zik-zik," from which its name is probably derived.
GIRAFFE
Although looking rather slow-motioned, the giraffe can actually reach speeds of between 50-60kph.
Giraffes are the tallest living mammal.
They are able to go for over a month without drinking water if necessary, as an adaptation to the drought-prone areas where they live.
A giraffes tongue is up to 18 inches long, and black.
A giraffe can get by on only 5 minutes of sleep a day.
http://rosswarner.com/giraffe.html
KUDU
Each turn in a set of male Kudu’s horns represents roughly 2 years of life.
Their cryptic coloring and markings protect kudus by camouflaging them.
They use their horns in “wrestling” matches, locking them together with their opponents, and trying to push them into submission.
www.cathouse-fcc.org/ southafrica00.html
ELEPHANT
Around 38% of the elephants in the South Luangwa National Park are tuskless.
Elephants can eliminate around 155kg of dung in a 24 hour period –at intervals of around 1.4 hours.
The low stomach rumblings of an elephant actually come from the vocal chords.
Elephants feed for up to 16 hours a day and an adult bull can eat as much as 400kg (880lbs) of vegetation per day.
30 African elephants equal the same weight as the blue whale, the world’s largest mammal.
Elephants flap their ears to cool down their body temperature.
Elephants walk on the tips of their toes on a pad of a thick cushion made up of elastic tissue which supports their weight –this allows them to move silently through the bush.
http://www.hedweb.com/animimag/elephant.jpg
WILD DOG
The Wild Dog is one of the most successful hunters in Southern Africa, killing 85% of all prey pursued.
African Wild Dogs are now extinct in 25 of the 39 African countries where they once occurred.
The African Wild Dog is thought to have evolved separately from other canines as much as 2 million years ago. They are a separate species and cannot interbreed with close relatives such as the wolves and jackals, or any other species.
They are able to run 37mph for 3 miles or more.
www.animals.timduru.org/dirlist/dog
ZEBRA
A group of Zebras is called a “Dazzle of Zebras”.
http://rosswarner.com/zebra.html
Zebra’s are relate to the horse.
Each stripe on a Zebra is as individual as a human fingerprint.
Zebra’s eat over 50 species of grasses.
They sometimes occur in tens of thousands in migratory herds on the Serengeti plains.
Their eyes are set far back in the skull giving them a wide field of view. They have binocular vision in front and a blind spot directly behind their head.
To protect their young, zebras kick out with their hind legs at prey.
LION
Lions can eat as much as 25% of the bodyweight at one time, gorging themselves at a large carcass and then maybe going without food for 3-5 days.
The tongue is covered with tiny backward-curved hooklets that allow them to strip thin pieces of meat from the bones.
Mainly nocturnal; Spend 20 hours a day resting and hunt in the early morning and at night.
Lions are the only cats to live in groups (prides). They are the most social of the cats.
A single lion needs approximately 10-20 large animals a year to sustain itself.
Lions can eat as much as 25% of the bodyweight at one time, gorging themselves at a large carcass and then maybe going without food for 3-5 days.
The tongue is covered with tiny backward-curved hooklets that allow them to strip thin pieces of meat from the bones.
Mainly nocturnal; Spend 20 hours a day resting and hunt in the early morning and at night.
Lions are the only cats to live in groups (prides). They are the most social of the cats.
A single lion needs approximately 10-20 large animals a year to sustain itself.
http://tolweb.org/tree?group=Mammalia&contgroup=Therapsida
FROGS
Parental care is rare in frogs. The bullfrog, however, is an attentive guardian. One was once filmed attacking young lions that came too close.
The bullfrog has been known to live more than 20 years.
The Goliath Frog, the world’s largest frog, is found in Cameroon. Its body can be one-foot long.
http://ww.fresnochaffeezoo.com/animals/africanbullfrog.html
HIPPO
Hippo communication is done 20% of the time above water, that we can hear, and 80% below water, using click and whistles similar to dolphins.
Hippos will eat elephant dung in times of drought and food deprivation.
If necessary, a Hippo can remain submerged for up to 6 minutes.
Hippos are vegetarian.
Hippos are closely related to pigs.
Specialized skin glands over its body secret an oily pink substance which protects the skin from sunburn.
http://rosswarner.com/hippo.html
http://rosswarner.com/hippo.html
HYENA
Within the Spotted Hyena clan, all females are dominant over all males. Females are generally larger and more aggressive than the males.
Females remain in the clan throughout their lives and daughters inherit their mother’s rank. Males disperse at about 18 months of age and join a new clan.
Spotted Hyena prefer to eat the bones and skin of their prey, as apposed to the meat.
They are born with their eyes open, and with some teeth.
http://rosswarner.com/Af_misc.html
RHINOCEROS
White Rhinos have a square-lip.
White Rhinos Spend 12 hours feeding, the rest walking and resting.
They are the largest land mammal after elephants.
White Rhinos live to about 50 years.
If predators threaten their calves, they form a circle to protect them.
White Rhino http://rosswarner.com/rhino.html
Black Rhino http://rosswarner.com/rhino.html
Black Rhinos have a hooked-lip.
Black Rhinos are actually gray –the exact color of its hide is determined by the color of the soil in which it rolls to keep cool.
Today, there are fewer than 2,600 black rhinos left in Africa.
Rhinos have poor vision, but an excellent sense of smell, and good hearing.
CHIMPANZEE
Chimpanzees weigh about 5 pounds at birth and can live to around 40 years of age.
Chimpanzees are our close cousins, sharing 98.6% of our DNA.
Chimpanzees use large sticks and branches as clubs or throw them at enemies like leopards and humans.
They supplement their diets with meat; their most frequent victims are other primates such as young baboons, and monkeys.
http://www.african-safari-pictures.com/index.html
GORILLAS
The gorilla is the largest living primate.
They are the last known member of the ape family.
Contrary to popular belief, the gorilla is shy and retiring.
Is considered the most intelligent land animal apart from humans. I can learn words in sign language.
Gorillas are knuckle walkers; they move on all fours on the soles of their hind-limbs.
CROCODILES
Crocodiles are more closely related to birds than they are to other living reptiles.
A crocodile will grow between 2,000 and 3,000 teeth in its lifetime.
WILDEBEEST
Wildebeest are plains dwellers that move in large herds.
Young can stand within three to five minutes of birth.
Virtually all calves of are born within a few days of one another, this ensures that most of them will survive the threat of predators.
They drink every two or three days.
http://www.stock-photography.co.za/images/blue-wildebeest-67-s-40.jpg
