Wildlife Facts and Trivia
1. The Big Five in Africa are elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard. These were the most dangerous animals to shoot for professional hunters on foot in the early days.
2. The Small Five in Africa are elephant shrew (insectivore), rhino beetle (insect), buffalo weaver (bird), ant lion (insect) and leopard tortoise (reptile).
3. The smallest antelope in Africa is the Royal antelope found in west African countries.
4. The largest antelope in Africa is the eland (shown in the above picture). It is also the largest bovid as the largest eland can be bigger and heavier than a Cape buffalo. It can jump 2m high with ease.
5. Dagga Boys is a term you may encounter on a game drive. Dagga means mud in some African languages. The name pertains to the old cape buffalo bulls who hang out together and wallow in mud.
6. Some predominantly vegetarian animals like Giraffe, klipspringer, warthog, cape porcupine and Leopard tortoise consume bones of dead animals to supplement their calcium requirements. This is called osteophagia.
7. An elephant keeps itself cool during the heat of the day by flapping its ears. The large ears have a network of capillaries that help to circulate it's entire body's blood every twenty minutes which keeps the body from overheating.
8. Temperature determines the sex of a crocodile and tortoise at birth. At below 30 degree Celcius crocodile hatchlings are all female, while above 30 deg Celcius crocodile hatchlings are male. It is the opposite in case of tortoises.
9. Colobus monkeys (Zanzibar Red Colobus with young above) of Africa are related to the langur monkeys of India. They fall in the sub family Colobinae. Both species have four fingers on their hands while the thumb is either stunted or non- existent. They are excellent climbers.
10. A giraffe shares a unique combination of traits with three different species. It's markings are similar to those on a leopard. Its walking gait is similar to that of a camel and when it gallops, it's hind legs land in front of the forelegs, similar to a hare's.
11. There are some visual differences between African and Asian elephants. African elephants are larger, with bigger ears and have 4 toes on their forelegs and 3 toes on their hind legs. Asian elephants are smaller, with smaller ears, and 5 toes on their forelegs and 4 toes on their hind legs. Female African elephants have tusks while female Asian elephants do not.
12. Sometimes you may notice some species of hornbills and mongoose hunting on the ground together. The hornbills seek out the flying insects that are disturbed when the mongoose forage for their food. At the same time they warn the mongoose of the presence of a predator, by making sounds or flying away. This relationship between two different species is called mutualism.
13. Bird species like Cuckoos, Honeyguides and Whydahs do not bring up their young themselves. Instead, they lay their eggs in the nests of 'host' species, and are called 'brood parasites'. Each brood parasite has a specific host.
14. You can tell if an elephant is left or right side dominant by looking at the tusks. The left and right tusks are usually of different shape and length. The tusks that are more worn out or shorter are on the dominant side.
15. All animals do not migrate during the annual Serengeti migration. There are approximately two million water dependent grazers e.g. wildebeest, zebra and Thomson's gazelle. They need a fresh supply of grass and water year round. Their chances of finding fresh grass and water are increased by moving large distances than if they stayed in one place. However, some species e.g. dik dik, impala, buffalo, eat a mix of shrubs, grass and leaves, and do not need a constant supply of fresh grass. Dik dik are able to get their water entirely from overnight dew on the plants they eat.
16. Predators like lion and spotted hyena do not migrate. Their cubs depend on them for survival and cannot make long journeys. Prides and clans must therefore stay and defend their territory and hunt prey that is available in their foraging radius.
17. An ostrich (both species pictured above - Masai and Somali) is a purely African species. It is the largest and heaviest bird yet it'e weight is supported by just two toes on each foot. And with a top speed of 70 kmph, it can easily defeat Usain Bolt in a 100 metre race - after giving him a handicap of 40 metres!
18. Are you surprised when you see different species of animals and birds living in harmony? As per the Principle of Gause, two conflicting species cannot occupy the same space without one becoming extinct, moving out or adapting. So lion, leopard and cheetah live in the same area but all hunt different prey. This is true for herbivores as well. Pure grazers like wildebeest, zebra and Thomson's gazelle eat a different sward of the same grass.
19. Dinosaurs lived on earth for more than 180 million years. In comparison, Homo sapiens have been around for only 300,000 years. It's strange to hear humans joke 'don't become extinct like a dinosaur' when we have barely begun to wear our nappies on the time scale!
20. To humans, snakes are the most feared creatures because we know so little about them. Dangerous snakes constitute less than 10% of all snake species. If you come across a snake on safari, assume it is dangerous and stay away. Inform the camp staff. A snake that is left alone is not a threat. .
21. No lizard in Africa is venomous.
22. The most colourful raptor that you may come across is the bateleur. Its scientific name Terathopius
ecaudatus translates to "wonderful appearance - short tail" and aptly describes its overall appearance.
23. You will notice how some birds are colourful whilst others look drab in their dull shades of grey and brown. There is a trade-off between standing out amidst the competition, by displaying bright colours (to attract a mate and propagate one's genes); and blending in with the environment (to evade predation). Examples of the former are turacos, rollers, kingfishers, starlings, bee eaters, etc. On the other hand, doves, owls, sandgrouse, nightjars, etc., have cryptic coloration that works as perfect camouflage.
24. Certain birds and animals are monogamous and pair for life e.g. fish eagles, saddle-billed storks, grey crowned cranes, Egyptian geese, doves, bustards, jackals, wild dogs, klipspringers, dik diks, etc.
25. Relative to size, elephant and hyrax (bush hyrax pictured above) have much in common. Both are near-ungulates, have similar foot-nail structure, dentition and mammary glands, a long gestation (22 and 8 months, respectively), and both are capable of regulating their body temperature relative to their environment.
26. Cheetah across Africa belong to the same gene pool. This is why it is imperative to support efforts to save the species from extinction.
27. Hippos spend all day in the water and only come out to feed after sunset. This is because they have extremely sensitive skin which can dry and crack under a hot sun.
28. A Nile crocodile can stay submerged for upto two hours. In contrast, a hippo can stay underwater for maximum 5-6 minutes.
29. The scientific name of Africa's iconic tree - Acacia - has recently changed. Genuses that have straight thorns and round flowers are now Vachelia, while those with hooked thorns and flowers in spikes are now Senegalia.
30. If you come across a scorpion follow this thumb rule. If the pincers are large relative t its size, it means they are the main weapon to catch prey, and therefore it's sting will be small; small pincers relative to size means a lethal sting. Scorpions have the strongest known venom.
31. Dung beetles are one of the toughest creatures relative to their size. They can roll dung balls that are upto 80 times their own weight.
32. Termites follow a rigid caste system in which no individual can survive independent of the colony. At the top is the queen and king followed by soldiers and workers. Workers are sterile and blind and their duty is to look after and feed the royal pair and the soldiers. A queen can live for 50 years. A termite mound is built on a mix of saliva and soil and can survive for hundreds of years.
33. Poaching continues to impact wildlife populations across Africa and Asia. Pangolins are the most trafficked animal. 2.7 million pangolins were poached in 2020. A rhino is killed every day in South Africa. The total elephant population across Africa has fallen from over a million to a little over 350,000 in the last hundred years. India has 20,000 elephants and approximately 3000 tigers remaining in the wild. The numbers of giraffe in Africa has plummeted significantly. All the big cats except leopard are endangered. Wild dog and cheetah are close to extinction. So are plenty of birds, reptiles and other smaller creatures.
34. 1 species per million goes extinct each year. There are over 8 million species.
35. Our planet is 4.5 billion years old. There have been five mass extinctions since the earth was formed.
36. There are four species of giraffe in Africa - Masai (Giraffa.c.tippelskirchi), Reticulated (G.c.reticulata - depicted in the above picture), Northern (G.c.camelopardalis) and Southern (G.c. giraffa).
37. The hunting success rate of lions is only 15-30% overall. This increases dramatically under moonless nights when lions are able to see better than their prey, from starlight alone. Wild dog, cheetah and hyena hunt mainly during the day with a higher success rate than lions.
38. The Okapi is the only other member of the Giraffe family (Giraffidae). It is found in west Africa.
39. All life on earth is dependent on the Sun which has already completed 4.6 billion years or half of it's life span.
40. There are three species of zebra in Africa - Common or Plain's zebra (Equus quagga), Grevy's zebra (E. grevyi) and Mountain zebra (E. zebra).
41. Amongst animals and birds, males are generally bigger than females. However, there are exceptions e.g. spotted hyena, fish eagle, dik dik, etc.
42. Amongst primates, bonobos and chimpanzees share 99% of our DNA, while gorillas share over 95%. They are our closest relatives in the wild.
43. The next time you are on a safari in Africa, look for the highest flying bird in the world - the Ruepell's Griffon Vulture, which has been recorded at a height of 37,000 feet (11,300 m).
44. While the sting of a tsetse fly can be painful to humans and livestock, it is harmless to wild animals. By keeping pastoralists away, these flies are in fact the 'saviours of the wild'.
45. There are over 6 million species of insects in the world of which only 15% have been described. Of these beetles are the most with over 370,000 species.
46. Africa is the only continent through which the 0 deg longitude or prime meridian and the O deg latitude or equator passes.
47. While African rhino have two horns, an Indian rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis) has just one horn. It is found in north India and Nepal.
48. India is the only country outside of Africa where one can see wild lions. The Asiatic Lion is found only in the Gir Forest of western India.
49. Of the six remaining tiger species, the Royal Bengal Tiger of India is the most numerous (approx 3000).
50. The gaur or Indian Bison (Bos gaurus) is the largest bovid in the world, being heavier and bigger than an
eland or a cape buffalo.
51. India's largest and the world's longest venomous snake is the King Cobra. While it avoids humans, it is every snake's nightmare. It's genus Ophiophagus means snake eater.
Do let us know if you enjoyed the above facts and trivia which we will try and update every few weeks - we will be delighted to hear from you!