Unusual

Pangolins are an interesting African animal, native to around fifteen African nations. Similar in appearance to an Armadillo, Pangolins have a series of scales which act as a deterrent for attacks and aid in its protection. The Pangolin finds its home as far north as Chad and Sudan and stretches down through eastern African nations such as Kenya, Tanzania, parts of Malawi, Mozambique, Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. They prefer dense forest and forested savannas for their natural homes. Typically solitary, they will only meet to mate. In parts of the world, including in Africa, it’s believed that Pangolin scales can be [...]

Sometimes referred to as the red meerkat, this mongoose tends to be around 20 inches in length and gets up to a weight of only around one pound. They are typically found only in the very southern countries of the African continent, including South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia. Listed as a mongoose of least mongoose concern, their diet typically consists of eggs, bugs, other small mammals as well as lizards and snakes. They are known to live with other species of small burrowing animals including Cape Ground Squirrels and Suricates, all of whom work to maintain the burrow, even adding additional tunnels [...]

This small mammal is native to more than six African countries and is found in parts of the DRC as well as through Tanzania, parts of Uganda, Malawi and Mozambique. They prefer closed canopy woodlands and thickets where the flooring would be densely covered by leaf litter. There are a variety of Elephant Shrews found throughout the regions, with some larger and smaller shrews being native to the different regions in the area that are known to have shrew populations. The typical Elephant Shrew is usually no more than 9-12 inches long and only around 1.5 pounds in weight. They typically live on insects [...]

The Western African Crocodile is often confused with the larger and more aggressive Nile Crocodile. While the two are distant cousins, there are variations worth denoting between these two species of crocodiles. The Western African Crocodile actually became the topic of numerous studies by specialists which determined that it’s more akin to the crocodiles found in Asian countries, and has the most in common with the Philippine crocodile and the closest relative to the Nile Crocodile is the crocodiles found in the Americas. The West African crocodile inhabits much of the western and central regions of Africa, ranging from South Sudan and Uganda, and [...]

Despite the name Nile Crocodile, this species reaches as far west as The Gambia and as far east as Tanzania, Somalia and even the west coast of Madagascar. This widely known crocodile throughout the continent is one of the main predators for many different types of animals. Even very swift prey can fall victim to this crocodile, and its bite is nearly impossible to loosen. It can even hold large prey underwater, waiting for it to drown. It is not uncommon for the crocodile to wait days or even weeks for the perfect moment to strike. Relatively social animals, the Nile Crocodile will be [...]

Warthogs are widely found throughout eastern Africa in countries such as Tanzania, Malawi, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, parts of South Sudan, parts of Somalia, Ethiopia, South Africa and Zambia. Typically the predators of the Warthog include humans, lions, hyenas, crocodiles and leopards. They tend to prefer flatter areas of savannah, and can live without water for long periods of time. Their primary diet consists of earthworms, grubs, bugs and grasses. They will even get down to grass level in order to consume shorter grasses. They also eat some types of bulbs. Warthogs will typically find holes dug by other animals to make their den or [...]

The hedgehog has a wide reach of habitat, stretching across the main belt of vegetation from Western Africa all the way to Eastern Africa and then south to Kenya and Tanzania, Malawi and some parts of western Mozambique. They are hardy animals, living in a number of terrains and climates but prefer higher, dry ground with lots of potential to find invertebrates and insects for food. Hedgehogs are quite prominent in suburban parts of Nairobi, which appears to be the perfect habitat for them. The average size of a hedgehog is 7-9 inches in length and about 1-2 pounds in weight. The average hedgehog [...]

Bush pigs can be incredibly dangerous, using their tusks when threatened, especially when it has young. Known to raid through farmers crops on the hunt for food, their diet primarily consists of roots, seeds, insects and carrion. Their numbers have been reported to be on the rise in places where their natural predators have been taken away through deforestation or hunting. The Bush Pig is found throughout central and eastern regions of Africa, being as far as Somalia, the DR Congo, all the way down through neighbouring regions to as far south as KwaZulu Natal in South Africa. A social animal, the Bush Pig [...]

Aardvark comes from a word literally meaning “earth-pig”. The Aardvark is found throughout the African continent primarily south of the Sahara region. It can be found in some of the more northern countries with access to the Sahara such as Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Sudan. From these regions, the Aardvark is common throughout the rest of the central and southern regions of the continent. The main food of the Aardvark includes termites and other bugs. Their predators include humans, hyenas, leopards, lions, and some types of pythons. They prefer soil they can dig in, and are usually found around savannah type grassland where the [...]

The porcupine is nature’s shield, with their dozens of long, prickly spines acting as its first line of defense. Their stretch of habitation reaches from throughout Italy, along the northern coast of Africa through Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco and then from the countries of West Africa such as The Gambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Central African Republic, parts of DR Congo into eastern Africa, namely Tanzania and Ethiopia. The typical habitat of the porcupine includes higher, rocky areas with hills are its favourites and it has even been found on Mount Kilimanjaro at heights in excess of 11,000 feet. The [...]