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TeamSavannah
Animal Fact
Sheets
2014
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Addax
Scienc name:Addax nasomaculatus
Conservaon Status: Crically Endangered
Range: Sahara desert
Habitat: Desert
Life Expectancy: 19 years (wild), 25 years
(capt.)
Physiology and Appearance
Fun Facts
Reproducon
The addax is a spiral-horned antelope. Male addax stand 4145in. at the shoulder and females 37-43in.
They are sexually dimorphic (females smaller). The weight of males varies from 220-280lbs and females 130-
200lbs. The coloring of the addax's coat varies with the season. In the winter, it is greyish-brown with white
hindquarters and legs, and long, brown hair on the head, neck, and shoulders. In the summer, the coat turns
almost completely white/blonde. Their head is marked with brown/black patches that form an 'X' over their
noses. They have scraggly beards and prominent red nostrils. Long, black hairs sck out between their horns,
ending in a short mane on the neck. The horns, which are on both sexes, have 2 -3 twists and are 22-31 in. in
females and 28-33 in. in males. The lower and mid porons of the horns are marked with a series of 30 -35
ring-shaped ridges. The tail ends in a pu of black hair. The hooves are broad with at soles and strong
dewclaws to help them walk on so sand. All feet possess scent glands.
Females are sexually mature at 2-3 years of age and males at 2 years. Breeding occurs throughout the year,
but it peaks during winter and early spring. Estrus lasts for 1-2 days. Gestaon lasts 257270 days (about 9
months) and one calf is born. The calf weighs 11lbs. at birth and is weaned at 2329 weeks old.
Lifestyle and Behavior
Addax are mainly nocturnal. During the day, they dig into the sand in shady locaons and rest, which also
protects them from sandstorms. Addax herds contain both males and females and have 5-20 members. Addax
have a strong social structure based on age, and herds are led by the oldest female. The addax live in desert
terrain where they eat grasses and leaves of available shrubs/bushes. They can survive without free water for
long periods because they get moisture from their food and dew that condenses on plants.
Sciensts believe the addax has a special lining in its stomach that stores water in pouches to use in
mes of dehydraon. They also produce highly concentrated urine to conserve water.
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African Lion
Scienc name: Panthera leo
Conservaon Status: Vulnerable (
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BatEared Fox
Scienc name: Otocyon megalos
Conservaon Status: Least Concern
Range: Southern and Eastern Africa
Habitat: Short grasslands, arid/dry regions of
savannahs and brush
Life Expectancy: 6 yrs (wild)
Physiology and Appearance
Fun Facts
Reproducon
Bat-Eared Foxes (BEF) have tawny fur with black ears, legs, and parts of the pointed face. They measure
around 2 . in length (head and body) with ears about 5 in. long, and weigh on average 510 lbs. BEF
have more teeth (46-50) than other canid species as an adaptaon to their insecvorous diet. The large
ears of BEF aid in locaon of prey and are full of blood vessels that shed heat to help keep the fox cool.
BEF are mostly monogamous. There is a reversal in parenng roles, as the male takes on the majority of
the parental care including grooming, defending, and transporng between dens. Gestaon is 60-70
days, and liers consist of 1-6 kits. Lactaon lasts 14-15 weeks, the young are full grown at 6 months,
and females can begin breeding around 18 months.
Lifestyle and Behavior
BEF live in self-dug dens which shelter the fox from extreme temperature and wind. They usually live in
groups of 2 to 5 individuals and have overlapping territories of almost 200 acres. BEF communicate using a
variety of so whistles. Adults somemes scent mark grass or bushes with their urine. BEF acvity
increases around dusk, and hunng usually occurs at night when the fox can somemes travel up to 7.5
miles to look for food. BEF are known to stay around hoofed animals due to the insects that are aracted
to the larger animals feces. The majority of the BEF diet is typically harvester termites, but when
unavailable, BEF have been known to eat ants, beetles, crickets, moths, spiders, and rarely birds and small
mammals/reples. The insects they eat provide the majority of their water intake needs. Predators
include eagles, jackals, and hyenas.
A male fox is called a dog, a female is a vixen, and babies are called kits.
A single bat-eared fox can eat approximately 1.15 million termites each year.
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Black-Masked Lovebird
Scienc name:Agapornis personatus
Conservaon Status: Least Concern
Range: Northeast Tanzania
Habitat: Grasslands with trees (e.g. acacia and
baobab)
Life Expectancy: 1015 years
Physiology and Appearance
Fun Facts
Reproducon
The Black-
Masked Lovebird (or Yellow-
Collared Lovebird) is a mainly green small parrot about5.5in long, weighing 40-60g. Its upper parts are a darker green than its lower surfaces. The head
is black, and it has a bright red beak and white eyerings. Yellow on the breast is connuous with a
yellow collar and an expansion of yellow over the nape of the neck. Males and females have
idencal external appearance.
Lovebirds are monogamous, which is how they earned their name. The lovebird uses its beak to
gather nesng material to a tree cavity to build a nest. The birds are colonial breeders, and thebreeding season is typically March through August. The eggs of the lovebird are white in
appearance, and a clutch usually has four to ve eggs. Females incubate the eggs for 23 days,
and the chicks leave the nest 42 days aer hatching.
Lifestyle and Behavior
Lovebirds have a strong bond with their mate and are seen to be very aeconate towards each
other, sing together for long periods. The birds live in ocks with 6100 birds and primarily eat
fruit, vegetables, grasses, and seeds. Lovebirds prefer to roost in small crevices of trees rather
than out in the open. The birds are sedentary and do not parcipate in migraon. Currently the
Black-Masked Lovebird populaon is stable and there is no evidence of decline or substanal
threats.
There are 9 species in the lovebird genus (5 monotypic and 4 divided into subspecies).
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Black-Footed Cat
Scienc name: Felis nigripes
Conservaon Status: Vulnerable (since 2002)
Range: Southwest/South Africa (Namibia,Zimbabwe, Angola)
Habitat: Open savannah, grassland, semi-desert
Life Expectancy: 10-13 years (capvity)
Physiology and Appearance
Fun Facts
Reproducon
The black-footed cat (BFC) is one of the smallest cat species. Adult males weigh 4 -5 lbs., and females weight 2-4
lbs. Males head-to
-body length is 14
-17 in. with tails 6
-8 in long, and females are slightly smaller. The shoulder
height is ~10 in. The BFC name comes from the black coloring of the pads and underside of the feet. The cats
have very large eyes, rounded ears, tawny fur, and black/brown spots that form rings on the legs, neck, and tail.
During the spring, summer and autumn, female BFC may have up to 2 liers. Females come into estrus for only a
few days at a me and are only recepve to breeding for a few hours, resulng in frequent copulaon during this
me. Gestaon lasts 6368 days, liers consist of 1-2 (somemes up to 4) kiens, and kiens weigh 2 3 oz. at
birth. The kiens are born blind, but are able to crawl aer a few hours and walk within 2 weeks. Aer a month,
kiens can eat solid food and are fully weaned by 2 months and independent by 5 months. Sexual maturity is
reached aer 8-12 months.
Lifestyle and Behavior
BFC are solitary and nocturnal, spending the day in dense cover and unoccupied burrows. Kiens are reared in
burrows, and females move their young to new locaons regularly a week aer birth. BFC are generally poor
climbers due to their stocky bodies and short tails and instead dig to modify burrows. In a year, females cover
a range of ~4 sq mi, while males have a range of ~9 sq mi (an adult males range overlaps the range of 14
females). BFC use scent marking, with males spraying urine up to 12 mes an hour. At night, BFC travel on
average of 5 mi in search of prey and kill up to 14 small animals a night due to their high energy requirements
(250g a night or 1/6 of their body weight). BFC mostly hunt rodents and small birds, while insects account for
less than 1% of prey mass consumed. BFC are stalk hunters and have been known to hide some of their
captured prey for later feedings.
Nicknamed miershooper(anthill gers) in parts of the South African Karoo (due to ferocity).
BFC have been successfully born via in vitro ferlizaon using frozen and thawed sperm/embryos (2011).
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Black-Throated Monitor
Scienc name: Varanus albigularis
ionidesi
Conservaon Status: Unevaluated
Range: East Africa/Tanzania
Habitat: Dry Savannah
Life Expectancy: 10-15+ years (Capvity)
Physiology and Appearance
Fun Facts
Reproducon
The Black-Throated Monitor can grow up to 4 6 . in length (nose
-to
-tail) and can
weigh over 50 lbs. The coloring ranges from dark grey/brown with yellow or white
markings. The lizards have short, muscular legs, a strong tail, sharp claws, and thick
skin for protecon. Monitors have a long, forked tongue.
Black-Throated Monitors are known to lay eggs in a very large clutch (30-50+ eggs). In
capvity, females may lay mulple clutches. Females oen dig nests or bury eggs forprotecon. Incubaon varies based on temperature and humidity, and less than half of
the hatchlings are likely to survive in the wild
Lifestyle and Behavior
Black-Throated Monitors spend most of their me in burrows, rock piles, or searching for
prey. They are excellent diggers and have been known to climb trees (especially as
juveniles), but they are not great swimmers. When threatened, a monitor will inate itsbody, hiss, lash with its tail, and even bite if provoked. Monitors are carnivores and will eat
rodents, birds, sh, and insects, and are able to swallow prey whole. The lizards prefer
warmer climates, around 80-90 degrees.
There are over 70 species of Monitor Lizards (Genus Varanus).
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Blue-Necked Ostrich
Scienc name: Struthio camelus
Conservaon Status: Least Concern
Range: Eastern and Southwest Africa
Habitat: Open land, savannah, semi-desert, true
desert
Life Expectancy: 40-45 years(or more in capt.)
Physiology and Appearance
Fun Facts
Reproducon
Ostriches can weigh from 140-320 lbs, with females ranging 5-7 . tall and males ranging 6-9 . tall. Adult
males have mostly black feathers with white primaries and white tail. Females and young males are grey/brownand white. Both sexes have a nearly bare head/neck covered in down. Legs are unfeathered, with the tarsus
(lowest upright part of leg) covered in scales (red in males, black in female). There are two toes on each foot. A
reduced number of toes aids in running. Ostriches have the largest eyes of any land vertebrae (2 in. diameter),
but the head and bill are small for the birds size (4 -6in. bill). The wingspan can reach 6 7 in, and wings are
used in mang rituals and to shade chicks, as well as insulaon. Ostriches have no keel, no crop, no gallbladder,
three stomachs, males have a retractable copulatory organ, and they secrete feces and urine separately.
Ostriches are sexually mature at 2-4 yrs. old. Mang season begins in March/April and ends around September.
Males oen have a harem of 2-7 hens but will only form a pair bond with one main female. The male performs
with his wings to aract a mate. Females lay eggs in a communal nest, and ostrich eggs are the largest of all
eggs. Females incubate eggs during the day and males incubate at nightthis uses the coloraon dierence of
the sexes to camouage. Incubaon is 35-45 days. Males and females rear chicks together.
Lifestyle and Behavior
Ostriches spend the winter in pairs or alone, but during breeding season, ostriches live in groups of 5 -50 birds.
They are diurnal and most acve early and late in the day. Males have a territory between 1 -8 sq mi. Ostriches
have excellent eyesight and hearing to sense predators and can run up to 43 mph (fastest two-legged animals).
When hiding from predators, the birds lay their head/neck at on the ground to appear like a mound of earth.
Ostriches can only kick forward to aid in defense. The ostrich's diet consists mainly of plant maer, though they
also eat invertebrates.
Ostriches DO NOT bury their heads in the sand.
Ostrich eggs can weigh up to 3 pounds, which is about 20 mes the size of a chicken egg.
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Common Eland
Scienc name: Taurotragus oryx
Conservaon Status: Least Concern
Range: East and Southern Africa
Habitat: Open plains, semi-arid areas,
grassland, woodlands, bush, mountaintops
Life Expectancy: 15-20 yrs, 25 (capt)
Physiology and Appearance
Fun Facts
Reproducon
Eland are spiral-horned antelope and are sexually dimorphic (females smaller than males). Females weigh
660-1,300 lbs and are 50-60 in. at the shoulder, males weigh 880-2080 lbs and are 94-136 in. at the
shoulder. Coat colors vary geographically, and the coat is smooth except for a rough mane. Females are
tan and males are darker/bluish/grey and have a dewlap (skin ap) on their throats. Horns have a spiral
ridge and grow rapidly in the rst 7 months of life. Males horns are thicker and shorter and females
horns usually have a ghter spiral.
Females are sexually mature at 15-36 months and males 4-5 years. Mang can occur at any me, and
males use their horns to ght over females in estrus. Gestaon is 9 months and one calf is born at a
me.
Lifestyle and Behavior
Males, females, and juveniles each form separate social groups; male groups are smaller than females.
Calves leave the calf group when they are 2 years old and join an adult group. Herd numbers can reach
500. Eland are nomadic and crepuscular, eang in the morning and evening. Herds are accompanied by a
loud clicking sound caused by tendons/joints in the foreleg and/or hooves snapping (exact cause is under
speculaon). Eland are the slowest antelope with a peak speed of 25 mph, but can maintain a trot of 14
mph for extend me. Eland can also jump about 8 . from a standing start. Eland require a high protein
diet of higher quality leaves, grasses, and fruits. They can conserve water by increasing their body temp.
Eland are the largest African Bovine.
Elands milk has three mes more fat content than the milk from the dairy cows. Even the
protein content is double than the cows milk.
The name 'eland' is Dutch for "elk" or "moose."
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East African Crowned Crane
Scienc name: Balearica regulorum gib-
bericeps
Conservaon Status: Vulnerable (
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Eastern Black Rhino
Scienc name: Diceros bicornis michaeli
Conservaon Status: Crically endangered
Range: Kenya and Tanzania
Habitat: Bushlands
Life Expectancy: 30-40 yrs.
Physiology and Appearance
Fun Facts
Reproducon
Adult black rhinos stand 52-71 in. at the shoulder and are 9-12 . in length, weighing 1,800-3,100 lbs.
Females are smaller. Two horns on the skull are made of keran, with the front horn larger (~20 in.). The
black rhino is smaller than the white rhino and has a pointed, prehensile upper lip to grasp leaves when
feeding. Their thick, layered skin protects from thorns and sharp grasses. Eyesight is poor, so the rhinos
rely on sense of smell and hearing.
Adults are solitary in nature, coming together only for mang. Mang is not seasonal. Females will mark
dung piles when in estrus. Breeding pairs stay together for 2-3 days or longer and mate several mes a
day, with copulaon lasng about a half hour. Gestaon is 15-16 months. Calves weigh 80
-110 lbs,
weaning occurs around 2 years, and sexual maturity is reached around 5-7 years for females and 7-8
years in males.
Lifestyle and Behavior
Rhinos are not very territorial and oen intersect others ranges. Females have larger ranges, especially
when with a calf. Calves leave their mother aer 2-3 years, or when another calf is born. Males have been
noted to sleep almost twice as much as females. Black rhinos have the highest rates of mortal combat,
with 50% of males and 30% of females dying from combat injuries. Horns are used for defense,
inmidaon, digging, and breaking branches. Black rhinos are browsers and eat leafy plants, bushes,
fruits, and especially woody plants, usually choosing quality over quanty. Browsing occurs mainly at
morning and evening. Wallowing helps cool down body temp and protects against parasites.
Communicaon is mainly through scent (e.g. urine spraying, defecaon).
The black rhino populaon has declined 90% in the last three generaons.
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Fennec Fox
Scienc name: Vulpes zerda
Conservaon Status: Least Concern
Range: North Africa, Sahara
Habitat: Desert
Life Expectancy: 14 years (capt.)
Physiology and Appearance
Fun Facts
Reproducon
The fennec fox weighs about 1.53.5lbs., with a body length of 916in. and height of 8in. It is the smallest
species of canid in the world. The tail has a black p and is 712in. long, while the ears can be between 3.9
5.9in. long. The coat is oen a cream color and uy, which deects heat during the day and keeps the fox
warm at night. The fennec's ears are the largest among all foxes (relave to body size) and serve to dissipate
heat, as they have many blood vessels close to the skin. The ears of a fennec are sensive enough to hear prey
that may be underground, and the soles of its feet are protected from the hot desert sand by thick fur.
Fennec foxes mate for life, with each pair/family controlling their own territory. Sexual maturity is reached at
around 9 months old. In the wild, mang usually occurs January-February (liers born March-April). In capvity,
most liers are born between March-July, but births can occur year round. Fennecs breed only once each year.
The copulaon e can last up to 2 hours. Following mang, the male becomes very aggressive and protecve of
the female, providing her with food during her pregnancy and lactaon periods. Gestaon is usually 50 -52 days.
The typical lier is between 1-4 kits, with weaning around 61 -70 days. When born, the kit's ears are folded
over and its eyes are closed, with the eyes opening at 10 days and the ears liing soon aerward.
Lifestyle and Behavior
Fennec foxes are highly social. A basic social unit is a mated pair and their ospring. Playing behavior is
common even in adults. Fennec foxes make a variety of sounds including barking, a purring sound similar
to domesc cats, and a snarl if threatened. Males tend to show more aggression and urine-marking
around the me of the females' estrous cycle. They have been seen to bury feces by pushing soil with their
noses or hind feet when in capvity. The fennec fox is an omnivore. Food sources include plants, rodents,
insects, birds, eggs, and rabbits. Fennec foxes can jump up to 2. high and 4. forward, which helps them
catch prey and escape predators.
Dens can be up to 120 square meters with up to 15 dierent entrances. In some cases dierent
families interconnect their dens.
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Grants Zebra
Scienc name: Equus quagga boehmi
Conservaon Status: Least Concern
Range: Southeast Africa
Habitat: Treeless grasslands and savanna
woodlands
Life Expectancy: 2030 years
Physiology and Appearance
Fun Facts
Reproducon
This northern subspecies is vercally striped in front, horizontally on the back legs, and diagonally on the
rump and hind anks. Shadow stripes are absent or only poorly expressed. The stripes, as well as the
inner-spaces, are broad and well dened. Northerly specimens may lack a mane. Grants zebras grow to
be about 3.9 to 4.6. tall and generally weigh about 660lb.
The stallion mates with all his mares. Mares may give birth to one foal every twelve months. Zebras are
able to stand, walk, run from danger, and suckle shortly aer they are born. Zebra foals are born with
brown and white stripes (as opposed to black and white stripes). Mares generally keep all other zebras
away for 2-3 days unl her foal recognizes her by sight, voice, and smell. Within the group, a foal has the
same rank as its mother.Even with parental protecon, up to 50% of zebra foals are taken by predaon,
disease, and starvaon each year.
Lifestyle and Behavior
Zebra are highly social and usually form small family groups, called harems, which consist of a single
stallion, several mares, and their recent ospring. Bachelor groups also exist (2-15 males lead by young
male). Mares exist in a hierarchy, with the alpha female being the rst to mate with the stallion and being
the one to lead the group. Zebras strengthen their social bonds with grooming. At least six dierent calls
have been documented for the plains zebra. When being hunted by hyenas or wild dogs, a zebra harem
stays close together and cooperates to protect threatened members. A zebra's diet is esmated to be 92%
grass, 5% herbs, and 2% shrubs.
The stripes of the zebra may help to visually confuse its predators and may also help deter
bloodsucking insects.
Zebras have black skin underneath their hair.
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Greater Bushbaby
Scienc name: Otolemur crassicaudatus
Conservaon Status: Least Concern
Range: Sub-
Saharan Africa
Habitat: Forest
Life Expectancy: 15 years
Physiology and Appearance
Fun Facts
Reproducon
Bushbabies (also known as galagos) have large eyes that give them good night vision, strong hind limbs,
acute hearing, and long, bushy tails that help them balance. Their ears are bat like and allow them to
track insects in the dark. They have nails on most of their digits, except for the second toe of the hindfoot,
which bears a 'toilet' claw for grooming. Bushbabies have pecnate (comb-like) incisors called
toothcombs. Bushbabies weigh up to 2 pounds and are up to 10 in. in length.
Gestaon of bushbabies is 110-133 days. The young are born with half-closed eyes and cannot move
around independently inially. Aer 6-8 days, the mother carries the young in her mouth. Females can
have singles, twins, or triplets with each newborn weighing less than half an ounce. The young are fed bythe mother for six weeks and can feed themselves at two months.
Lifestyle and Behavior
Males leave their mothers' territories aer puberty, but females remain, forming social groups consisng
of closely related females and their young. Adult males maintain separate territories, which overlap with
those of the female social groups. They communicate both by calling to each other and by marking their
paths with urine. Group members use a special rallying call and gather to sleep in a nest made of leaves, a
group of branches, or a hole in a tree. Bushbabies are excellent jumpers and are able to cover ten yards in
seconds. Their long tail assists in powering the jumps. When jumping, they tuck their arms and legs close
to the body. Bushbabies are social groomers, although older bushbabies prefer to rest alone. Bushbabies
are nocturnal and spend the majority of their me in trees. The diet consists mostly of fruit and seeds, as
well as insects and other small animals.
The bushbabys jumping muscles should perform six to nine mes beer than that of a frog,
given that 25% of the bushbabys body mass is leg muscle.
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Helmeted Guineafowl
Scienc name: Numida meleagris
Conservaon Status: Least Concern
Range: South of the Sahara
Habitat: Savannah
Life Expectancy: 12+ years (wild)
Physiology and Appearance
Fun Facts
Reproducon
The guineafowl is a large (20-22 in) bird with a round body and small head. They weigh about 2 -3
lbs. The body plumage is gray-black spangled with white. This species has an unfeathered head
with a dull yellow or reddish bony knob and red and blue patches of skin. The wings are short and
rounded and the tail is also short. Guineafowl have strong claws and scratch in loose soil for food.
The guineafowl nest is a well-hidden, unlined scrape, and a clutch is normally 6-12 eggs. The female
incubates for 2628 days. Nests containing larger numbers of eggs usually have mulple hens using
the nest. Guinea hens are not the best mothers, and will oen abandon their nests. The keets are
crypcally colored and rapid wing growth allows them to y onto low branches just a week aer
hatching.
Lifestyle and Behavior
Guineafowl are gregarious and form ocks of about 25 birds, roosng communally. The birds are
terrestrial and tend to run rather than y when alarmed. They have a short -lived explosive ight
and rely on gliding to cover extended distances. Guineafowl are great runners, and can walk more
than 6 mi. in a day. They make loud harsh calls when disturbed. Their diet consists of a variety ofseeds, fruits, greens, insects, small reples/amphibians/mammals. Males oen show aggression
towards each other and will ght, leaving other males injured.
Guineafowl are parcularly well-suited to eang massive quanes of cks, which might
otherwise spread Lyme disease.
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Lesser Kudu
Scienc name: Ammelaphus imberbis
Conservaon Status: Near Threatened
Range: East Africa
Habitat: Dry thorn bush and forest
Life Expectancy: 15 years
Physiology and Appearance
Fun Facts
Reproducon
Lesser kudu are 35 to 43in. at the shoulder and weigh 130220lb. Females and young are a reddish-
brown, while bulls turn blue-grey with age. There are 10-14 very disncve white stripes on the sides, a
white patch on both the upper and lower throat, two white cheek spots, and a chevron between the
eyes. The slender legs are tawny with black and white markings. Males have a small mane on the nape of
the neck and along the spine. There is no beard on the throat (imberbis = not bearded). The spiraled
horns are found only in the males and grow 2-3 feet long, having two twists.
Females are sexually mature by 15 months, they have an 8 month gestaon, and one calf is born at a
me. Males are sexually mature by 15 months, but they are not socially mature unl 4-5 yrs. Calves can
be born throughout the year; there is no xed breeding system. Aer birth, calves lie concealed, away
from their mother.
Lifestyle and Behavior
The lesser kudu is mainly acve at night and in the early morning. They are skish, and when startled ee
with the tail held up, revealing the white underside. The alarm call is a sharp bark. Jumps of up to 6.6 feet
high and 20 in distance have been recorded. They can run up to 43 mph. Individual home ranges
overlap extensively with no apparent territoriality, and dierent parts are used at dierent mes of theyear. Lesser kudu live in mixed or single sex troops of 2-5 individuals, somemes up to 24. Old bulls are
solitary. The diet is primarily leaves, but somemes includes grasses and fruit. Lesser kudu rarely drink.
Their main predators are leopards, cape hunng dogs, and lions.
The lesser kudu is the most primive of all the spiral-horned antelopes.
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Masai Girae
Scienc name: Girafa camelopardalis
ppelskirchi
Conservaon Status: Conservaon Dependent
Range: Kenya and Tanzania
Habitat: Savannas, grasslands, open woodlands
Life Expectancy: 25 years
Physiology and Appearance
Fun Facts
Reproducon
The Masai girae have large, disncve, dark brown, vine-leaf shaped, jagged spots intersected by
creamy irregular lines. Masai are the largest species of girae, standing 15-20 . tall. Males become
darker in color as they age. Weight is around 3,000lbs. for an adult male and 1,800lbs. for an adult
female. Horn-like structures called ossicones form from ossied carlage. The heart weighs around 25lbs.
and measures about 2 long; as a result, giraes have double the blood pressure of a human to ow
blood to the brain. Veins in the neck have valves to prevent blood rushing to head when bending to drink.
Giraes have a long tongue (20in.) that is purplish-black in color, to protect against sunburn.
There is no seasonal breeding season for the Masai Girae. Females can typically breed from the age of4 and breeding is polygamous. Gestaon is 15 months. They give birth standing up, and it takes 26
hours. A newborn girae is about 6 . tall and 100-150 lbs. About 5075% of the calves in the wild die in
their rst few months due to predaon. Females are responsible for the young and form nursery herds.
Lifestyle and Behavior
Giraes form loose social bonds and travel in groups of up to 32 individuals. They are not territorial but do
have home ranges. Generally, giraes are quiet, but have been known to make some sounds (e.g. cough,
bellow). Males combat in the form of necking to determine breeding hierarchy. Giraes are ruminants
and eat at least 35 lbs of leaves in a day and drink 10 gallons of water at a me. When running, they can
reach speeds up to 37mph. Giraes only sleep around 4 hours per 24 hours, in short increments of me,
mostly at night. Adult giraes are not very vulnerable to predators due to their powerful kicks.
The skin underneath the dark areas helps with regulang body temp; they are actually sites for
complex blood vessel systems and large sweat glands.
The tail is around 3 . long with a hair tu used to swat insects away.
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Red Crested Turaco
Scienc name: Tauraco erythrolophus
Conservaon Status: Least Concern
Range: Central Africa
Habitat: Woodlands, Forest
Life Expectancy: 5-9 years
Physiology and Appearance
Fun Facts
Reproducon
The Red-crested Turaco is a fairly large, colorful, long-tailed bird. It is easily idened by its vivid red
crest (which can stand 2 in. tall), white face, and yellow beak. Eyes are red and the beak is yellowish-
green. Its plumage is overall green. They measure 19 -20 in. from beak to p of tail and weigh
around 210-325g (less than 1 lb.). Turacos have mobile outer toes, which they are able to rotate
forward or backward. They use their long tails for balance and their feet are very good at gripping.
Turacos reach sexual maturity at about 1 -2 years. During courtship, the male feeds, aps wings to
show red coloraon, raises his crest, and ips his tail feathers. Hens lays two to three eggs in a
loose nest made of twigs and some plant material around 9-16 . above the ground. Both the male
and female defend a territory and share incubaon dues. They incubate the eggs for 21 to 24
days, and the young edge about 4 weeks aer hatching
Lifestyle and Behavior
Turacos live in large ocks of up to 30 individuals. They are monogamous in breeding. Although
they are social among the species, they are shy and remained concealed among the branches and
seldom come to ground, except for water or food. They eat mainly fruits and berries, as well as
owers, leaves, termites, seeds, acacia, gs, snails, and occasional insects.
Turacos are the only birds to possess true red and green color. When you look at most birds,
the color you are seeing is a reecon produced by the feather structure. The turaco's red
pigment (turacin) and green pigment (turacoverdin) both contain copper.
The call of a turaco sounds like "g'way," which is why they are oen referred to as go -away
birds.
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Rock Hyrax
Scienc name: Procavia capensis
Conservaon Status: Least Concern
Range: Sub-
Sahara Africa
Habitat: Rocky or scrub-covered areas
Life Expectancy: 9-14 years
Physiology and Appearance
Fun Facts
Reproducon
The rock hyrax is squat and heavily built, with adults reaching a length of 20in. and weighing around
8.8lbs. (males are approximately 10% heavier than females). Their fur is thick and grey-brown color,
although it varies between dierent environments. The head is pointed, with a short neck and rounded
ears. They have long black whiskers on their muzzles. The rock hyrax has a prominent pair of long, pointed,
tusk-like upper incisors. The soles of the feet have large, so pads that are kept moist with sweat-like
secreons. Hyrax are capable of retracng up the center poron of their feet into a concave dome, which
creates a vacuum-like sucon to solid surfaces and aides in their climbing ability.
Rock hyraxes give birth to two or three young aer a gestaon of 67 months (which is long for theirsize). The young are well developed at birth with fully opened eyes. Young can ingest solid food aer two
weeks and are weaned at ten weeks. Aer 16 months, the rock hyraxes become sexually mature, and
they reach adult size at three years
Lifestyle and Behavior
Hyraxes live in colonies of up to 80 individuals. These colonies are subdivided into smaller groups
consisng of 3 -15 related adult females, a dominant male, and several young. The dominant male
defends and watches over the group. The rock hyraxes forage for food (grass) as a group with one or
more acng as sentries from a prominent lookout posion. Adults make use of at least 21 dierent vocal
signals. The rock hyrax spends approximately 95% of its me resng. The rock hyrax has incomplete
thermoregulaon and is most acve in the morning and evening. Their acvity paern varies with season
and climate.
The closest living relaves to hyraxes are the modern day elephants.
Hyraxes are unique in that the iris slightly protrudes over the pupil of their eye. This decreases
the amount of light to the eye from above, serving as a built-in sun visor.
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Scimitar-Horned Oryx
Scienc name: Oryx dammah
Conservaon Status: Exnct in the Wild
Range: North Africa
Habitat: Barren steppes, desert and sub-
desert zones
Life Expectancy: 20 years
Physiology and Appearance
Fun Facts
Reproducon
The scimitar horned oryx is a spiral-horned antelope that stands just over 3 . at the shoulder. The males
weigh 310460lbs. and the females 200310lbs. The body measures 5594in. from the head to the base
of the tail. The tail is 1824in. long and ends with a tu. Males are larger than females. The coat is white
with a red-brown chest and brown markings on the forehead and down the length of the nose. The white
coat helps to reect the heat of the desert. The horns are long, thin, and symmetrical. They curve
backwards and can reach over 3 . on both the males and the females.
Both males and females reach sexual maturity at 1.5 -2 years of age. The estrous cycle lasts about 24
days, and scimitar horned oryx are polyestrous. Gestaon lasts about 9 months, aer which a single calf
is born, weighing 20 -33 lbs. Both mother and calf return to the main herd within hours of the birth.
Weaning starts at 3.5 months, and the young become fully independent at around 14 weeks old.
Lifestyle and Behavior
The scimitar horned oryx was a very sociable animal and traveled in herds of 2-40 individuals, generally led
by a dominant bull. This species once gathered in groups of several thousand for migraon. During the wet
season, they migrated north into the Sahara. Scimitar horned oryx are diurnal. Males ght oen, but not
for long and not violently. They ate foliage, grass, herbs, shrubs, succulent plants, legumes, juicy roots,buds, and fruit. They can survive without water for several days because their kidneys prevent water loss
from urinaon an adaptaon to desert habitats.
Because of overhunng, the last wild oryx observed was seen in the late 1980's.
Egypans used to bind the horns of oryx together to make them appear like they had one horn.
Soon their horns would grow together. This may be where the unicorn myths began.
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Serval
Scienc name: Leptailurus serval
Conservaon Status: Least Concern
Range: South of the Sahara
Habitat: Near water, open forests
Life Expectancy: 10 years (wild), 20 years
(capt)
Physiology and Appearance
Fun Facts
Reproducon
The serval is a medium-sized cat, measuring 23 -36in. in head-to-body length, with a relavely short,
7.918in. tail, and a shoulder height of about 21 -26in. Weight ranges from about 15 -26lbs. in
females, and 20 -40lbs. in males. Due to its leg length, the serval is relavely one of the tallest cats. The
head is small in relaon to the body, and the tall, oval ears are set close together. Usually, the serval is
boldly spoed black on tawny, with two or four stripes from the top of the head down the neck and back,
transioning into spots. The backs of the ears are black with a disncve white bar.
A serval is able to give birth to mulple liers throughout the year. Gestaon lasts 66-77 days and
commonly results in the birth of two kiens (liers can range from 1-4). The kiens weigh around 250
g
at birth and are inially blind and helpless, with a coat of greyish woolly hair. They open their eyes at 9 -
13 days of age, take solid food aer around a month, and acquire their permanent canine teeth at 6
months and begin to hunt for themselves. They leave their mother at about 12 months of age and reach
sexual maturity at 12-25 months of age.
Lifestyle and Behavior
Servals are nocturnal and are opportunisc hunters that prey upon small mammals. They eat very quickly,
somemes causing regurgitaon/gagging. Servals eat small prey whole, and they are very eecve at
plucking feathers from birds. With long legs, the serval reaches speeds of 50 mph and can jump 7-10 .
They can also see easily over tall grasses and have very acute hearing. They are solitary and can travel up
to 2.5 mi. a night in search of food. Males spray urine to mark their territory. The serval has a high-
pitched chirp, and can hiss, cackle, growl, grunt, purr, and meow.
The serval is an ecient killer, catching prey on an average of 50% of aempts, compared to an
average of 38% for leopards and 30% for lions.
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Slender-Tailed Meerkat
Scienc name: Suricata suricaa
Conservaon Status: Least Concern
Range: South Africa
Habitat: Desert
Life Expectancy: 10 years (wild), 15
years (capt)
Physiology and Appearance
Fun Facts
Reproducon
Meerkats are in the mongoose family and have a long body (9-14 in.) and tail (6-9 in.). Males and females
weigh about 1.6 lbs. The meerkat uses its tail to balance when standing upright. Its face comes to a point at
the nose, which is brown. The eyes have black patches around them, and they have small black crescent-
shaped ears that can close to exclude soil when digging. The Meerkats coat is fawn -colored peppered with
gray, tan, or brown with a silver nt. They have short parallel stripes across their backs, from the base of the
tail to the shoulders. The paerns of stripes are unique to each meerkat. The underside of the meerkat has no
markings, but the belly has a patch with lile hair. The meerkat uses this area to absorb heat. At the end of
each of a meerkat's "ngers" is a non-retractable, strong, 0.79in. long, curved claw used for digging.
Meerkats become sexually mature at about one year and can have 1-5 pups in a lier; wild females can have 4
liers a year and births can occur at any me in the year. Gestaon is 11 weeks and the pups are born in a burrow
and are undeveloped. Ears open at 15 days, eyes open at 10 -14 days, weaning at 49-63 days, and they emerge
from the burrow at 21 days and stay nearby. The alpha pair usually kills any young that are not their own.
Lifestyle and Behavior
Meerkats live in large underground networks with mulple entrances and leave only during the day. They are
very social, living in colonies averaging 2030 members. Most meerkats in a group are all siblings or ospring
of the alpha pair. One or more meerkats stand sentry, while others are foraging or playing, to warn them ofapproaching dangers. In addion to alarm calls, meerkats also make panic calls, recruitment calls, and moving
calls. They chirrup, trill, growl, or bark, depending on the circumstances. Meerkats also babysit the young in the
group. Meerkats are primarily insecvores but also eat other small animals. Meerkats are immune to certain
types of venom, including scorpions. They have no excess body fat stores, so foraging for food is a daily need.
A meerkat can dig through a quanty of sand equal to its own weight in just seconds.
Their underground burrows may have 20 dierent entrances and exits.
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Springbok
Scienc name: Andorcas marsupialis
Conservaon Status: Least Concern
Range: South Africa
Habitat: Dry, inland, grasslands, desert
Life Expectancy: 10 years
Physiology and Appearance
Fun Facts
Reproducon
Springboks are slender, long-necked antelopes, with a total length 59 -77in., and horns in both sexes.
Adults are 28 -35in. tall at the shoulder They weigh between 6697 lbs. for females and 73 -110lbs. for
the males. The tail is 5.9 -12in. long. Their coloring consists of a paern of white, reddish/tan and dark
brown. Their backs are tan-colored and they are white beneath, with a dark brown stripe extending along
each side from the shoulder to inside the thigh. The face is white in adults, with a dark patch on the
forehead, and a stripe running from just above the eyes to the corner of the mouth. The hooves and
horns are black, and the tail is white with a black tu at the p. Rams are slightly larger than ewes, and
have thick horns; the ewes have skinnier legs and longer, frailer horns. The horns are a similar shape in
both sexes, with a hook-like p that curves inwards, and a series of rings along their length. The average
horn length for both genders is 14in.
Springbok mate year-round; gestaon lasts 168 days and results in the birth of one calf. The young weigh
8.4 -11lbs. at birth, and are inially le under shelter while the female feeds elsewhere. Mother and calf
rejoin the herd about three to four weeks aer birth, and the young are weaned at ve to six months.
Females are sexually mature at seven months, but rarely mate during their rst year, while males are
mature at two years of age.
Lifestyle and Behavior
Springbok are mainly acve around dawn and dusk. Bachelor males and females form separate herds, and
females are lead by a dominant male. Mixed sex herds can number up to 180, but bachelor herds have
about 50 individuals. Springbok leap or pronk up to 7 . when nervous/excited. While pronking, they
repeatedly leap into the air in a parcular s-legged posture, with the back bowed and the white fan
lied. Springbok are mixed feeders, switching between grazing and browsing seasonally.
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