Gorillas - lives in Africa. These are the largest apes. Body length of males is 180 cm, weight 250 kg or more. Females are significantly lighter and smaller than males. The body of a massive gorilla with a big belly, shoulders broad, his head is large, conical in adult males, eyes wide apart and set deeply under the brow, nose, wide nostrils are surrounded by "ridges", the upper lip, unlike chimpanzees, short, small ears, and pressed to the head, face bare, black. Gorilla hands are long, with a broad brush, the thumb is short, but can be contrasted with the others. The brush is used for gathering food, various kinds of manipulation, and for the construction of nests. Legs short, the foot with a long heel, big toe is well set aside the remaining fingers are connected to almost nail webbed phalanges. The coat is short, thick, black, adult male on the back is a silver band has a small goatee. The genus includes one species of gorilla Gorilla gorilla with subspecies: the western coast gorilla, or lowland gorillas, living in Cameroon, Gabon, Rio Muni, almost to the Congo (Brazzaville), and the eastern mountain gorilla from the mountain areas to the north and east of Lake Kivu and to the south. In addition, recently released a third subspecies - Eastern lowland gorilla from the low-lying areas upstream of the river Congo (Lualaba River) and north along Lake Tanganyika. Mountain Gorillas have hair longer and thicker than that of onshore, especially on the hands, adult males have a gray stripe on the back, face narrower and longer, shorter arms.
Behemoth - a family of artiodactyls, which contains two genera, in which there is only one species: hippopotamus hippo common and pygmy. Members of the family behemoth found only in Africa. BEGEMOT ordinary or hippopotamus, at the beginning of last century, lived in the vast territory from the lower reaches of the Nile almost to Cape Town. Now in most areas it is cut off and preserved in large numbers only in Central and East Africa, and even then mostly in national parks. The greatest number of hippos are there on the banks of Semliki - Nile and Lake Edward, in National Parks Kivu (Congo Kinshasa) and Queen Elizabeth (Uganda), where 1 km of the coast has from 50 to 200 animals, and the total number is determined in 25,000 -30,000. Very high population density and the hippos in the National Park Murchison Falls (Uganda). In hippo terete, massive body with short thick legs. The legs end in four fingers, wearing a kind of hooves and connected a small membrane. The head is almost no neck, big, heavy, and the nostrils, eyes and small ears somewhat raised and arranged in one plane, so the hippo can breathe, see and hear, staying under water. Mass of large males reaches 3000-3200 kg, body length of 400-420 cm, height at the shoulders up to 165 cm hippopotamus skin devoid of hair (only on the muzzle and the tail has wiry hair) and is rich in glands, which protect it from drying out. The secret of these glands reddish color, and abundantly released during desiccation, or overheating the animal. This is a pretty strange sight: it seems that the body of the animal flows bloody sweat.
Flamingo - a detachment of birds often included in the squad as a family of Ciconiiformes. In Africa, raspostraneno two types: ordinary, or large (in Algeria and Kenya) and small (in the south-east of the continent - Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar).
Inhabit the shallow salty lakes and lagoons. Breeding colonies numbering half a century ago in some lakes reached a million birds.
FLAMINGO LIGHT is the smallest of all modern species of flamingos. This species is unique in the way of African flamingos (Phoeniconaias). The total length of its body 80 cm color of plumage usually bright pink. He still has the upper mandible narrower than that referred to his fellows, but it has a beak down into the depth of the keel. The food is predominantly small flamingos snne-green algae and dnatomovye, so the "strainer" he developed more. It is estimated that out of the waters of Lake Nakuru (East Africa) with a 0.4 hectares per year, small flamingos removed about 2,000 tons of blue-green algae. Searching for food, the bird usually drops to the bottom of the beak, and leads them from side to side on the water surface. It breeds in eastern Equatorial Africa - on salt lakes of Kenya, Tanzania to the south and a few, as well as in Asia off the coast of the Persian Gulf and on the lake in Central Sambhor Rajasthan (India). It is believed that the alkaline lakes of Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, there are about 3 million small and red flamingos, but mostly small specimens of flamingos. English ornithologist, Leslie Brown in 1954 found a small mass nesting of flamingos in one of the alkaline waters of East Africa - at Lake Natron. "Here, in these fetid places, in scorching heat and blinding sun - L. Brown writes - Flamingos raise their chicks. . . Although the surface of the sludge is heated very strongly, at the top of the turret nest-temperature does not exceed the normal body temperature.
Order Crocodilia - a family of reptiles. In Africa, three lived. Uzkoryly Crocodile - endemic to Africa. It lives in all the major rivers of West Africa, Lake Tanganyika and the eastern mainland. Tuporyly (or pygmy) crocodile - in central Africa. Nile crocodile - on the mainland and some islands.
Crocodiles have a special position among modern reptiles, being more closely related extinct dinosaurs that survived the nearly 60 million years, and modern birds than other reptiles of our time. Several features of the organization of crocodiles, and especially the perfection of the nervous, circulatory and respiratory systems, makes them the most highly organized of all living reptiles. Evolution of the crocodiles, since the advent of this group of about 150 million years ago, went in the direction of increasing adaptation to aquatic life, and predation. The fact that crocodiles have survived to our time, is often explained by their life in a variety of freshwater tropical and subtropical zones, ie in places where conditions have changed little since the appearance of crocodiles.
The general form of the body, crocodile yascheritseobraznaya. They are characterized by long, laterally compressed, high tail, webbed toes of the hind limbs, a long snout and flattened in a dorsoventrally head. The front legs of the five fingers on the back - four (no pinky). The nostrils are located on the front end of the muzzle and eyes raised and placed on the upper side of the head that allows you to keep crocodiles in the water with its surface exposed to air only the eyes and nostrils. External auditory aperture closed movable flaps that protect the eardrum from mechanical damage when immersed in water. The body, tail and legs are covered with large crocodiles regularly shaped horny plates, placed on the back and abdomen straight rows.
King Cobra is the most aggressive of all the cobras. But most likely due to the aggressiveness of concern for their future offspring, it was during the incubation of eggs, king cobra pounce on anyone who was not careful to pass her nest. This is a beautiful snake, and it is not easy to find. Top of the king cobra yellow-olive, with a pattern of black rings and diffuse staining. The bottom of the snake light. The length of an adult can reach 5 meters, but most of their "growth" is 3 - 4 meters. King cobra sheds 4 to 6 times a year. It sheds its old skin as it grows, and grows Cobra all my life, about 30 cm per year. Finding a hard surface, squirming snake and izvorachivayas, throws off the old one. Her skin is dry and tough, covered with rather large scales. In the attack, or defense, king cobra raises the front part of the body and extends the neck, spreading to the neck of the rib. This is the hood of a cobra, decorated with a pattern resembling spectacles. King Cobra hisses, warning: I may bite. Her sharp and dangerous teeth are in front of the mouth. She singles out the poison when biting, by clicking on a poisonous gland, hidden in the muscles. But generally, king cobra crawls from person to avoid contact with him. Live the king cobra in the tropical forests of South and Southeast Asia. They hide in the tall grass, the fallen trees and among stones. Often, a cobra can be found near the pond. King cobras are good swimmers, expertly and deftly climb the trees. They feed on rodents and other snakes. This is a smart and thrifty animals.
During mating season, males attract females with a smell.
SsistematikaSemeystvo Cape hunting has in its composition of all four species (spotted hyena Crocuta, two types of striped hyenas Hyaena and aardwolf Proteles). Cape hunting for the first time appear in the Miocene (about 20 million years ago) in Africa. They subsequently spread to South-West Asia to India, and live only in Asia, striped hyena, and aardwolf and spotted hyenas and have stayed within their Miocene rodiny.Po appearance Cape hunting like wolves, and his memorable silhouette, probably selektsilnerov ssozdanie inspired by a very popular breed of dog. However, with the wolf hyenas are more distantly related than with cat. They belong to the group "feloidnyh" (ie close to the cat) of prey, which are closest to the Mongoose! How byloEsli try to trace the evolution of prey, it turns out that the trunk feloidny prey initially divided into two parts: the civet cat with one hand and Cape hunting with the Mongoose - on the other. Cape hunting can be divided into two lines of specialization: the actual hyenas - carrion-known and a good hunter, and an earthen Wolf - Rain of insects and other small bespozvonochnyh.Rod zanyatiySobstvenno hyenas are known for their ability to divide and devour large bones - they are primarily scavengers, though (especially spotty) may prey. Hyenas are so completely digest the food that their droppings contain almost no organic matter. They play an important role of the "waste heat" of the bone material of dead animals, being almost the only of its customers. In any case, among the wolves mlekopitayuschih.U ground rather peculiar dentition: the teeth are fairly simple, in the form of small pins, sitting in the jaws are very rare, which is associated with a specialization in feeding the beast small invertebrates, primarily termites and insect larvae, which he digs from the earth.
AFRICAN SNAKE EGG, the only kind of sort of the same name of this subfamily of snakes, is characterized by a peculiar way of food, left a deep imprint on the entire organization of the non-poisonous snakes. Paint the egg snake modest: the upper side of the body sandy-yellow or brown, one-color or pattern of longitudinal dark stripes or spots, sometimes coalescing into a zigzag or a rhombic strip along the ridge. A small head is slightly separated from the neck, face convex, rounded in front. The eyes are large, with vertically elliptical pupils. Scales of the body are oblique rows and have pronounced ridges. The body length of 75-80 African snake egg see these snakes are common in the South and Equatorial Africa, penetrating as far north as the Sahara and the southwestern part of the Arabian Peninsula.
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African egg snake eats birds eggs. Their weak teeth are not designed for grasping and holding prey. But the mouth is stretched, which makes it possible to swallow the size of a hen's egg, although the snake size does not exceed the length of 80 cm With the passage of a large egg scales on the throat apart, revealing an elastic skin. The lower spinous processes of the anterior vertebral body (gipapofizy) are directed forward, and so long that pierce the wall of the esophagus and the upper ends of the face in its lumen. These processes constitute the so-called 'egg saw "- a special apparatus for the destruction of the egg shell. The liquid contents of the eggs cut easily slips through the back, the narrowed portion of the esophagus to the stomach, a broken shell of a lump is ejected through the mouth. This is another difference from other snake egg yaytseyadnyh reptiles, which are either passed through the shell of unpalatable digestive tract, or it is dissolved by gastric juice. In some periods, the eggs of birds are rare, so the snake egg accumulate fat in the months when the egg is enough in nature, and slowly consume it in times of famine.
African buffalo, ruminant mammal of the subfamily of bulls, the only species of the genus Syncerus; most powerful of modern wild bulls.
African buffalo differs powerful body, low muscular legs, strong neck, dull, small, low-set head. Horn close together and form a broad base on the forehead solid armor. Widely diverging to the sides and bottom, then the horns and then climb up and slightly bent inwards with sharp smooth ends. The distances between the ends of the horns sometimes reach a meter. Although the size of the African buffalo gives Indian, but exceeds it in mass, old males may reach a weight of 1200 kg. The body is covered with buffalo afriknskogo sparse coarse hair, which almost cover the dark brown or black leather.
Inside are three types of subspecies. The largest of them lives in Eastern and Southern Africa. Smaller and korotkorogy subspecies occupies the range from Senegal to the middle reaches of the Nile. And in the forests of the Congo Basin and the Gulf of Guinea third subspecies lives - red bull.
The African buffalo has mastered a variety of landscapes, from tropical forest to arid savanna. He climbs into the mountains to a height of three thousand feet, but everywhere is kept near the water. Buffalo avoids cultivated agricultural land and, despite extensive habitat, it is stored mostly in national parks and sanctuaries. The largest herd of buffalo, numbering several hundred animals in the national park Lake Manyara (Tanzania).
Camel - a large mammal of the family of the order Artiodactyla suborder camelids mozolenogih a desert habitat, which is divisible into two types: Bactrian (or two-humped camel) and Dromedar (dromedary). Camels and that, and other types of more than 5000 years are domesticated and are used primarily as pack and draft animals.
In the mountains and areas with a humid climate camels can not exist. In the process of evolution in camels developed a number of adaptations to the conditions of the deserts and dry steppes. Camels feed on such plants of the desert, which are poorly or not at all drugumi eat animals; content with less water and can drink salt water. In contrast to other ruminants, camels are in the upper jaw two incisors.
Parts of the body camel in contact with the ground while lying down, are provided with horny formations, camels have a chest, wrist, elbow calluses and laptop. Thanks to the camels are able to go on a hot (70 ° C) soil. Both legs of each foot, camel small quantities. Camels are based on a broad soft paw, making it easier to walk on the sand.
Weight of an adult animal ranges 500-800 kg, life expectancy - from 30 to 50 years.
Camels live in Central Asia. There are also from Asia Minor to Manchuria. Dromedary can be found in North Africa, where they are common as pets, as well as the Middle East up to India.
This is the most beautiful and agile animal, the fastest runner on earth, who, pursuing prey, while able to run at a speed of 120 km / h His name is cheetah. Translated cheetah means "sobakakoshka." So it is. This cat does not look like a cat. Body is more like a wolf, only spotty skin, but face like a cat. He did not even roars like a tiger or a lion, but only a yelp, just like a dog.
African cheetah is born with a mane on his head, but eventually it disappears. The black tear stripes extend it from the eyes to the upper jaw, and from this it seems that something is very saddened by the cheetah. At first glance, the cheetah looks very clumsy - caved back, wasp waist, slim legs, but as soon as he started running, it becomes the embodiment of graceful swiftness. Claws of the cheetah is not drawn, they are helping to change direction when running in no time. He preys on the antelope. Always one jump knocked the victim and kills her, bitten through his throat. Cheetah never eats carrion. After eating their fill of freshly killed prey, he leaves the carcass of birds and dragons. In contrast to the lions, he does not guard it until the next afternoon, and he left, he is never returned. Cheetahs - lone hunters. Only occasionally they hunt in pairs or family groups.
The cheetah can jump from place to as many as eight feet. At short distances it is easily overtakes racehorse. In ancient times the rulers of India, and Assyria, a specially arranged match cheetahs. This was considered a truly royal entertainment.
Elephants have always evoked, cause and will cause an increased interest in people. Their huge size, power and strength inspire fear and respect. Elephants occupy the second position in the ranking of the largest mammals in the world. Let me remind you that the first place is deservedly got the blue whale.
In turn, the largest representative of the African savanna slonoobraznyh is an elephant, whose body length of up to 6-7.5 meters and the height at the shoulders of 2.5-3.5 meters.
In the world there are only 3 types of elephants, two of which belong to the genus African elephants (the savanna and forest elephants), and 1 - for the Asian (Indian elephant). African elephant habitat is quite extensive - it is the whole area, located south of the Sahara desert. But he has some fragmentation caused by a strong decrease in the number of these animals since the XIX century. For example, the savannah elephants are no longer seen on the territory of The Gambia, Burundi and Mauritania. For the most part they are found only in national parks and reserves, which are safe.
They are found on all areas, regardless of terrain. What matters is that there was enough food, water and shade, saving these animals from overheating.
African elephants are larger than the Indian.
Wildebeest - large African cloven-hoofed animals, which belongs to the family bovids. Along with the wildebeest, belong to this family other antelopes, cattle, goats. So that our neighbors have not graceful antelope. Wildebeest are of two kinds - blue and white-tailed. Both species are listed as endangered.
Wildebeest looks really shine. At the withers, this antelope sometimes reaches five feet, weighs 250 pounds. Wool blue wildebeest (one of the most common species of antelope), bluish-gray, smooth. Boca animals adorn the dark transverse stripes, black mane. The tail is blue wildebeest is very similar to a horse - a thick and long, he also has a black color.Disproportionately long, powerful head of an antelope crowned two sharp curved horns sometimes reach 80 centimeters in length. Hard forehead smoothly into a wide solid nose.Such a prominent black nose would envy is not a mountaineer! Croup horse, broad sternum strong - like a bull or a bison. A strange animal, wildebeest yet - the owners of long, slender and very strong legs. During migration, these legs can carry its possessor to savannas or a dozen miles!
Most of the wildebeest, huge herds of surviving live in African national park. Proud of his livestock wildebeest is one of the largest national parks of East Africa - the Serengeti. On the vast plains graze here for about 300,000 wildebeest. But in the Ngorongoro Crater total number of ungulates is about 14 000 individuals.
Leo is widely rassprostranenny in savannas of Africa. Gives preference to the open landscape, trying to avoid the dense forest.
The body length with a tail of 3 meters and weigh up to 250 pounds.
Preys mainly on zebras, bulls, antelope and other ungulates. In trying to fill up the throw to the ground to catch prey. Claws of the lion are arranged so as with all cats, so the more the victim is, the more they dig into her body.
Lions keep "Pride" is when some females with offspring living together with one or two males.They hunt mostly females and a male role - protecting the territory from attack other predators.
Lioness gives 2.3 cub. Females remain in the pride, and males will soon have to leave out.
In the main male pride. He was always the first to receive its share of production, no matter that it was not he killed an antelope and zebra.
Only males have a mane. The loud roar of the male - a territorial call, which animals represent their presence. Lions live from ten to fourteen years in the wild and in captivity they can live more than twenty years.
In Africa, there are two types of rhinos in black and white. Black rhinos have suffered the sharpest decline in the last 20 years. Black rhinos in the wild, there are only about 4000, though the heroic efforts being made to increase their numbers. White rhinos more than blacks, about 17,000, but almost all of them are concentrated in the South Afrike.A actually rhinos in color or black and white or gray in color they are. Black rhinos tend to live by one, while the white, live in groups. Black rhinos live in the savanna where a lot of shrubs and tropical plants because they eat the leaves of shrubs and small trees shoots. White rhinos also live in the savannah, but they are herbivores. Rhinos can be distinguished on the lips, the lips black rhino tenacious designed to break off the leaves from the bushes. The White Rhinoceros also has a long, flat lips like livestock (eg cows), with which he can easily pull out the grass.
Rhinos are one of the largest mammals on Earth (the second largest after the elephant). Adult white rhino can weigh up to 3 tons! Rhinos is really short-sighted, but at close range perfectly see. Unfortunately, rhinos, and not so much, and is associated with poaching.
Zebras are on the mind of the horse. Vosnovnom zebras live on the plains. Zebra exclusively herbivorous animal, and can eat about 50 different types of three species of zebras trav.Est Burchell zebra, Grevy's zebra and mountain zebra. Zebra is easily recognized by its stripes. For example Burchell Zebras are colored with large black and white stripes, which are located diagonally across the back and belly up to the hoof. The mane is painted vertically in line with the neck. A tail of a zebra striped with a dark brush on the end. Each individual zebra stripes as fingerprints in humans.
Grevy's zebras that the braid then they have a narrow strip of what is conditioned by them more closely. These horizontal stripes of zebras on the hips and shoulders, and neck and legs in a slightly inclined vertical bands. The legs of these animals are short and thin.
Representatives from Mountain zebras have stripes zebra stripes wider Grevy, and legs are longer.
Zebra, although considered a nervous animal can be a very sociable animals and usually meets with representatives of herbivorous race. Naprmer it can be giraffes, antelope, wildebeest, buffalo, or. Zebra can often be seen in herds of these animals.
Male zebras can weigh up to 300 pounds and have a shoulder height of about 50 inches, females of these animals a little less. Zebras can live up to 30 years, but in the wild, the figure is about 12 years due to predators.
Ostrich is the largest bird of all birds present on our planet. One drawback of this bird that it can not letatet. But the ostrich compensates for its strong and long legs, with the help of which can reach speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour. Ostrich - a massive bird. At the height it can reach 3 meters and weight is rarely up to 150 pounds.
Ostriches live in the open mentions in savannas, where the soil rozzharivaetsya from the hot sun and it becomes very hard. Under these conditions, the ostrich has a small, firm area of support. At the feet of these animals, two front and one rear toe. With these conditions ostrich keeps the balance and well-developed high speed.
Ostriches are very dangerous bird. One kick, they can greatly cripple a person. Vosnovnom ostriches live in mixed communities of 5 to 50, but there are also ostriches single.
The nest of ostrich - a small hole in the ground. It debugs 6.8 eggs female. Couple sitting on the nest at a time.
And when strausyata are born, the parents of a few months to go brood, protecting babies from danger
With an average altitude of about 5 feet, the giraffe is the highest land in the whole animal kingdom. In the wild, these animals can live to 25 years.
Describing the giraffe and its long legs, long neck, and mottled coloration, many people initially thought it was the animal is a mixture of camel and a leopard. But it is not so.
Giraffes live mainly in the savanna to the south blezhe
Sub-Saharan Africa. Because of their great height they can eat leaves and shoots are located much higher than those to which access may be other animals. Giraffes love acacia. Long tongue of the animal is very useful in food, because it helps the giraffe to pluck leaves from trees. The giraffe is very eats a lot. Therefore, an adult individual mozhnt to eat 45 pounds of leaves per day.
The male of this animal is taller and heavier than the female.Both sexes have the head covered with leather
horns, called the "neck" at the top of the head.
"Necks" and smaller females, and have a small bunch of top wool, while the males 'neck' on the bald the top. These horns are designed to protect the head when male giraffes in the fight, when they beat and swings each other's heads.
Phi movement giraffes move both left legs, then both feet, and then right as oe. This step makes the Giraffe is unique. Giraffes can reach speeds of 55 kilometers per hour.
