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Africa

Photos from Kenya and Tanzania
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HITCH-HIKER
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HITCH-HIKER

While this young elephant grazes in the swampy marsh, it attracts a hitch-hiker. There are several species of birds that will rid the elephants of bugs while snagging a ride through the water.

African Elephantelephant

  • Zebras communicate with each other with high-pitched barks and whinnying. A zebras ears communicate their mood. When a zebra is in a calm, tense or friendly, its ears stand erect. When it is frightened, its ears are pushed forward. When angry, the ears are pulled backward.
  • Zebra herds have to constantly be on the lookout for food. They are a nomadic species that follows the seasons and eat what they can. As a nomadic creature, they do not have specific territories.
  • After a 22 month gestation, the female elephant finally gives birth to a 100 kg calf. Females normally give birth every 5 years. The calves can almost immediately walk, but they are dependent on their mother for a few years after birth. The mating system of the African bush elephant is known as androgynous.l This type of mating includes females and males both pairing with several others at one time.
  • HITCH-HIKER
  • The young zebras are born with fuzzy, soft fur. Their legs are almost as long as an adult zebra's. The foals can walk just 20 minutes after birth and they can run after an hour. This is critical so they can stay with the herd to find food and water and for protection.
  • This elephant has two tusks pointing in opposite directions. Perhaps it was in a fight during its formative years when the tusk became pointed in the wrong direction. We did not notice and negative results of this odd set-up but it does make for an interesting profile.
  • The African elephant's social status is set by its sex. Females and calves typically travel in herds. Males are normally independent, and prior to sexual maturity, it will leave the herd, while most females will remain in the herd for life. Herds consist of 6-70 members and are typically lead by a matriarch.
  • A zebra's life span in the wild is approximately 25 years. This is amazing since it is constantly in a battle with hunger and the countless threat posed by the local wildlife.
  • The mane of male lions starts growing when they are about one year old. Main color varies, and darkens with age. Research indicates that environmental factors such as average ambient temperatures influence the mane's color and size. The rule of thumb is the darker and fuller the mane, the healthier the lion. This lions was very heathy!
  • This young male lion has a very short and disorganized main. It is thought that the main purpose of the mane is to protect the lion's neck and throat in territorial fights with rivals.
  • For African elephants, mating happens when the female becomes receptive, which can happen at any time of the year. When she is ready, she starts emitting infrasounds to attract the mails, sometimes from kilometers away. The males arrive and begin fighting until the female shows her acceptance of the victor by rubbing her body against his. They mate, then both go on their way.
  • African elephants have tusks that can grow up to eleven feet in length. They use the tusks for digging, fighting, marking and feeding, and can lift objects up to 400 pounds.
  • The African elephant is herbivorous. Its diet varies according to its habitat; elephants living in forests, partial deserts, and grasslands all eat different proportions of herbs and tree or shrubbery leave. To break down the plants that it consumes, it has four large molars and each of these molars is approximately 4 inches wide and 12 inches long. This species typically ingests and average of 500 pounds of vegetable matter daily.
  • AN ELEPHANT'S BEST FRIEND
  • In addition to poaching, elephants are facing many difficult factors. They are losing their habitats--and ancient migratory routes--due to expanding human settlements, plantation development and the construction of infrastructure such as roads, canals and pipelines.
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