WILDLIFE GUIDE

WILDLIFE GUIDE FOR EAST AFRICA

I saw a storry recently on the news which got me sad and excited at the same time. It was about some residents of an estate in Nairobi's eastlands area getting scared by a wild cat. So scared by the cat they came out in numbers and the poor animal was condemed to death. They residents thought that a leopard had found its way to thier living areas and a risk to their children. The poor spotted cat was a genet cat (..)

I have decided to do a serialization same as the one with the birds to give lay information about these animals and hopefully during williams travels people will be able to appreciate these animals and the unique beauty that they bring to our planet.

Every week I will post a profile of a bird and a mammal and you are welcome to add more info as comments or places you have seen these species of our amazing planet earth. In the protection of these species vulnerable or not, we are appeasing planet earth to keep on sustaining us and future generations.

Early this week I postes a small profile of the Fish eagle.

MAMMAL OF THE DAY

African Elephant (Loxodonta africana)

Although it can hardly be confused with any other animal, it is worth noting some interesting characteristics of the earth giants. They are pretty easy to see them even on short excursions from Nairobi or any other town in Kenya. They are an awe-inspiring lot with their size especially if you bump into them even if not for the first time. The are amazing to watch at a water hole or baby elephants at orphanages like David Sheldricks orphanange in Nairobi. There are 2 types which are not greatly different; Forest elephant which is found in jungles of Mt Kenya, Aberdares and other forests. The bush which is the bigger brother is found in the savannah like while on game drives in masai mara, Tsavo, Samburu etc. The main difference is the size and number of toes on the feet.

It is different from the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus); by the african being taller and heavier. The asian one has the head being the tallest point and only has one finger-like thing at the trunk while the african has 2.

FACTS

The elephant is impressive with its social unit led by a superior Matriarch with about 10 individuals-cows and calfs. The males are kicked out upon reaching puberty and either live alone or join another boy gang. This social unit is seen for example if they are separated; they usually celebrate upon rejoining each other dance and song of trumpeting, clicking tusks, twining tunks and flapping ears.

They have exuded a high level of intelligence with impeccable memory and claimed to have the best memory of all species on the planet- and the dinosaurs at the bottom ;)

The male can grow upto 3.2m (10.5") in height and weigh about 5000kg; the female is smaller.

The average gestation of african elephant is 22 months, and has the longest gestation among all species.

Forest elephants can walk upto 500km/300 miles in search of food and water and can run at 40km/hr (25mph) and is an exemplary swimmer.

They are seen to have a concept of death; as depicted when they come across a dead one or bones, where they mourn by being quiet and very tense.

It is worth noting that it is under great danger from a) Poaching for ivory b) desertification c) Human-wildlife conflict over land.

N/B

Sport hunting of elephants is sadly legal in countries with export quotas like; Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Gabon, Cameroon, Tanzania and Namibia

Feel Free to ask question and facts about elephants. Like :

Q: "Do they have teeth or are the tusks their teeth?

A: During its lifetime, the African elephant has a succession of a total of six grinding teeth on each side of its upper and lower jaws. This is the only kind of tooth the elephant has (not counting the tusks). These teeth are very large (weighing 3.7 kg (8.1 lb)). The elephant’s teeth do not replace one another vertically, as is usually the case with mammals, but they come in successively from the back of the mouth, the group of teeth gradually moving forward. As the elephant grinds its food, its teeth are worn down. The oldest teeth, in front, become so worn down as to be of no further use. They eventually are pushed out and replaced by the teeth behind them. After the last of these teeth are worn down, the elephant will die of starvation.