Giraffe : Wildlife Southern Africa
You’ll find giraffes in South Saharan Africa. Note: in prehistoric times this single species ranged over most open areas in Africa. The giraffe range began to shrink 1400 years ago to its present size.
They like it dry: Giraffes live in the dry savannahs and open woodlands, usually associated with scattered acacia growth.
They concentrate near rivers during the dry season, but scatter widely into deciduous woodlands during the rainy season.
Just browsing: These animals are browsers, plucking leaves, buds and fruits from trees such as acacia, momosa and wild apricot.
By spreading their forelegs and extending them forwards, giraffes can collect some food (fallen fruits, grasses) from the ground. Giraffes drink only occasionally if water is available, when unavailable they can survive several weeks without drinking.
Big hearted to be sure: Giraffes, with their extremely long necks, have a higher blood pressure than any other land animal. This high pressure is needed to force blood up their long neck to their brain.To maintain the pressure, a giraffe’s heart is two feet long, weighs 25 pounds and has walls three inches thick.The tallest giraffe on record lived in a London zoo and attained a height of 20 feet.
Giraffes exhibit considerable variations in hair color and pattern, the most common being the reticulated pattern (square block pattern).
Related Travel Information
Hippo : Wildlife Southern Africa
Hippos are the most feared animals in southern Africa. Each year more people are killed by them than by all the other animals together.
Hippos weigh up to two tons and can be four metres long. Hippos are vegetarians and feed exclusively on grass.
Hippos watch strictly over their territories and threaten anybody invading it by what looks like yawning. If the invader does not withdraw, they usually attack without any further hesitation. Smaller boats are particularly at risk, because a rhino can easily topple it over, and as their front teeth are as sharp as razorblades,
Wildlife in Southern Africa
South Africa is quite justly proud of its rich natural heritage, which is being diligently protected in the many nature reserves and national parks. The country is home to more than 300 mammal species, over 500 bird species, over 100 kinds of reptiles and countless insects.
Not all the animals are easy to watch. Besides the fact that many species are night-active, season, place, wheather and, of course, luck play a part as well. To observe and photograph animals, always requires a lot of patience and also good lenses with a long focal distance.
Explore the animal
Snakes : Wildlife Southern Africa
In all areas of South Africa, there are different species of snakes, most of them harmless, but some extremely venomous.
The Cape Cobra on the right is one of the more dangerous kinds. Its bite paralyses the muscles, respiration and eventually heart failure. One can recognize the snake by its flat throat. If disturbed, it raises its upper body and takes on a threatening posture. The probability of encountering such a poisonous snake is very small, since they all, except the puffadder, quickly disappear as soon as they sense the slightest movement.
Nevertheless, one should never go for
Crocodiles : Wildlife Southern Africa
Survivors of the dinosaur age, crocodiles are found in the warmer waters of Africa, Asia, Australia, and America. Crocodiles are often confused with alligators, but you can tell them apart by the shape of their tapered snout, and by the way crocodiles' lower teeth stick out when their jaws are closed.
Crocodiles vary in size. The saltwater crocodile measures up to 10 m in length, while others are no more than 1 m long. Hunted extensively for their skins, large crocodiles are becoming increasingly rare.
Cheetah: Wildlife Southern Africa
Cheetahs are the fastest of all the land animals. They have been clocked at sprinting speeds of 114km/h. Cheetahs can bring down their prey after a short-coursing hunt, but would not be able to chase another animal to death over longer distances.
Cheetahs are known to be sight-hunters and can be watched hunting in the mornings or late afternoons. When they eventually kill their prey, they are often totally out of breath for awhile, and since they are the weakest of all the animals of prey, a bigger predator can easily snatch their prey away from them.
Cheetahs are
