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Elephant: African elephants are distinguished from Asian elephants in several ways. The most noticeable difference is the ears. Africans' ears are much larger and are shaped like the continent of their origin. The African elephant is typically larger than the Asian and has a concave back. Both males and females have external tusks and are usually less hairy than their Asian cousins.
Zebra: Zebras are either white with black stripes, or black with white stripes.These stripes are typically vertical on the head, neck, forequarters, and main body, with horizontal stripes at the rear and on the legs of the animal. The zebra crossing is named after the zebra's white on black stripes.
Wildebeest, also called the Gnu: The seasonal nature of the African grasslands forces wildebeest to make annual migrations. The main migration is in May, when around 1.5 million animals move from the plains to the woods; they return in November as summer rains water the plains.
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White Rhino: The name White Rhino originated in South Africa where the Afrikaans language developed from the Dutch language. The Afrikaans word "wyd" (derived from the Dutch word "wijd"), which means "wide", referred to the width of the Rhinoceros mouth. Early English settlers in South Africa misinterpreted the "wyd" for "white". So the rhino with the wide mouth ended up being called the White Rhino and the other one, with the narrow pointed mouth, was called the Black Rhinoceros. The wide mouth was adapted to cropping large swaths of grass, while the narrow mouth was adapted to eating leaves on bushes. A White Rhino's skin colour is quite similar to that of the Black Rhino. An alternative common name for the white rhinoceros, more accurate but rarely used, is the square-lipped rhinoceros.
Crocodiles: are ambush hunters, waiting for fish or land animals to come close, then rushing out to attack. As cold-blooded predators, they can survive long periods without food, and rarely need to actively go hunting. The crocodile's bite strength is up to 3,000 pounds per square inch, comparing to just 100 psi for a labrador retriever or 350 psi for a large shark. Despite their slow appearance, crocodiles are the top predators in their environment, and various species have been observed attacking and killing big cats like lions
Dung Beetles: Many dung beetles, known as rollers, are noted for rolling dung into spherical balls, which are used as a food source or brooding chambers.
Giraffe: The giraffe browses on the twigs of trees and can live without inconvenience on other vegetable food. A giraffe can eat 63 kg (140 lb) of leaves and twigs daily. The pace of the giraffe is an amble, though when pursued it can run extremely fast. It can not sustain a lengthened chase. Its leg length compels an unusual gait with the left legs moving together followed by right (similar to pacing) at low speed, and the back legs crossing outside the front at high speed. The giraffe defends itself against threats by kicking with great force. A single well-placed kick of an adult giraffe can shatter a lion's skull or break its spine.
Kudu: Kudu's are about a metre to a metre and a half tall at the shoulder and weigh 130 to 300 kilograms, the males being much larger than the females. Kudu's have brown to grey-blue coats with many white stripes and markings. There is a crest on the neck and shoulders and a mane along the throat. The males have horns with up to three twists which can reach 1.8 metres.
To find out about wildlife that has not been mentioned, GO HERE!
LINKS TO PHOTO'S
Photos from Bulawayo
Here you will find photos from our time in Bulawayo.
Photos of Victoria Falls
The local Batonga people had known about Mosi-Oa-Tunya for many years, but it was after David Livingstone "discovered" them that people from all over the world travelled to Rhodesia to see the stunning attraction.
Photos of People and Places
From the Eastern Highlands, Kariba and Umtali to Plumtree, Serowe (Botswana) and Durban (RSA). Trip from Capetown to Southhampton with Pendennis Castle 1976.
