African Wildlife

Facts about Leopards

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 09 Oct 2020 10:44:00 +0000

Photo by: Lee Dicks

Latin Name: Panthera pardus

Weight: Females up to 60 kg. Males up to 90 kg

Lifespan: 20 years

Gestation: 110 days

Habitat and distribution:

The leopard is one of the most adaptable predators in Africa. They are able to survive in many different types of habitats, taking preference to savannah, woodland, riverine vegetation and mountainous regions. They can also be found living close to human settlements where domestic animals may become a source of prey.

The Sabi Sand Game Reserve in South Africa has the highest concentration of leopard in Africa.

The reason for this concentration is the abundance of water and the many river systems both dry and flowing which is ideal for hunting and concealment for themselves and cubs.

Prey is also in abundance and this game reserve.

The leopard population is often affected by the amount of lions within an area.

The more lion the fewer leopards as lion see them as competition and will often try kill them.

Man-eating leopards:

Of all predators, the leopard is the most likely to become a man-eater as many of them have established territories close to human settlements, resulting in regular encounters with people.

A leopard is very intelligent in that it will closely observe the daily habits and movements of other animals and even humans, for example a person going down to a river to wash or fetch drinking water at the same place at about the same time every day may become prey as the leopard then knows where and when to hide in order to hunt the expected human.

As with any other predator a leopard does not become a man-eater after tasting human flesh or blood but instead realizes how easy it is to hunt humans as they are weak and very slow, easy to prey on.

Old, slickly or injured leopard may turn to hunting humans as their natural prey may be too difficult to catch.

Behavior:

Unlike lions which are usually found in family groups, the leopard lives a more solitary life. Individuals seen together are most likely to be a mother with cubs, a male and female mating or encounters on the boundaries of their different territories. The collective name for a group of leopard is a “LEAP”.

Both males and females are territorial. The sizes of the different territories vary quite considerably. The males tend to have larger areas up to 100 km² and sometimes more, with several female territories overlapping within.

The size of their territories are influenced by the concentration of others individuals in the area as well as the availability of water and suitable prey species.

Leopard mark their territories by spraying urine onto trees and bushes and periodically return to, to remark, they also advertise their presence within its territory vocally, by making a series of grunts described as the sound of a saw cutting through wood.

Their beautiful colouration consists of dark-brown to black spots, which form the shape of rosettes. The edges of their eyes are lined with a white colour which may aid their nocturnal vision by amplifying light that is reflected off its surroundings.

Along with its superb camouflage, it is a very silent and stealthy predator with a very high success rate in kills made on hunts.

Pound for pound the leopard is the strongest cat in the world, capable of climbing a tree whilst carrying prey that is more than twice its own body weight. If the prey is too large to climb up with, it will often feed on the ground until carcass is light enough to pull up into a tree.

They are very opportunistic hunters, sometimes having 2 or more kills at the same time. The leopard is not fond of eating fur, so before opening a carcass to feed on the softer meat, it plucks out the animal’s hair.

Many young and inexperienced leopards don’t drag their kills up into trees often resulting in lions or hyenas stealing it from them. A carcass strung high up in a tree is a lot safer, allowing the leopard to can come and go as it pleases and feed at leisure. In areas with few scavengers, they will sometimes leave the kill on the ground and cover it grass and leaves or drag it out of sight into thick vegetation.

Of all the large predators in Africa it is the second fastest sprinter after the cheetah, reaching speeds of up to 85 km/hour in just 3 seconds!

Diet:

The leopards’ diet consists of mainly small to medium sized antelope such as impala, bush buck, steenbok and duiker. They will also prey on kudu, warthog, baboons, vervet monkeys, hares, guinea fowl and francolins. A leopard will even eat insects if it is struggling to hunt for some reason.

Breeding:

Mating takes place at any time of the year. The male locates a female on “heat” by taste testing the urine she leaves behind on the vegetation, after scent-marking her territory. A female that is ready to mate is very vocal, often calling throughout the night to find a possible mating partner.

Once a suitable male is located, the pair may remain together for a week while mating.

The female gives birth to 2 or 3 cubs which she hides in thick vegetation, rocky outcrops or even in caves. Every 3 or 4 days the female moves the cubs as the smell of their urine and faeces becomes very prominent, often attracting unwanted visitors such as lion and hyena that would almost certainly kill the cubs.

Cubs start eating meat at around 6 to 8 weeks of age but still suckle off the female for up 3 or 4 months until weaning. At 12 months of age the cubs keen hunters and by 16 to 18 months they are too large for the mother to feed so she chases them off to be on their own.

Cubs of the same litter that are independent of their mother will often keep together for a few months before parting ways.

Leopard vs. Man & life stock:

Life stock such as sheep and the young from cattle often fall prey to leopard.

This is a loss in income for a farmer which may result in the leopard being destroyed by either shooting or poisoning.

Unfortunately this is only a short term solution as when leopard is removed from its territory a “vacuum” is created, in other words that area is now un-habited and now available for other leopards to move into.

New individuals to the territory may also turn to hunting life stock until they are too are destroyed.

Over a long period of time, as long as decades there may be no leopard left in the area and the farmers’ life stock will be safe.

Another solution is to bate and catch them and relocate them to areas where leopard populations are low and where they pose little or no threat to life stock or humans.

The downside to this method is the high costs involved in the whole process.

Another totally different approach which may prove quite successful is the use of electric collars on both the leopard and life stock.

How it works is when the leopard gets within a certain short distance from the cattle’s collar a signal is emitted to the leopards collar which results in a low voltage shock from the leopard’s collar.

The idea behind this method is to condition the leopard into not wanting to hunt life stock as it then associates the cattle or sheep with pain whenever it gets too close to them.

The ideal outcome would be then to take the collar off the conditioned leopard in hope that it avoids life stock and hunts only its natural prey species.

Leopard attacks on humans:

In September 2003 in the Kruger National Park a Safari guide was attacked in his vehicle while viewing a female leopard on a road between Satara camp and Orpen Gate.

There were a number of vehicles on the sighting which included a couple safari vehicles and tourist vehicles.

The leopard which was walking between the vehicles came up behind the safari guides vehicle.

The guide then turned off the engine and instructed his guests to remain dead still as not to disturb her.

Suddenly and totally unexpectedly the leopard jumped into the vehicle and started biting the guide on his left calf!

One of the guides from another vehicle jumped out and threw a water bottle at her which enough to save the guide as she then stopped and sat down.

The guide was taken to a clinic in Nelspruit for treatment of his wounds.

The leopard was later shot by one of Kruger rangers.

The real reason as to why the leopard attacked the guide may never be known as there are so many different factors that could have caused this incident.

The leopard may have felt threatened by the pure number of vehicles or she might have been injured or ill and so felt vulnerable to the presence of the vehicles

Leopard like many other predators see very well at night but there detailed vision is not quite the same as ours and it is difficult for a leopard to see individual people sitting in a vehicle so out of curiosity the leopard may have jumped into the vehicle only to find herself threatening position and in doing so attacked. As the saying goes “Curiosity killed the cat”.

Lesser Bushbaby Facts

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 27 Nov 2013 09:32:00 +0000

Scientific name: Galago moholi

Lifespan: Lesser bushbabies live 10 - 14 years in the wild.

Length and weight:

Including the tail, adult Lesser bushbabies measure up to 37 cm (14.5 inches) and weigh up to 150 g (5.3 ounces)

Diet and feeding:

Their diet consists of grasshoppers, scorpions, beetles, moths, fruit and the gum from acacia trees. The gum is dug out of the trees bark by the use of a set of teeth called the “toothcomb”.

Habitat:

The Lesser bushbaby takes preference to scrub forest, rain forest, savannah and woodland.

Breeding and reproduction:

After mating with 5 or six males and a gestation period of 4 months the female will give birth to a set of twins and on rare occasion triplets.
Most females will give birth to 2 sets of young per year.

At birth the babies weigh a measly 10 grams (0.3 ounces) and are born with their eyes open and fully furred. The babies are weaned by 5 – 6 weeks and are independent of their mother by 7 – 8 weeks.

Interesting facts on Lesser Bushbaby:

Lesser bushbabies are superb jumpers. When jumping from tree to tree they can reach distances of 6 – 7 meters (19.6 – 23 feet) and 2 meters (6.5 feet) on a vertical jump!

As a means of marking its territory the bushbaby urinates on its hands and jumps from branch to branch leaving its scent marks. The urine on the hands also helps for extra grip.

The males are also known to mark females by urinating on them.

The name “Bushbaby” originates from one of their vocalizations which sounds much like the sound of a ‘crying baby’. This species has at least 25 different vocalizations.

The Lesser bushbaby is also known as the Nag Apie in South Africa which means “night ape”.

They are incapable of moving their eyes within their sockets and as an adaptation to this are capable of turning their heads 180 degrees.

This species is the smallest of all primates in Africa.

They are a very solitary species but during the daytime will join up to sleep in groups of 5 or 6 in the hollow of a tree or old abandoned bird nests.

When hunting they will often leap from a tree to catch their prey. At the moment of gripping the prey the bushbaby shuts its eyes and flattens its ears to prevent any damage from the preys kicking legs or flapping wings. As soon as their prey is killed they open their eyes and ears again.

The lesser bushbaby has a second tongue. This smaller tongue is found below its normal tongue and is used to clean unwanted plant or animal debris from the toothcomb.

Vervet Monkey Facts

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 11:36:00 +0000

Scientific name: Chlorocebus pygerythrus

Lifespan:

Adult Vervet monkeys rarely live over 20 years of age.

Weight: 4 – 8 kg (8.8 – 17.6 pounds)

Diet and feeding:

Vervet monkeys are omnivores feeding on a variety of grasses, leaves, roots, bulbs, seeds, flowers, tree gum, insects, small mammals, birds and eggs.

Breeding and reproduction:

Within the troop only the “Alpha male” mates with the females. After successful conception the female has a 5 and half month gestation and gives birth to a single baby, twins have been recorded.

As soon as the baby is born the mother eats the placenta and cleans the new-born by licking off any birth matter. The cleaning of the birth helps prevent any unwanted attention of nearby predators that may get scent of the birth.
By 2 – 3 months of age the baby will begin to eat solid food and by 1 year of age they are normally weaned.

The mother is very protective over her baby and will only allow her older children to hold the baby when she feels it is big enough. No other troop members may hold the baby.

The Interesting facts on Vervet Monkeys

Vervet monkeys can also be found in the Caribbean Islands and Barbados with the first monkeys possibly been brought in as pets.

Vervet monkeys are considered as “Old World monkeys”, and have been in existence for over 65 million years which is more than man.

They are very social primates living in groups called “troops” of up to 80 members.
Within the troop there is a definite hierarchy. New born babies can have a higher ranking than certain adults if their mother is of a high rank.

Females stay in the troop for life whereas males at the age of 4 or 5, when sexually mature will leave the troop and join up with neighbouring troops in the area. The movement of males between troops helps to strengthen the gene pool and prevents possible inbreeding.

In South Africa the Vervet Monkey is also known as the “blou Aap”, meaning “blue ape”. They are called this as the male has a bright blue scrotum that is very visible to the eye.

These monkeys have more than 30 different vocalizations. The vocalizations are used to communicate with one another and to give warning of nearby predators.

Although Vervet monkey numbers are not high enough to be considered as vermin, in the eyes of many farmers they are. Farmers are responsible for 73% of orphaned vervets.
These often innocent creatures are shot, killed in traps and poisoned for destroying the farmer’s crops.

Their numbers have also dropped due to deforestation as well as pet and muti trading. Monkeys are also caught for research purposes.

Vervet monkeys do not carry the rabies virus.

Cape Pangolin Facts

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 10:39:00 +0000

Latin name: Manis temminckii

Lifespan:

15 - 20 years in captivity. Their lifespan in the wild is unknown.

Weight: 10 - 18 kg (22 – 39.6 pounds)

Pangolins diet and feeding:

Ants and termites form part of their main diet.

When searching for food they use their acute sense of smell to locate active ant and termite nests. These nests are broken open with their sharp claws.

By inserting their long sticky tongues deep into these nests tunnels the Pangolin is able to collect the ants and termites.

Distribution of the Cape Pangolin:

Cape Pangolin breeding and reproduction:

After a successful copulation the female has a 135- 140 day gestation period. She gives birth to a single youngster that’s stays and feeds in the den.

After 3 – 4 weeks the youngster leaves the den and hitches a ride on the mother’s tail or back until it is strong enough to keep up and walk with its mother.

The dens used to hide their young and to sleep in are normally old burrows dug by out by aardvarks and springhares.

Photo courtesy of www.genome.gov

The Interesting facts on Pangolins:

They are also known by the names Ground pangolin and Scaly anteater.

Pangolins are covered in thick scales over most of their bodies. Their face and under-parts are covered with a sparse coat of fur. As a defense mechanism the Cape Pangolin will roll up into a ball to cover its face and vulnerable under-parts.

As a secondary defense they have scent glands which can be used to spray a powerful odour onto enemies.

The Cape Pangolin is a very capable swimmer and can also walk on its hind legs. When running it can reach a speed of 5km/hour.

The Pangolin has a very long tongue that measures up to 25cm (10 inches), when not in use it is “packed away” into a pouch located in the throat.

As they lack teeth, the sand that gets mixed into the ants and termites when feeding is taken into the stomach and assists in grounding down the food.

While excavating for food the pangolin is capable of closing its ears and nostrils to prevent the ants and termites form entering these cavities.

Sadly their population numbers are very low due to electric fencing, pesticides, and people hunting them to use their scales in traditional medicines and their skins for leather boots.

Serval Facts

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 08 Aug 2013 08:03:00 +0000

Latin name: Leptailurus serval

Lifespan: 10 – 13 years

Weight: 10 – 18 kg (22 – 39.6 pounds)

Gestation: 70 – 75 days

Serval’s diet and feeding:

Rodents such as rats, mice and shrews form the greater part of the serval’s diet. Other prey species include birds, reptiles, hares, hyrax (dassie), fish and frogs.

The serval’s large ears are capable of picking up the slightest of sounds of prey moving on the ground. Nearby prey is pounced on for the kill.

They are also capable of detecting the sound of rodents moving through shallow underground burrows which are then dug out to feast on.

Servals Predators:

Leopard, Lion, Spotted Hyena, dogs and humans.

The Interesting facts on Servals

Their name originates from the Portuguese word ‘serval’, meaning “wolf deer”.

Servals are also known by the nicknames “bush cat” and Giraffe cat”.

These cats are superb jumpers and will leap into the air to catch birds.

Most cats have about a 10% success rate when hunting for prey, the serval has a 50% success rate.

Of all the cats in the world, the serval has the largest ears and longest legs in proportion to its body.

Servals are extremely quick on their feet, running at a top speed of 80km per hour (50miles per hour)

These beautiful cats are a very popular as pets and have been bred with domestic cats to create a species of cat known as the Savannah.

Servals were worshiped by ancient Egyptians for their power and grace.

Sadly these beautiful creatures are killed by humans for their skins which are sold as young cheetah skins which are very rare.

The man-eating lions of the Kruger National Park

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 06:10:00 +0000

Every day there are illegal immigrants from Mozambique making their way from the border through the Kruger National Park and into South Africa. These people are obviously desperate to find work.

During the daytime, there are helicopters, aeroplanes, vehicles as well as foot patrols that increase the chances of these people been found. With all this daytime activity, the immigrants are forced to hide during the daylight and then travel at night.
They can’t use torches (flash-lights) as someone might see them, so to be safe they follow the telephone and electrical power-lines or look for lights up on the Drakensberg Mountains as a guideline.

The one other major problem that they have is the lions. The lions close to the Mozambique/Kruger Park border have regular encounters with these people and as a result there are a few prides that have taken to man-eating. The lions normally sleep during the day and start to hunt at night, at the same time when the illegal immigrants are walking through the reserve. So you can imagine how many people are eaten every year.

In the past many of these lions were destroyed just like many other man-eaters, but this does not solve the problem. When a pride of lions are destroyed, the territory that they once lived in is now vacant, making it available for other lions to move in. The new lions that move in also have regular encounters with people and possibly turn to man-eating. These lions are destroyed as well making the territory available once again.

As long as there are people moving through the border and as long as there are lions on the border this problem will always be there.
Fortunately it is not common to find man-eating lions in the areas in Kruger where
tourists travel and stay.

For futher reading visit: Man-eating lions.

Warthog Facts

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 09:42:00 +0000

Photography by Sias van Schalkwyk

Latin Name:

Phacochoerus africanus

Status:

Common

Lifespan:

15 to 18 years

Weight:

50kg to 110kg (110 lb to 242 lb)

Sexual Differentiation:

Males are larger than females and have two pairs of “warts” on the face, 1 pair on the snout and the second pair on the sides of the face next to the eyes. The female only has one pair of “warts” next to the eyes.
The male is called a boar, the female is a sow.

Habitat:

Warthogs are found in moist and semi-arid regions taking favour to savannahs, woodlands and grasslands.

They avoid forests, thick bush, tall grassed areas and mountainous areas as these make it very difficult for the warthog to detect predators.

Warthogs are very water dependent and are often found near waterholes feeding and mud bathing.

Diet and Feeding:

Warthogs are omnivores with the bulk of their diet consisting of grasses, fruit, bulbs, roots and tubers. The lesser part of their diet consists of invertebrates and dead animals such as mammals and reptiles.

Warthogs are also known for chasing jackals off carcases to feed although this is quite uncommon.

When grazing or digging up food they will often kneel down and move around and their knees, this results in the knees been very callused over time.

The reason for this manor of feeding is the physical build of the warthog’s neck and long legs in proportion to its fairly short neck. The neck is also thick in muscle which limits bending. Moving on the knees is more comfortable for long feeding sessions.

Reproduction:

Warthogs are sexually mature at about 18 months with female giving birth to her first litter at 2 years of age.

A pregnant female that has the previous seasons litter still with her will chase the raised litter away before giving birth again.

After a gestation of 5 to 6 months the female gives birth to 2 to 4 piglets, rarely more.

The piglets are born in an underground burrow where they stay with the mother for at least 1 week. At 1 to 2 weeks of age the warthog piglets start to leave the burrow for short periods of time. At 5 to 6 weeks the young will follow the mother to go foraging and return back to the burrow in the evening.

The warthog piglets start grazing at 2 to 3 weeks of age and are weaned at 4 to 5 months.

Notes:

Warthogs have loose associations between individuals. A group of warthogs is called a sounder. Mature males are normally solitary except for when looking for potential mates.

Young males are often seen in bachelor groups. Females and youngsters will move together with related adult females and their young.

Warthogs are not capable of excavating deep burrows but instead move into Aardvark burrows which they may modify. Some burrows may be as deep as 6 meters.

Warthogs are active in the daylight hours. At night they avoid most of the larger predators by resting in the safety of their burrows.

The burrow also provides protection against the harsh summer sun and weather.

Youngsters enter the burrow head first whereas the adults reverse in to the burrow so that they may have a fast escape from the burrow should there be any unwanted visitors.

By reversing into the burrow they are also capable of attacking pursuers with their tusks while moving inside.

Family groups can often be seen running though long grass in single file with their tails straight up. The straight tail acts as a visual point so that they can see each other and keep together when running for safety.

Warthogs wallow in mud on a regular basis, the mud helps to protect its skin from the harsh sun as well as rid its self from skin parasites.

Parasites suffocate in the mud and are removed when the warthog rubs off the mud against trees and termite mounds.
Predators:

The warthog’s main predators are lion, leopard, cheetah and hyenas.

Piglets may fall prey to the larger species of eagles.

List of African Animals

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 20:21:00 +0000

Mammals

Order: Insectivora
Shrews

Long-tailed Forest Shrew – Myosorex longicaudatus
Dark-Footed Forest Shrew – Myosorex cafer
Forest Shrew – Mysorex varius
Greater Dwarf Shrew – Suncus lixus
Lesser Dwarf Shrew – Suncus varilla
Least Dwarf Shrew – Suncus infinitesimus
Swamp musk Shrew – Crocidura mariquensis
Tiny Musk Shrew – Crocidura fuscomurina
Maquassie Musk Shrew – Crocidura maquassiensis
Reddish-Grey Musk Shrew – Crocidura cyanea
Peter’s Musk Shrew – Crocidura silacea
Giant Musk Shrew – Crocidura occidentalis
Grey-Brown Musk Shrew – Crocidura luna
Greater Musk Shrew – Crocidura flavescens
Lesser Red musk Shrew – Crocidura hirta
Climbing Shrew – Sylvisorex megalura

Elephant Shrews

Four-Toed Elephant Shrew – Petrodomus tetradactylus
Round-Eared Elephant Shrew – Macroscelides proboscideus
Short-Snouted Elephant Shrew – Elephantulus brachyrhynchus
Bushveld Elephant Shrew – Elephantulus intufi
Rock Elephant Shrew – Elephantulus myurus
Peter’s Short-Snouted Elephant-Shrew – Elephantulus fuscus
Smith’s Rock Elephant Shrew – Elephantulus rupestris
Cape Rock Elephant Shrew – Elephantulus edwardii

Hedgehog

South African Hedgehog – Atelerix frontalis

Golden Moles

Giant Golden Mole – Chrysopalax trevelyani
Rough-Haired Golden Mole – Chrysospalax villosus
Cape Golden Mole – Chrysopalax asiatica
De Winton’s Golden Mole – Cryptochloris wintoni
Van Zyl’s Golden Mole – Cryptochloris zyli
Visagie’s Golden Mole – Chrysochloris visagiei
Grant’s Golden Mole – Eremitalpa granti
Duthie’s Golden Mole – Chlorotalpa duthiae
Sclater’s Golden Mole – Chlorotalpa sclateri
Gunning’s Golden Mole – Amblysomus gunningi
Zulu Golden Mole – Amblysomus iris
Juliana’s Golden Mole – Amblysomus julianae
Hottentot Golden Mole – Amblysomus hottentotus
Yellow Golden Mole – Calcochloris obtusirostris

Order: Chiroptera
Bats

Fruit Bats

Angolan Epauletted Fruit Bat – Epomophorus angolensis
Gambian Epauletted Fruit Bat – Epomophorus gambianus
Peters’ Epaulatted Fruit Bat – Epomophorus crypturus
Wahlberg’s Epauletted Fruit Bat – Epomophorus walbergi
Dobson’s Fruit Bat – Epomops dobsonii
Straw-Coloured Fruit Bat – Eidolon helvum
Egyptian Fruit Bat – Rousettus aegyptiacus
Bocage’s Fruit Bat – Rousettus angolensis

Insect-Eating Bats

Sheath-Tailed and Tomb Bats

Sheath-Tailed Bat – Coleura afra
Tomb Bat – Taphozous mauritianus
Egyptian Tomb Bat – Taphozous perforates

Free-Tailed Bats

Large-Eared Free-Tailed Bat – Otomops martiensseni
Natal Free-Tailed Bat – Mormopterus acetabulosus
Angola Free-Tailed Bat – Tadarida condylura
Nigerian Free-Tailed Bat – Tadarida nigeriae
Spotted Free-Tailed Bat – Tadarida bivittata
Pale Free-Tailed Bat – Tadarida chapini
Ansorge’s Free-Tailed Bat – Tadarida ansorgei
Big-Eared Free-Tailed Bat – Tadarida lobata
Transvaal Free-Tailed Bat – Tadarida ventralis
Madagascar Large Free-Tailed Bat – Tadarida fulminans
Midus Free-Tailed Bat – Tadarida midas
Little Free-Tailed Bat – Tadarida pumila
Egyptian Free-Tailed Bat – Tadarida aegyptiaca
Flat-Headed Free-Tailed Bat – Sauromys petrophilus

Vesper Bats

Greater Long-Fingered Bat – Miniopterus inflatus
Lesser Long-Fingered Bat – Miniopterus fraterculus
Schreibers’ Long-Fingered Bat – Miniopterus schreibersii
Yellow House Bat – Scotophilus dinganii
Welwitsch’s Hairy Bat – Myotis welwitschii
Angola Hairy Bat – Myotis seabrai
Lesueur’s Hairy Bat – Myotis lesueuri
Rufous Hairy Bat – Myotis bocagei
Temmincks’ Hairy Bat – Myotis tricolor
Banana Bat – Pipistrellus nanus
Kuhl’s Bat – Pipistrellus kuhlii
Anchieta’s Bat – Pipistrellus anchietai
Rusty Bat – Pipistrellus rusticus
Ruppel’s Bat – Pipistrellus rueppellii
Namib Long-Eared Bat – Laephotis namibenis
Botswana Long-Eared Bat – Laephotis botswanae
De Winton’s Long-Eared Bat – Laephotis wintoni
Cape Serotine Bat – Eptesicus capensis
Rendall’s Serotine Bat – Eptesicus rendalli
Long-Tailed Serotine Bat – Eptesicus hottentotus
Melck’s Serotine Bat – Eptesicus melckorum
Aloe Serotine Bat – Eptesicus zuluensis
Somali Serotine Bat – Eptesicus somalicus
Butterfly Bat – Chalinobis variegates
Schlieffens’ Bat – Nycticeius schlieffenii
Giant Yellow House Bat – Scotophilus nigrita
Yellow House Bat – Scotophilus dingani
Lesser Yellow House Bat – Scotophilus borbonicus
Thomas’ House Bat – Scotoecus albofuscus
Damara Woolly Bat – Kerivoula argentata
Lesser Woolly Bat – Kerivoula lanosa

Slit-Faced Bats

Large Slit-Faced Bat – Nycteris grandis
Common Slit-Faced Bat – Nycteris thebaica
Hairy Slit-Faced Bat – Nycteris hispida
Greater Slit-Faced Bat – Nycteris macrotis
Wood’s Slit-Faced Bat – Nycteris woodi
Vinson’s Slit-Faced Bat – Nycteris vinsoni

Horseshoe Bats

Hildebrandt’s Horseshoe Bat – Rhinolophus hildebrandti
Geoffroy’s Horseshoe Bat – Rhinolophus clivosus
Cape Horseshoe Bat – Rhinolophus capensis
Dent’s Horseshoe Bat – Rhinolophus denti
Ruppell’s Horseshoe Bat – Rhinolophus fumigatus
Darling’s Horseshoe Bat – Rhinolophus darlingi
Lander’s Horseshoe Bat – Rhinolophus landeri
Peak-Saddle Horseshoe Bat – Rhinolophus blasii
Bushveld Horseshoe Bat – Rhinolophus simulator
Swinny’s Horseshoe Bat – Rhinolophus swinnyi

Leaf-Nosed and Trident Bats

Commerson’s Leaf-Nosed Bat – Hipposideros commersoni
Sundevall’s Leaf-Nosed Bat – Hipposideros caffer
Short-Eared Trident Bat – Cloeotis percivalli
Persian Leaf-Nosed Bat – Triaenops persicus

Order: Primates
Bushbabies

Thick-Tailed Bushbaby - Otolemur crassicaudatus
Lesser Bushbaby - Galago moholi
Grants Lesser Bushbaby - Galagoides zanziaricus

Baboons

Chacma Baboon - Papio ursinus
Yellow Baboon - Papio cynocephalus

Monkeys

Vervet Monkey - Cercopithecus aethiops
Samango Monkey - Cercopithcus mitis

Order: Pholidota
Pangolin

Pangolin - Manis temminckii

Order: Lagomorpha
Hares and Rabbits

Cape Hare - Lepus capensis
Scub Hare - Lepus saxatilis
Smith's Red Rock Rabbit - Pronolagus rupestris
Natal Red Rock Rabbit - Pronolagus crassicaudatus
Jameson's Red Rock Rabbit - Pronolagus randensis
Riverine Rabbit - Bunolagus monticularis
Rabbit - Oryctolagus cuninculus

Order: Rodentia
Rodents

Cape Dune Molerat - Bathyergus suillus
Namaqua Dune Molerat - Bathyergus janetta
Common Molerat - Cryptomys hottentotus
Cape Molerat - Georychus capensis
Damara Molerat - Cryptomys damaraensis

Porcupine - Hystrix africaeaustralis

Springhare - Pedetes capensis

Spectacled Dormouse - Graphiurus ocularis
Woodland Dormouse - Graphiurus murinus
Rock Dormouse - Graphiurus platyops
Lesser Savanna Dormouse - Graphiurus parvus

Ground Squirrel - Xerus inauris
Sun Squirrel - Heliosciurus mutabilis
Striped Tree Squirrel - Funisciurus congicus
Red Squirrel - Paraxerus palliatus
Tree Squirrel - Paraxerus cepapi
Grey Squirrel - Sciurus carolinensis
Mountain Ground Squirrel - Xerus princeps

Greater Canerat - Thryonomys swinderianus
Lesser Canerat - Thryonomys gregorianus
Dassie Rat - Petromys typicus
Brant's Whistling Rat - Parotomys brantsii
Littledale's Whistling Rat - Parotomys littledalei
Laminate Vlei Rat - Otomys laminatus
Saunder's Vlei Rat - Otomys saundersiae
Angoni Vlei Rat - Otomys angoniensis
Vlei Rat - Otomys irroratus
Sloggett's Rat - Otomys sloggetti
Karoo Bush Rat - Otomys unisulcatus
Grooved-Toothed Mouse - Pelomys fallax
Spiny Mouse - Acomys spinosissimus
Cape Spiny Mouse - Acomys subspinosus
Single-Striped Mouse - Lemniscomys rosalia
Striped Mouse - Rhabdomys pumilio
Woosnam's Desert Rat - Zelotomys woosnami
Water Rat - Dasymys incomtus
Mozambique Woodland Rat - Grammomys cometes
Woodland Mouse - Grammomys dolichurus
House Mouse - Mus musculus
Pygmy Mouse - Mus minutoides
Setzer's Pygmy Mouse - Mus setzeri
Grey-Bellied Pygmy Mouse - Mus triton
Thomas' Pygmy Mouse - Mus sorella
Desert Pygmy Mouse - Mus indutus
Rudd's Mouse - Uranomys ruddi
Multimmate Mouse - Masyomys natalensis
Shortridge's Mouse - Mastomys shortridgei
Tree Mouse - Thallomys paedulcus
Namaqua Rock Mouse - Aethomys namaquaensis
Red Veld Rat - Aethomys chrysophilus
House Rat - Rattus rattus
Short-Tailed Gerbil - Desmodillus auricularis
Hairy-Footed Gerbil - Gerbillurus paeba
Bushveld Gerbil - Tatera leucogaster
Cape Gerbil - Tatera afra
Highveld Gerbil - Tatera brantsii
Pygmy Rock Mouse - Petromyscus collinus
White-Tailed Mouse - Mystromys albicaudatus
Giant Rat - Cricetomys gambianus
Pouched Mouse - Saccostomus campestris
Large-Eared Mouse - Malacothrix typica
Grey Climbing Mouse - Dendromus melanotis
Brant's Climbing Mouse - Dendromus mesomelas
Chestnut Climbing Mouse - Dendromus mystacalis
Fat Mouse - Steatomys pratensis

LIST TO BE UPDATED IN FUTURE

Rhino Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 18:30:00 +0000

More on Rhino's

Facts about White Rhinos

Black Rhino Facts

Difference between Black and White Rhino

List of African Snakes

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 13 May 2009 18:00:00 +0000

Adders

Berg Adder – Bitis atropos
Gaboon Adder – Bitis gabonica
Many-Horned Adder – Bitis cornuta
Puff Adder – Bitis arietans
Rhombic Night Adder – Causus rhombeatus

Blind Snakes

Beaked Blind Snake – Typhlops schinzi
Bibron’s Blind Snake – Typhlops bibronii
Boyle’s Blind Snake – Typhlops boylei
Delalande’s Blind Snake – Typhlops lalandei
Fornasini’s Blind Snake – Typhlops fornasinii
Schlegel’s Blind Snake – Typhlops schlegelii
Slender Blind Snake – Typhlops obtusus

Cobras

Black Spitting Cobra – Naja nigricollis woodi
Cape Cobra – Naja nivea
Forest Cobra – Naja melannoleuca
Mozambique Spitting Cobra – Naja mossambica
Snouted Cobra – Naja annulifera
Western Barred Spitting Cobra – Naja nigricollis nigricincta

File Snakes

Angola File Snake – Mehhelya vernayi
Black File Snake – Mehhelya nyassae
Cape File Snake – Mehelya capensis

Grass Snakes

Olive Grass Snake – Psammophis phillipsii
Short-snouted Grass Snake – Psammophis sibilans brevirostris

House Snakes

Aurora House Snake – Lamprohis aurora
Fisk’s House Snake – Lamprohis fiskii
Brown House Snake – Lamprohis fuliginosus
Olive House Snake – Lamprophis inornatus
Spotted House Snake – Lamprohis guttatus
Swazi Rock Snake – Lamprohis swazicus
Yellow-Bellied House Snake – Lamprohis fuscus

Mambas

Black Mamba – Dendroaspis polylepis
Green Mamba – Dendroaspis angusticeps

Pythons

African Rock Python – Python sebae
Anchieta’s Dwarf Python – Python anchietae

Skaapstekers

Spotted Skaapsteker – Psammophylax rhombeatus
Striped Skaapsteker – Psammophylax tritaeniatus

Slug Eaters

Common Slug Eater – Duberria lutrix
Spotted Slug Eater – Duberria variegata

Thread Snakes

Black Thread Snake – Leptotyphlops nigricans
Cape Thread Snake – Leptotyphlops conjunctus
Damara Thread Snake – Leptotyphlops labialis
Distant’s Thread Snake – Leptotyphlops distanti
Long-Tailed Thread Snake – Leptotyphlops longicaudus
Peter’s Thread Snake – Leptotyphlops scutifrons
Slender Thread Snake – Leptotyphlops gracilior
Tello’s Thread Snake – Leptotyphlops telloi
Western Thread Snake – Leptotyphlops occidentalis

Water Snakes

Common Brown Water Snake – Lycodonomorphus rufulus
Dusky-Bellied Water Snake – Lycodonomorphus laevissimus
Green Water Snake – Philothamnus hoplogaster
Mulanje Water Snake – Lycodonomorphus leleupi
Whyte’s Water Snake – Lycodonomorphus whytii

Wolf Snakes

Cape Wolf Snake – Lycophidion capense
Eastern Wolf Snake – Lycophidion semiannule
Dwarf Wolf Snake – Cryptolycus nanus
Hellmich’s Wolf Snake – Lycophidion hellmichi
Variegated Wolf Snake – Lycophidion variegatum

Other Snake Species

Boomslang – Dispholidus typus
Cape Centipede Eater – Aparallactus capensis
Cape Coral Snake – Aspidelaps lubricus
Eastern Tiger Snake – Telescopus semiannulatus
Flower-Pot Snake – Ramphotyphlops braminus
Mole Snake – Pseudaspis cana
Natal Black Snake – Macrelaps microlepidotus
Red-lipped Herald – Crotaphopeltis botamboeia
Rhombic Egg-eater – Dasypeltis scabra
Rinkhals – Hemachatus haemachatus
Rufous Beaked Snake – Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus rostratus
Shield-nose Snake – Aspidelaps scutatus
Spotted Bush Snake – Philothamnus semivariegatus
Spotted Harlequin Snake – Homoroselaps lacteus
Stiletto Snake – Atractaspis bibronii
Sundevall’s Garter Snake – Elapsoidea sundevallii
Sundevall’s Shovel-snout – Prosymna sundevallii
Twig Snake – Thelotornis capensis
Yellow-and-Black Sea Snake – Pelamis platurus

This list of African snake species will be updated in future.

Impala Facts

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 07 May 2009 20:09:00 +0000

Latin Name: Aepyceros melampus

Lifespan: Up to 12 years.

Weight: Mature males 65 kg, females 40 kg.

Sexual differentiation:
The male is larger than the female and has horns.

Habitat:
Impalas are found in savannah, grassland and woodland biomes, often taking shelter under trees and in rocky areas.

Diet and Feeding:
Impala are predominantly grazers but will browse in the drier months if palatable grasses are less in abundance.

Reproduction and Territoriality:

Herding and breeding takes place in autumn. The dominant male herds as many females as possible into his territory with as many as 100 females or even more.

He defends his territory vigorously by chasing out any males he sees as a possible threat to his breeding herd, the threat being the possible loss of any sexually mature females to another male.

Bachelor herds follow the breeding herd within close proximity with eager males often breaking away to challenge the dominant male for ownership of the breeding herd.

Serious encounters between males may result in rutting which normally ends with the one or the other submitting by running away from the stronger, fitter ram.
Rutting between males may become intense with horns breaking off and rarely but not uncommon, death from piercing horns.

In a single breeding season up to 4 different males may dominate the same breeding herd at different periods.

The dominant male advertises his presence vocally by a series of vocalisations including grunting, snorting and roaring. He also scent-marks his territory by leaving fresh and regular deposits of dung on territory markers called “middens”. The number of middens will vary in number and are found throughout his territory with the more regularly marked middens found along the territory boundaries.

He also scent-marks by rubbing secretions of fluid from his face onto twigs and grasses.

The male regularly tests the reproductive status of females within the breeding herd by tasting their urine.

A small pit found in the males’ upper pallet leads to an organ known as the “Organ of Jacobson”. After licking the females urine, particles of urine are passed from the males tongue into the upper pallet pit then through to the Organ of Jacobson. This organ tests the urine and then sends a signal to the males’ brain to inform him of the reproductive status of the female.

After a successful copulation the female goes through a 7 month gestation period and gives birth to a single lamb, very rarely having twins.

Interesting Facts on the Impala:

•Females that have an excess level of testosterone have been known to grow horns. The horns however may grow disproportionately.

•A pregnant female is capable of extending her gestation period by up to 2 weeks if the start of the summer rains are late, which will result in poor grazing value and thus poor nutritional value of her milk produced.

•An impala can jump as far as 12 meters and as high as 3 meters!

African Wild Dog Facts

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 08:53:00 +0000

Alternative Name: Cape Hunting Dog

Latin Name: Lycaon pictus

Status: Endangered.

Lifespan: 12 years.

Weight: Both male and female 20kg to 25kg.

Habitat:
Wild dogs take preference to areas with few trees and short grass. They are found in savannah, woodland and grassland biomes, as well as hilly areas.

Diet and feeding:
Prey species include medium to small sized antelope such as waterbuck, impala, springbok and duiker as well as wildebeest and warthog.

Of all the large land predators, the wild dog is the most successful hunter with an average of 80% of its attempted hunts resulting in kills. Wild dogs hunt very efficiently as a pack and rely more on stamina than they do on strength and speed.

Once the prey has been targeted, the dogs then take turns in chasing after the animal at a fairly constant speed of 60 km/hour. The running prey is often forced into the direction of other members of the wild dog pack, who wait ahead to have their turn in chasing after the prey.

The hunted animal, exhausted from all the running slows down or stops, giving the wild dogs the opportunity to grab hold of it with their powerful jaws which they then use to tear off chunks of flesh resulting in the prey dying from loss of blood and shock.

Reproduction:
After a successful copulation the female has a two-and-half-month gestation period. The pups are born underground, usually in old abandoned aardvark burrows. The average litter size varies from 7 to 10 young, with as many as 20. The large litter sizes may be as a result of the very high mortality rate of wild dog pups due to various diseases contracted by domestic dogs and predation by lion, hyena and leopard.

The young suckle for roughly three months but are capable of feeding on meat at 2 to 3 weeks of age. After a successful hunt, the adults then return to the den to feed the young by regurgitating the meat.

Other interesting facts:

Wild dogs have very large home ranges, ranging from 200 square kilometres to over 1000 square kilometres.
Their home rangers may extend into farm areas where they are seen as a threat to life-stock and are often destroyed for this reason.

Wild dogs are highly endangered and many attempts in breeding projects have been unsuccessful with most puppies dying in captivity.

A sad fact is that at a certain stage in time, wild dogs were seen as brutal animals in the way that they hunted and how could such a cruel animal be left to live?, resulting in may of them being destroyed.

Baboon Facts

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 13:05:00 +0000

Chacma baboon

Latin Name: Papio cynocephalus ursinus

Lifespan: Both males and females live up to 18 years.

Weight: Males 32kg, females 15kg.

Habitat:
Chacma Baboons are found throughout southern Africa, except in the very arid regions.

Diet and Feeding:
Baboons are omnivorous feeding on a variety of fruits, leaves, grasses, roots, tubers, tree gum, insects, spiders and scorpions. They will also hunt prey such as reptiles, birds and other mammals.

During the Impala (Aepyceros melampus) lambing season, Chacma baboons have been known to run in and snatch the new-born lambs to feed off them.

Reproduction:
Just below the tail, on the rump area are horny epidermal callosities. With females in oestrus, the callosities swell up substantially and serve as clear signal to the males of their breeding condition.

The dominant males herd and mate with the females in oestrus. The Alpha male does most of the mating.

Young males that have no dominant ranking within the troop have no mating rights. Mature females in most cases won’t give them the opportunity to mate unless the social bond between two is very strong. This type of mating is not tolerated by the dominant males and could prove very dangerous for the young male if caught in the act.

After a successful copulation from one male or a number of different males, the female then goes through a 6 month gestation period and gives birth to a single offspring. Females can give birth at any time of the year.

Youngsters are totally weaned from 6 to 8 months and share a very strong bond with their mothers. In the fist few weeks after birth the mother carries her baby in her hands and arms and as the baby grows it then holds onto its mother by the hair and hangs under her belly while walking. As the youngsters legs get stronger, it then moves onto the mothers back, using her raised tail as a back-rest.

Interesting Facts on the Chacma Baboon:

The canines of a mature Chacma baboon are longer than those of the lion.

Leopard will often hunt baboons, but young and inexperienced leopard can be killed by baboons when mobbed and bitten from different directions by a number of large dominant male baboons.

Young Vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops) and baboons will on occasion play together, but as adults baboons will hunt Vervet monkeys.

Male Lion Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:05:00 +0000

For Information on Man-eating Lions click "HERE"
For Facts on Lions click "HERE"

Nile Crocodile Facts

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 13:18:00 +0000

Latin name: Crocodylus nioloticus

Lifespan: 80 - 100 years, seldom more.

Length and weight:
Mature Nile crocodiles average 4 to 5 meters in length with exceptionally large specimens reaching 6 meters. Large adults can weigh over 1000 kg.

Habitat:
Crocodiles are found in most game reserves throughout Africa, taking preference to rivers, lakes and wetlands.

Diet and Feeding:
Their diet varies quite considerably depending on its age or size. Hatchlings prey mainly on insects, frogs, small fish and crabs. As they grow larger they then start preying off larger fish like catfish as well as birds.

Adults over 3 meters in length prey on birds, fish, various antelope species, monitor lizards, snakes, other predators including lions, leopards, hyenas, wild dogs as well as other crocodiles.

Crocodiles are opportunistic predators and help clean water sources by feeding off any carrion they may find.

Animals caught by crocodiles are normally dragged under water, causing suffocation. Larger prey species, too large to be dragged under water often die from a loss of blood and shock as a result of a number of different crocodiles gripping and tearing off flesh at the same time.
When feeding off large prey, the crocodile, using its powerful jaws and gripping teeth, thrashes the prey around until small enough pieces to swallow are torn off.

Crocodiles feeding on the same animal under water grab hold of the prey with a tight grip and then spin their bodies in order to break pieces of flesh off.

Reproduction:
Nile crocodiles are sexually mature at about 12 – 14 years. Fertilization is internal with mating taking place in the water.

When the female is ready to lay eggs, she then looks for a suitable nest site with sufficient cover.
A hole is excavated in a sand bank above the flood-line and after depositing a clutch of between 20 and 80 eggs she then fills the hole up with sand again.

The female is highly protective over her nest and defends the eggs from being eaten by predators such as monitor lizards, water mongoose, baboons and monkeys. During this period she does not eat but will on occasion drink water.

The eggs incubate for 3 months and on hatching the young make high-pitched cheeping sounds, which attracts the mothers’ attention to the nest.
The female then digs open the nest and using her jaws, she gently cracks open any unhatched eggs, once done she then carefully carries the hatchlings in her mouth to the river. The young crocodiles stay with their mother for about 2 months before leaving on their own.

Only 2% of crocodiles reach full maturity as a result of being preyed on by monitor lizards, water mongoose, catfish and birds of prey.

Black Rhino Facts

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 10:42:00 +0000

Alternative Name: Hook-lipped Rhinoceros

Latin Name: Diceros bicornis

Status: Endangered

Lifespan: 40 years

Weight:
Both male and female adults average from 800 to 850 kg, with large adults reaching up to 1000 kg.

Habitat:
Black Rhinoceros are found in dry arid areas as well as savannah and woodland areas with sufficient shrubs and trees to hide in, in the heat of the day.

Food:
Black rhino are browsers, feeding off a wide variety of shrubs and trees. Toxic plants such as the Tamboti Spirostachys africana with its high latex content are also eaten, having no harmful effects on the animal.

The black rhino has a very prehensile upper lip that is used to pull off leaves, shoots and thin branches while feeding.

Reproduction:
Breeding takes place at any time of the year. The female can conceive her first calf at 7 to 8 years of age. A bull will ascertain if a cow is in oestrus by taste-testing the females’ urine otherwise known as “flehmen”.
After a successful copulation, the female has a gestation period of 15 months and gives birth to a calf weighing in at about 40 kg.

The calf suckles off the mother for 12 – 13 months and is fully weaned at 14 months. When the cow is ready to give birth to her next calf, she then chases the older calf away to be on its own or temporarily join up with other adults or youngsters in the area. The calf is usually chased away at 2 to 4 years of age.

Notes:
Black Rhinos do not defend territories but do have home ranges in variable size that they scent-mark in. The bull scent-marks by either spraying urine onto vegetation or by defecating in certain spots called middens. Middens, which vary in number, are large collections of dung left by one bull or a number of different adults over a period of time. The bull after dropping his dung scrapes it into the ground with his hind legs and then spreads the dung further by dragging his feet as he walks away from the midden. Dung stuck under the bulls’ feet helps to further spread his scent as his walks through the area.
The purpose of a midden is to possibly convey information to other adults in the area by the different smells left in the midden.

The black rhinoceros has very weak eyesight but to compensate for that it has a very keen sense of smell and good hearing.

Of the two species of rhino found in Africa, the black rhino is the far more aggressive species. There are however fewer incidents of black rhino injuring or killing people, owing to its much lower population.

The white rhino having a higher population results in more frequent encounters with humans and although not considered as dangerous, accidents have been recorded.

African Rock Python Facts

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 10:28:00 +0000

Latin name: Python Sebae

Lifespan: In the wild adults can reach up to 30 years of age.

Length:
The African Rock Python is the largest of all snake species on the African continent. Large adults, especially females measure between 4 – 5,5 meters. Larger specimens of 7 and 8 meters have been recorded.

Venom: None.

Habitat:
African Rock Pythons are often found near water in savannah and grassland biomes as well as rocky outcrops. Their preferred retreats are under piles of driftwood and inside old termite mounds and abandoned aardvark (ant-bear) burrows.

Diet:
Mammals such as small to medium sized antelope, dassies (hyrax), rodents, hares, monkeys, monitor lizards, crocodiles and occasionally fish are eaten.

Reproduction:
During the summer months the female lays between 20 and 60 eggs in a termite mound or aardvark burrow. Large pythons can lay as many as 100 eggs.
The female remains with her eggs for the 2 – 3 month incubation period. During this period she will not feed but will leave on occasion to drink.

On warm days she will often bask in the sun and then use the absorbed body heat to help incubate the eggs by coiling around them. By constantly twitching her body she also generates heat to help raise the temperature of the eggs. Another advantage of coiling around the eggs is their protection against predators such as mongoose, rats and monitor lizards.

After the eggs hatch, the female remains with the hatchlings for a further 2 weeks and once the have shed their first skin they then leave the security of the female to go off on their own.

Notes:
The African Rock Python lacks venom glands but is still capable of inflicting a serious bite. Its sharp, recurved teeth often cause severe tissue damage and infection if not disinfected properly.
There are recorded incidents of large African Rock Pythons killing and even eating humans but this is very rare.

Prey that is captured is suffocated to death before consuming. Small prey species are sometimes swallowed alive! Pythons do not crush their prey to death.

The African Rock Python is a highly protected species that plays a very important role in the control of rodent populations.

Boomslang Facts

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:06:00 +0000

Latin Name: Dispholidus typus

Length: 1 – 1,5 m.

Lifespan: Average 8 years in the wild.

Distribution:
Throughout Africa except in the arid regions, preferring grassland, savannah and woodland often found in shrubs and trees.

Diet:
Chameleons, lizards, birds, birds’ eggs, frogs and small mammals.

Reproduction:
10 – 25 eggs are laid in the late spring to midsummer with an incubation of 2 – 3 months.

Venom:
The boomslang has extremely powerful hemotoxic venom.
This venom affects the blood clotting mechanism, resulting in headaches, and loss of blood through the bodily openings and if left untreated internal bleeding of the organs will occur.

Vision:
Unlike most snakes, the boomslang has a full colour vision aiding it in the detection of still standing prey. The boomslangs' eyesight is so keen that it is even capable of detecting motionless chameleons!

Notes:
The Boomslang is a very placid snake, but if provoked it may bite.
It is predominantly arboreal but will also hunt on open ground and has also been known to cross water in pursuit of prey.
A Boomslang can open its mouth as wide as 170 degrees, and even with its fangs at the back of the mouth it is still capable of biting an arm or leg.
The name "Boomlang" derives from the Afrikaans language, meaning Tree snake.

Puff Adder Facts

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 12:50:00 +0000

Latin Name: Bitis arietans

Length: Up to 1 m.

Lifespan: Average 13 years.

Distribution: Found throughout Africa except for desert regions and mountaintops.

Food: Rats, mice, other small mammals, birds, frogs, toads and other snakes.

Reproduction:
Puff Adders are viviparous (give birth to live young), giving birth to 16 – 40 young, which are born in the late summer. The young are highly venomous upon hatching and are capable of inflicting a serious bite.
The Puff Adder holds the record for giving birth to the most amount young by any snake, 156!

Venom:
Their venom is Cytotoxic and highly dangerous. Once the venom enters the body, the body sends plasma (white blood cells) to the site of the bite to try and dilute the venom. With the venom being so potent, excess amounts of plasma sent cause the body tissues to swell up to the degree where the veins are compressed tightly up against the skin, resulting in loss of blood circulation. The area that swells up will often turns to a blackish-blue color with there being a lack of blood.
If not treated promptly, often amputations may necessary after about 4 hours.

Notes:
The Puff Adder is responsible for most of the serious snakebite incidents in Africa as it is the most common widespread venomous snake on the continent and often does not move when approached resulting in many people being bitten.
It is a rather sluggish moving snake but can strike very rapidly. From a coiled position too striking and then returning back to a coiled position takes just 0,24 of a second!
When approached they will often hiss and puff, hence the name “Puff Adder”.

Most Dangerous Snake in Africa

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 21:47:00 +0000

What is the most dangerous snake in Africa?

There is no 100% correct answer. Some people say it’s the Black Mamba. In world rankings it rates at No. 42 for the world’s most dangerous snakes. It is a fast striking and moving snake, reaching a top speed of 20km/h. It won’t hesitate to bite and the venom (neurotoxic) is capable of killing a person within 1 hour. If you are allergic to bees, the bite from a Black Mamba can kill you in as short a time as 20 minutes! There are very few incidents of Black Mamba bites throughout Africa every year.

The Puff Adder is also said to be the most dangerous snake in Africa. The reason is they are found throughout Africa and are responsible for the most lethal snakebites every year. Most snakes will move away out of sight if you walk to close to them.
The Puff Adder normally doesn’t move and is often stood on, often resulting in a bite.

The Boom Slang is said to be the most dangerous snake as well. The venom of a Boom Slang is haemotoxic. The venom affects the body’s natural blood clotting mechanism resulting in the bleeding of the internal organs. Sometimes it can take as long as 12 hours before the symptoms of the venom can be felt or seen.
The Boom Slang is a back fanged snake, (fangs at the back of the jaws) which is very misleading, as many people believe that it can only bite you on the hands or feet. This snake is capable of opening its mouth to an angle of 170, so it can grab hold of you just about anywhere.
Fortunately the Boom Slang is quite a placid snake and one would really have to irritate or hurt it to make it bite.

Most dangerous animal in Africa

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 10:38:00 +0000

Statistics show that the Hippo kills the most people in Africa every year with exception to the mosquito. I don't believe that these statistics are very accurate as the Crocodile also takes many lives every year.
The Hippo is 99.99% a herbivore so after killing a person they just leave the body and go back into the water. A Crocodile will normally eat whatever it kills.
Here are two examples:

David goes down to the river to do some washing and in the process he gets killed by a Hippo. The evidence is very clear that a Hippo killed him as the hippo’s footprints may be visible and the bite marks on David’s body are also clear, so another death is marked off for that year.

David goes down to river to do some washing in doing so gets killed and eaten by a Crocodile. No one saw what happened, all they know is that he is missing.

So it is impossible to say who kills more people, it could be either Hippo or Crocodile. I think it’s the Crocodile.

Animal Collective Names

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 16:28:00 +0000

Here's a list of the collective nouns for some of the African animals:

Baboons – Troop
Badgers – Cete
Bats – Cloud
Buffaloes – Obstinacy
Cheetahs – Coalition
Crocodiles – Bask
Elephants – Parade or Memory
Giraffes – Journey
Hippos – Raft or Pod
Hyenas – Clan
Leopards – Leap
Lions – Pride
Monkeys – Shrewdness
Owls – Parliament
Porcupines – Prickle
Rhinos - Crash
Zebras – Dazzle

Spotted Hyena Facts

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:06:00 +0000

Latin Name: Crocuta crocuta

Weight: Males 50 – 60 kg, females 60 – 70kg.

Lifespan:
Both males and females live 20 to 25 years in the wild. In captivity the spotted hyena can live as long as 40 years.

Sexual differentiation:
At one stage the spotted hyena was actually classified as a hermaphrodite (to have both male and female genitals).

The females have higher levels of testosterone than the males do, resulting in them being larger. They are also more aggressive. At a glance one could easily mistake a female for a male, as the genitals of both the sexes are very similar in appearance. The female has an enlarged clitoris, which she can erect at will, she also has a fake scrotum that looks similar to that of the male’s scrotum.

Social grouping:
Within a group of hyenas there are predominately more females than males. The males have a loose association with the group, often roaming alone or with other males.

Group sizes vary considerably from area to area. Large clans of spotted hyena may have as many as 70 – 80 related individuals. The females being larger than the males, dominate with a definite hierarchy between the females.
The alpha female (matriarch) is normally the oldest and most experienced member of the clan, her young are of a high ranking at birth and often take over the leadership of the clan, if old enough and should the matriarch die.

Reproduction:
Females looking to mate, seek males from neighbouring clans to mate with, thus reducing the chances of any inbreeding.
After a gestation of about 120 days the female gives birth to 1 or 2 cubs which are hidden in old abandoned aardvark (antbear) burrows. The cubs, if of the same sex will often try to kill each other, otherwise known as siblicide. This allows only the stronger and more dominant cubs to survive. Single cubs also get more food and thus develop a lot faster. The cubs are totally black in colour, gradually getting lighter and developing spots as they mature.
The cubs may suckle for more than a year but are normally weaned by 4 months.
They reach sexual maturity by 3 years of age.

Diet and Feeding:
Although hyenas scavenge off other predators such as lion, leopard, cheetah and wild dogs, they are in actual fact superb hunters.
Instead of speed, spotted hyenas rely more on stamina and as a group they take turns in running after their prey over long distances, until the point when the animal exhausts itself and can’t run fast anymore.
The hyena then grabs hold of the prey with its powerful jaws, often tearing chunks of flesh off, resulting in the animal dying from loss of blood and shock.

Bones are no problem for the hyenas jaws to chew though and make a meal there of.

Habits and Territoriality:
The sizes of spotted hyena territories vary considerably, from as little as 30 square kilometres to 800 + square kilometres. Factors that influence the territory size are the availability of food and water as well as pressure from neighbouring rival clans.

Territory boundaries are marked by scent glands from the hyena’s anal region. When scent-marking the spotted hyena bends its hind legs slightly while walking and then smears a thick paste-like substance onto the grass and sticks.

Encounters between rival clans often start with an increase in scent-marking and vocalisations such as whooping. Vocalising acts as a warning signal to the rivals to move out of the area as well as attracting the attention of the other resident clan members to make them aware of the intruding hyenas.

If the all warnings are ignored, a battle between the two clans may begin, often resulting in serious injuries or even deaths.

Quick Facts:
-Statistically, Spotted Hyenas are responsible for EATING (NOT KILLING) more people than any other predator in Africa every year.
-Their jaws are capable of exerting pressures of up to 800 kg/square inch!
-Another name for the spotted hyena is the “laughing hyena”.

Difference between Leopard and Cheetah

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 19:21:00 +0000

'SPOT' THE DIFFERENCE :)

At a glance one could easily mistake a leopard for a cheetah, but if you take a closer look at them you'll see they are actually quite different.
Here are some of the main physical differences between the two animals:

Leopard

A very large, muscular predator, weighing 100kg and even more.

The leopard is a far more powerful animal compared to the cheetah.

The spots of the leopard are rosette in shape, covering the whole body as well as the face.

They have white eye-linings at the bottom of the eyes. The white colour assists its vision at night by amplifying light which is reflected off objects around it, into the eyes.

Just like a "true cat," all of its claws are fully retractable.

Cheetah

They have a tall and slender build (very aerodynamic).

The head of a cheetah is quite small in relation to its body, when compared to leopard, making the cheetah more stream-lined.

Their nostrils are large in size to allow maximum oxygen in-take for their muscles, while running at high speeds.

Cheetah's tails are quite flat towards the end, acting as a rudder to balance it while running.

Instead of having rosette shaped spots, they have single large spots (like thumb prints), covering the whole body. The front of face has very few spots and is more a light brown colour.

Cheetah's have black "tear lines" which run from the eyes down to the sides of the mouth. They hunt mostly during the day, so the black "tear lines" help absorb light, to prevent a blinding effect from the bright sunlight.

The cheetah can only retract its dew claw. The dew claw is hooked onto an animal that it's hunting to try pull it down. The rest of the claws are non-retractable, just like dogs, giving the Cheetah better grip on the ground while running.

Difference between Black and White Rhino

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:43:00 +0000

Black Rhino (Hooked-lip Rhino)

•Smaller than the white rhino. A large bull weighs around 1000 kg.
•They have a rather small hooked shaped mouth for feeding on trees and shrubs.
•The black rhinos' natural head posture is face upward, so there is no need for it to lift its' head when feeding off trees.
•Black rhino are often found in thick vegetation which is possibly the reason why the female will often run in front of her calf to clear a pathway.
•The black rhino is short tempered and extremely aggressive compared to the white rhino.
•They are very solitary and seldom join up with other individuals.

White Rhino (Broad-mouthed Rhino)

•Larger than black rhino. Large bulls reaching weights of 2500 kg.
•They have a very broad flat mouth which aids in feeding off large quantities of grass.
•A white rhinos' natural head posture faces downward so its' mouth is always close to the ground while grazing.
•They have a very distinct hump above the shoulders as well as a very prominent fold of skin at the lower parts of the shoulders.
•Being a very social animals it is not uncommon to see 10 or 15 white rhinos moving together and sometime more.
•White rhino are normally found in very open areas such as plains.
•The calf normally runs in front of its mother, with the mother using her horn to direct the calf by tapping it on the rear.

There is no colour difference between the two rhinos. The Dutch people named the white rhino the "Weid mond rhino", meaning “Wide-mouth rhino”. The English thought they were saying "white", so it was all just a misinterpretation of the name.

Even though the white rhino is less aggressive, there are still more incidents of them attacking people as they have a higher population and thus regular encounters with people.