Grazers and Browsers

Hippos are now only found in scattered pockets across eastern Sub-Saharan Africa, in countries popular for good quality safaris, such as Tanzania ad Kenya. They are the third largest land mammal in the world, weighing in a whopping 3.5 tonnes, and are around 5ft tall and have a length of 13ft. They have very long life-spans of 50 years. Hippos are dependent on river and swampland habitats as they are unable to sweat and thus have to rely on bathing in water to cool themselves down. This is why they are always found exclusively in such habitats. The gestation period is around 8 months, [...]

Another popular animal synonymous with Africa, the Giraffe is famous for its bizarre physical attributes, particularly its very long neck and its black spotted coat on a sand coloured background. They are also the largest land mammal on Earth. Giraffes inhabit areas as diverse as dense forests to open plains. They are not particularly picky as they can survive without water and only drink water where it is available. Because of this ability to go without water they are even found in arid deserts and have a large population distribution all across Sub-Saharan Africa. Giraffes are also hardy because they eat a wide range [...]

If you thought Wildebeest migrate impressive distances in the constant search for grass lands, they pale in comparison to the Zebra, who regularly migrate up to 1,800 miles annually. Famous for its vertical black stripes thought to disorientate their predators - which include Lions, cheetahs, dogs, hyenas and leopards -the Zebra are found throughout the grasslands and savannahs of much of southern Africa, however numbers are dwindling due to hunting and a loss of their natural habitat. Nevertheless they are found in decent populations in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Kenya. After a gestation period of 13 months, Zebra numbering in [...]

Wildebeest are also on the “Big 5” list, and tourists on safari often come to see their great migrations across the plains of Africa. They continuously migrate and live a nomadic type lifestyle on the search for decent quality grass and water supplies. Therefore it should come as no surprise that their habitat is exclusively open plains or open woodlands. They are powerful animals who regularly weigh in at 265-600 lb and with a height of 50 to 58 inches at the shoulder. They also have curved horns and a large box-like head which is their sole weapon of self-defence against their numerous predators, [...]

The third-largest land mammal in the world, the Rhino is in the “Big 5”, synonymous with Africa along with the Lion, Elephant, Buffalo and Leopard. They are often on “must-see” lists of those who are on a safari. Rhinos come in two types of sub-species, the critically endangered Black Rhino which is now extremely rare in the wild, and the more common and less endangered White Rhino. Sadly all species of Rhino are endangered to one degree or another due to the demand for ivory on the black-market and in East Asia. The White Rhino is found mainly in South Africa, particularly in Krueger [...]