When you think of Africa you think of wild animals. Africa contains some of the world’s most dense, populations of wildlife in its national forest and the greatest number of mega fauna species of any continent on our planet. Africa provides homes to a variety of jungle wildlife including, our relatives, the primates, a variety of birds from the tropical rainforest, and many, many kinds of reptiles and amphibians.
Many well-known animals, including the African elephant, the African lion, the African leopard, the brown hyena, the cheetah, the hippopotamus, the Cape buffalo, the gorilla, the giraffe, the chimpanzee, three species of zebra and two species of rhinoceros are native to Africa. Africa is also home to many beautiful and interesting bird species, including the Ostrich, the secretary bird, the fish eagle, the African grey parrot, just to name a few. |
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![]() The African elephant is the largest living land mammal.
An elephant can weigh 6 - 7 tons and has no natural enemies. An elephant drinks up to 160 liters of water per day. An African elephant possesses such "manual" dexterity in his/her trunk tip that he/she can actually turn the pages of a book with it. The tongue of a giraffe can be as long as 45cm.
Giraffes have the same number of vertebrae in their necks as humans, seven in total, but much larger. Giraffes are 6ft tall when they are born. It's thought that the Giraffes neck has grown so long due to the males mating battles. During battle they whip each other with their necks and heads, the winner and eventual mate usually being the one landing the harder blows, enhanced by a slightly longer neck. |
Lions are unique in that they are the only cats to live in groups (prides). They are the largest member of the cat family and the largest of all the African carnivores. They are are the top predator in any African ecosystem where they live. The roar of a lion can be heard over 8 kilometers away.