Puff Adder Facts

Latin Name: Bitis arietans

Length: Up to 1 m.

Lifespan: Average 13 years.

Distribution: Found throughout Africa except for desert regions and mountaintops.

Food: Rats, mice, other small mammals, birds, frogs, toads and other snakes.

Reproduction:
Puff Adders are viviparous (give birth to live young), giving birth to 16 – 40 young, which are born in the late summer. The young are highly venomous upon hatching and are capable of inflicting a serious bite.
The Puff Adder holds the record for giving birth to the most amount young by any snake, 156!

Venom:
Their venom is Cytotoxic and highly dangerous. Once the venom enters the body, the body sends plasma (white blood cells) to the site of the bite to try and dilute the venom. With the venom being so potent, excess amounts of plasma sent cause the body tissues to swell up to the degree where the veins are compressed tightly up against the skin, resulting in loss of blood circulation. The area that swells up will often turns to a blackish-blue color with there being a lack of blood.
If not treated promptly, often amputations may necessary after about 4 hours.

Notes:
The Puff Adder is responsible for most of the serious snakebite incidents in Africa as it is the most common widespread venomous snake on the continent and often does not move when approached resulting in many people being bitten.
It is a rather sluggish moving snake but can strike very rapidly. From a coiled position too striking and then returning back to a coiled position takes just 0,24 of a second!
When approached they will often hiss and puff, hence the name “Puff Adder”.

Most Dangerous Snake in Africa

What is the most dangerous snake in Africa?

There is no 100% correct answer. Some people say it’s the Black Mamba. In world rankings it rates at No. 42 for the world’s most dangerous snakes. It is a fast striking and moving snake, reaching a top speed of 20km/h. It won’t hesitate to bite and the venom (neurotoxic) is capable of killing a person within 1 hour. If you are allergic to bees, the bite from a Black Mamba can kill you in as short a time as 20 minutes! There are very few incidents of Black Mamba bites throughout Africa every year.

The Puff Adder is also said to be the most dangerous snake in Africa. The reason is they are found throughout Africa and are responsible for the most lethal snakebites every year. Most snakes will move away out of sight if you walk to close to them.
The Puff Adder normally doesn’t move and is often stood on, often resulting in a bite.

The Boom Slang is said to be the most dangerous snake as well. The venom of a Boom Slang is haemotoxic. The venom affects the body’s natural blood clotting mechanism resulting in the bleeding of the internal organs. Sometimes it can take as long as 12 hours before the symptoms of the venom can be felt or seen.
The Boom Slang is a back fanged snake, (fangs at the back of the jaws) which is very misleading, as many people believe that it can only bite you on the hands or feet. This snake is capable of opening its mouth to an angle of 170, so it can grab hold of you just about anywhere.
Fortunately the Boom Slang is quite a placid snake and one would really have to irritate or hurt it to make it bite.

The most dangerous animal in Africa

Statistics show that the Hippo kills the most people in Africa every year with exception to the mosquito. I don't believe that these statistics are very accurate as the Crocodile also takes many lives every year.
The Hippo is 99.99% a herbivore so after killing a person they just leave the body and go back into the water. A Crocodile will normally eat whatever it kills.
Here are two examples:

David goes down to the river to do some washing and in the process he gets killed by a Hippo. The evidence is very clear that a Hippo killed him as the hippo’s footprints may be visible and the bite marks on David’s body are also clear, so another death is marked off for that year.

David goes down to river to do some washing in doing so gets killed and eaten by a Crocodile. No one saw what happened, all they know is that he is missing.

So it is impossible to say who kills more people, it could be either Hippo or Crocodile. I think it’s the Crocodile.

Animal Collective Names

Here's a list of the collective nouns for some of the African animals:

Baboons – Troop
Badgers – Cete
Bats – Cloud
Buffaloes – Obstinacy
Cheetahs – Coalition
Crocodiles – Bask
Elephants – Parade or Memory
Giraffes – Journey
Hippos – Raft or Pod
Hyenas – Clan
Leopards – Leap
Lions – Pride
Monkeys – Shrewdness
Owls – Parliament
Porcupines – Prickle
Rhinos - Crash
Zebras – Dazzle

Spotted Hyena Facts

Latin Name: Crocuta crocuta

Weight: Males 50 – 60 kg, females 60 – 70kg.

Lifespan:
Both males and females live 20 to 25 years in the wild. In captivity the spotted hyena can live as long as 40 years.

Sexual differentiation:
At one stage the spotted hyena was actually classified as a hermaphrodite (to have both male and female genitals).

The females have higher levels of testosterone than the males do, resulting in them being larger. They are also more aggressive. At a glance one could easily mistake a female for a male, as the genitals of both the sexes are very similar in appearance. The female has an enlarged clitoris, which she can erect at will, she also has a fake scrotum that looks similar to that of the male’s scrotum.

Social grouping:
Within a group of hyenas there are predominately more females than males. The males have a loose association with the group, often roaming alone or with other males.

Group sizes vary considerably from area to area. Large clans of spotted hyena may have as many as 70 – 80 related individuals. The females being larger than the males, dominate with a definite hierarchy between the females.
The alpha female (matriarch) is normally the oldest and most experienced member of the clan, her young are of a high ranking at birth and often take over the leadership of the clan, if old enough and should the matriarch die.

Reproduction:
Females looking to mate, seek males from neighbouring clans to mate with, thus reducing the chances of any inbreeding.
After a gestation of about 120 days the female gives birth to 1 or 2 cubs which are hidden in old abandoned aardvark (antbear) burrows. The cubs, if of the same sex will often try to kill each other, otherwise known as siblicide. This allows only the stronger and more dominant cubs to survive. Single cubs also get more food and thus develop a lot faster. The cubs are totally black in colour, gradually getting lighter and developing spots as they mature.
The cubs may suckle for more than a year but are normally weaned by 4 months.
They reach sexual maturity by 3 years of age.

Diet and Feeding:
Although hyenas scavenge off other predators such as lion, leopard, cheetah and wild dogs, they are in actual fact superb hunters.
Instead of speed, spotted hyenas rely more on stamina and as a group they take turns in running after their prey over long distances, until the point when the animal exhausts itself and can’t run fast anymore.
The hyena then grabs hold of the prey with its powerful jaws, often tearing chunks of flesh off, resulting in the animal dying from loss of blood and shock.

Bones are no problem for the hyenas jaws to chew though and make a meal there of.

Habits and Territoriality:
The sizes of spotted hyena territories vary considerably, from as little as 30 square kilometres to 800 + square kilometres. Factors that influence the territory size are the availability of food and water as well as pressure from neighbouring rival clans.

Territory boundaries are marked by scent glands from the hyena’s anal region. When scent-marking the spotted hyena bends its hind legs slightly while walking and then smears a thick paste-like substance onto the grass and sticks.

Encounters between rival clans often start with an increase in scent-marking and vocalisations such as whooping. Vocalising acts as a warning signal to the rivals to move out of the area as well as attracting the attention of the other resident clan members to make them aware of the intruding hyenas.

If the all warnings are ignored, a battle between the two clans may begin, often resulting in serious injuries or even deaths.

Quick Facts:
-Statistically, Spotted Hyenas are responsible for EATING (NOT KILLING) more people than any other predator in Africa every year.
-Their jaws are capable of exerting pressures of up to 800 kg/square inch!
-Another name for the spotted hyena is the “laughing hyena”.

Difference between Leopard and Cheetah

At a glance one could easily mistake a leopard for a cheetah, but if you take a closer look at them you'll see they are actually quite different.
Here are some of the main physical differences between the two animals:

Leopard

•A very large, muscular predator, weighing 100kg and even more.
•The leopard is a far more powerful animal compared to the cheetah.
•The spots of the leopard are rosette in shape, covering the whole body as well as the face.
•They have white eye-linings at the bottom of the eyes. The white colour assists its vision at night by amplifying light which is reflected off objects around it, into the eyes.
•Just like a "true cat," all of its claws are fully retractable.

Cheetah

•They have a tall and slender build.
•The head of a cheetah is quite small in relation to its body, when compared to leopard, making the cheetah more stream-lined.
•Their nostrils are large in size to allow maximum oxygen in-take for their muscles, while running at high speeds.
•Cheetah's tails are quite flat towards the end, acting as a rudder to balance it while running.
•Instead of having rosette shaped spots, they have single large spots (like thumb prints), covering the whole body. The front of face has very few spots and is more a light brown colour.
•Cheetah's have black "tear lines" which run from the eyes down to the sides of the mouth. They hunt mostly during the day, so the black "tear lines" help absorb light, to prevent a blinding effect from the bright sunlight.
•The cheetah can only retract its dew claw. The dew claw is hooked onto an animal that it's hunting to try pull it down. The rest of the claws are non-retractable, just like dogs, giving the Cheetah better grip on the ground while running.

Difference between Black and White Rhino

Black Rhino (Hooked-lip Rhino)

•Smaller than the white rhino. A large bull weighs around 1000 kg.
•They have a rather small hooked shaped mouth for feeding on trees and shrubs.
•The black rhinos' natural head posture is face upward, so there is no need for it to lift its' head when feeding off trees.
•Black rhino are often found in thick vegetation which is possibly the reason why the female will often run in front of her calf to clear a pathway.
•The black rhino is short tempered and extremely aggressive compared to the white rhino.
•They are very solitary and seldom join up with other individuals.

White Rhino (Broad-mouthed Rhino)

•Larger than black rhino. Large bulls reaching weights of 2500 kg.
•They have a very broad flat mouth which aids in feeding off large quantities of grass.
•A white rhinos' natural head posture faces downward so its' mouth is always close to the ground while grazing.
•They have a very distinct hump above the shoulders as well as a very prominent fold of skin at the lower parts of the shoulders.
•Being a very social animals it is not uncommon to see 10 or 15 white rhinos moving together and sometime more.
•White rhino are normally found in very open areas such as plains.
•The calf normally runs in front of its mother, with the mother using her horn to direct the calf by tapping it on the rear.

There is no colour difference between the two rhinos. The Dutch people named the white rhino the "Weid mond rhino", meaning “Wide-mouth rhino”. The English thought they were saying "white", so it was all just a misinterpretation of the name.

Even though the white rhino is less aggressive, there are still more incidents of them attacking people as they have a higher population and thus regular encounters with people.

The African Big 5

What are the Big 5 and how were they chosen?



1) Lion
2) Leopard
3) African Elephant
4) Black Rhino
5) Cape Buffalo

These 5 animals were chosen by the first European hunters as being the most dangerous animals to hunt and were responsible for killing the most hunters on their hunting safaris’

Why is the Hippopotamus not part of the big five, as statistics show it kills more people in Africa than any other mammal?

The Hippo is very dangerous, but not dangerous to hunt. When Hippo are in water they are quite relaxed when approached on foot, making it very easy for a hunter to get close to them without much threat of an attack.

Man-eating Lions

Why do some Lions become man-eaters?

It has been said that once a Lion eats a person they will often try hunting people again as they then like the taste of human flesh.

This is not the case. A lion does not have many taste preferences, as they will eat just about any meat, especially when they’re hungry. They will even eat rotting meat filled with maggots. A few weeks ago we had a pride of lion eating a large male giraffe, it took them 7 days to finish it. By the 6th day the giraffe meat had tuned into soup it was so rotten, yet the lions kept eating.

The Lions that are most likely to become man-eaters are often old, injured or very ill and are struggling to hunt, so they start looking for alternative prey that might be easier to catch. In some cases a Lion might feel threatened by a person that walks to close to them, and in defence it attacks and kills, possibly turning it into a meal.

Once a Lion has killed a human it may then realize how easy it is to kill us. We are slow and very weak compared to most of the animals that they normally hunt. We are easy prey. In many cases like this, Lions may try hunt humans again, so sadly they must be destroyed to prevent it from happening again.

For more on man-eating lions read: The man-eating lions of the Kruger National Park.

African Elephant Facts

Latin name: Loxodonta africana

Weight:
The average large Elephant bull reaches a weight of 5.5 tons. Some males can be as heavy as 6.5 tons. The females average about 3.5 to 4 tons.

Sexuall differentiation:
Bulls are heavier in weight and generally have thicker tusks than the cows do.
A cow has a more prominent forehead when compared to the bull. With young calves it is rather difficult to see the difference in the forehead.



Gestation period:
The female is pregnant for 22 months.

Breeding and reproduction:
By 10 years of age both males and females are sexually mature. The male however, may only have his first opportunity of mating at the age of 20 to 25 years of age.
The female can give birth to her first calf at 12 years of age.

Only the stronger more dominant bulls get to mate and roughly once a year for about 1 week or as long as 2 or 3 months, the bull goes into a reproductive condition known a musth. When in musth, the male’s temporal glands start secreting excessive fluid and there is also a very visible flow of fluid from the genitals, which has a very prominent /powerful smell. This is all as a result of an increased level in testosterone.

Bulls in musth actively seek breeding herds to find potential females to mate with.
After a successful copulation the female gives birth after a gestation of 22 months. The newborn calf suckles for 18 months or as long as 2 years.
The reason for such a long weaning period is because of the many thousands of muscles that they have in their trunks, making it very difficult for the calf to control. As the calf learns how to use its trunk, it will start feeding more off vegetation and become less dependent on its mother’s milk.

The female’s on average give birth every 5 to 7 years.

Social Life:
There are two main types of herds to be found, breeding herds and bachelor herds.

The breeding herd consists of predominantly females which are related in some way or another. The oldest female normally leads the herd and is known as the matriarch. The matriarch has the most knowledge of the area in which they live. She knows where to find the best feeding areas as well as water.
Over time a breeding herd can get quite large with as many as 200 individuals or more. Large herds will often split with the second oldest female taking charge of the new herd. The two herds will go separate ways and on occasion will join up again for short periods.

Young males, at the age 13 years are chased out of the breeding herd by the adults to be on their own or to join up with other males in the bachelor herds.
Bachelor herds consist of only males. The size of a bachelor herd changes on a regular basis as the males come and go as they please.
Competition for dominance between males is fierce with a definite hierarchy.

Lifespan & Feeding:
A large Elephant bull will eat as much a 200 kg of food a day. Only 40% of that is digested as they have a very weak digestive system. They will eat on average 18 hours a day.

The age will vary from one area to the next. In South Africa they normally reach 60-65 years. In Kenya & Tanzania about 70-75 years. The world record oldest Elephant reached an age of 86 years.
The reason why there is such an age difference in the different countries is due to the type of vegetation that the Elephants are eating. The softer the vegetation is, the longer the lifespan of the animal.

Excluding the tusks, an Elephant has 8 teeth in its’ mouth, 4 molars on the top and 4 on the bottom. They eat on average 18 hours a day so eventually the teeth start cracking and fall out. A new set of teeth will then replace the old set. An Elephant goes through 6 sets of teeth in a lifetime and at the age of about 47 years the last set will push through. Once the last set of teeth have fallen out Elephant starts rubbing the vegetation between its’ gums to try break it down. The condition of the animal deteriorates as it can’t chew its’ food properly to get enough nutrition and eventually dies.

The Elephants in Kenya & Tanzania feed mainly on grass, which is their favourite food. The grass is soft on the teeth, so the Elephants last set of teeth last quite a long time.

The elephants in South Africa also prefer grass but in the winter period when there less grass to eat they then start feeding more on leaves, roots and the bark of trees. This vegetation is a lot harder on the teeth so the last set of teeth don’t last as long as the Elephants in Kenya/Tanzania.

Elephant's Trunk:
No one knows for 100% how many muscles there are. I have heard two figures, one of
40 0000 and another of 140 000 muscles. With so many muscles so close together it makes it difficult to count. What might look like 1 muscle could be a small group of muscles.
So the correct answer would be "the elephant has thousands of muscles in the trunk".

Quick Facts:
- An Elephant is capable of running at a top speed of 45km/hour.
- The African Elephant's closest relative is the Dassie (Hyrax)
- The collective name for elephant is a parade or memory of elephants.
- A Mature elephant bull produces on average 120 kg of dung every day!!

African Animal Names

Lion
Sotho - Tau
Tsonga / Shangaan – Ngala
Tswana - Tau
Swahili - Simba
Xhosa - Isigidi
Zulu - Ingonyama
Afrikaans – Leeu

Leopard
Sotho – Nkwe
Swahili – Chui
Tsonga / Shangaan – Yingwe
Tswana - Nkwe
Xhosa - Ingwe
Zulu - Ingwe
Afrikaans - Luiperd

Cheetah
Sotho - Lengau
Tsonga / Shangaan – Xikankanka
Tswana – Lengau
Swahili - Duma
Xhosa - Ihlosi
Zulu - Ingulule
Afrikaans - Jagluiperd

Caracal
Sotho - Thoane
Tsonga – Nandzana
Tswana – Thwane
Xhosa - Ingqawa
Zulu - Indabushe
Afrikaans - Rooikat

Serval
Sotho - Tlodi
Tsonga / Shangaan – Ndloti
Tswana – Tadi
Xhosa - Hlosi
Zulu - Ndlozi
Afrikaans - Tierboskat

Civet
Sotho - Leqaqane
Tsonga / Shangaan – Mfungwe
Tswana - Tsaparangaka
Xhosa - Inyhwagi
Zulu - Iqaqa
Afrikaans – Siwet

African Wild Dog
Sotho – Lekanyane
Swahili - Mbwa mwitu
Tsonga / Shangaan – mahlolwa
Tswana - Lethalerwa
Xhosa - Ixhwili
Zulu - Inkentshane
Afrikaans - Wildehond

Black-backed Jackal
Sotho – Phokojwe
Swahili - Bweha
Tswana – Phokoje
Tsonga / Shangaan – Mangawana
Xhosa – Impungutye
Zulu – Impungushe
Afrikaans – Swartrugjakkals

Side-striped Jackal
Sotho - Phokojwe
Tsonga Shangaan - Mhungubya
Afrikaans - Witwasjakkals

Cape Fox
Tswana – Lesie
Xhosa - uGqeleba
Afrikaans - Silwervos

Bat-eared Fox
Tswana - Tlhose
Xhosa – Motlόsi
Zulu - Udlamhloshwana
Afrikaans - Bakoorjakkals

Aardwolf
Sotho – Thikgwi
Tswana - Mmabudu
Zulu – Nehi
Afrikaans - Aardwolf

Spotted Hyena
Sotho - Sentawana
Swahili - Fisi
Tsonga / Shangaan – Mhisi
Tswana - Phiri
Xhosa - Mpisi
Zulu - Mpisi
Afrikaans – Gevlekte hiёna

Brown Hyena
Swahili – Nyani
Xhosa - Ingqawane
Afrikaans – Strandjut, bruinhiёna

Lesser Bushbaby
Swahili – Komba
Tsonga / Shangaan - Nwana kahina
Tswana - Kgajwanamasigo
Zulu - Nhlathini umntwana
Afrikaans – Nagapie

Vervet Monkey
Sotho - Kgabo
Swahili – Tumbili
Tsonga / Shangaan – Nkawu
Tswana – Kgabo
Xhosa - Inkawu
Zulu – Nkawu
Afrikaans – Blou-aap

Baboon
Sotho – Tshwene
Tsonga / Shangaan – Mfenhe
Tswana - Tshwene
Xhosa - Imfene
Zulu – Isidawana
Afrikaans - Bobbejaan

Porcupine
Swahili – Nungu
Tsonga / Shangaan - Jelwana
Tswana - Noko
Zulu – Ngungumbane
Afrikaans - Ystervark

Giraffe
Sotho – Thuhlo
Swahili - Twiga
Tsonga / Shangaan – Nhutlwa
Tswana - Thutlwa
Xhosa - Indulamithi
Zulu - Indulamithi
Afrikaans – Kameelperd

African Elephant
Sotho – Tlou
Swahili - Tembo
Tsonga / Shangaan – Ndlopfu
Tswana – Tlou
Xhosa – Indlovu
Zulu – Indlovu
Afrikaans – Olifant

Hippopotamus
Sotho – Kubu
Swahili - Kiboko
Tsonga / Shangaan – Ndlopfu
Tswana - Kubu
Xhosa - Imvubu
Zulu - Imvubu
Afrikaans - Seekoei

White Rhinoceros
Sotho– Tshukudu e molomo o sephara
Swahili - Faru
Tsonga / Shangaan – Mkhumbi
Tswana - Tshukudu e tshweu
Xhosa - Umkhombe
Zulu - Ubhejane
Afrikaans - Witrenoster

Black Rhinoceros
Sotho - Tshukudu e molomo wa haka
Swahili - Faru
Tsonga / Shangaan – Mhelembe
Tswana - Tshukudu e ntsho
Xhosa - Ubhejane
Zulu - Ubhejane
Afrikaans – Swartrenoster

Zebra
Sotho – Pisti
Swahili - Punda milia
Tsonga Shangaan – Mangwa
Tswana - Pitsi
Xhosa - Iqwarhashe
Zulu - Idube
Afrikaans - Sebra

Warthog
Sotho – Kolobe
Swahili - Ngiri
Tsonga / Shangaan – Honci
Tswana - Kolobe
Xhosa - Ingulube
Zulu - Intibane
Afrikaans - Vlakvark

Bushpig
Sotho - Kolobemoru
Tsonga – Khumba
Tswana - Kolobe ya naga
Zulu - Ngulube
Afrikaans - Bosvark

Nyala
Sotho - Phuthiatsana
Tsonga / Shangaan – Inyala
Xhosa -
Zulu - Inyala
Afrikaans – Njala

Kudu
Sotho – Tholo
Swahili - Tandala
Tsonga / Shangaan – Nhongo
Tswana - Tholo
Xhosa - Iqudu
Zulu - Umgankla
Afrikaans - Koedoe

Bushbuck
Sotho - Pabala
Tsonga Shangaan – Mbbavala
Tswana - Serolobotlhoko
Xhosa - Imbabala
Zulu - Imbabala
Afrikaans - Bosbok

Common Reedbuck
Sotho - Lekwena
Tsonga Shangaan – nhlangu
Tswana - Sebugatla
Xhosa - Ntlangu
Zulu - Nxala
Afrikaans - Rietbok

Waterbuck
Sotho - Phitlwa
Tsonga / Shangaan – Mhitlwa
Tswana - Pitlhwa
Zulu - Phiva
Afrikaans - Waterbok

Impala
Sotho – Phala
Swahili - Swala pala
Tsonga – Mhala
Tswana - Phala
Xhosa - Impala
Zulu - Impala
Afrikaans - Rooibok

Sable
Sotho - Phalafala
Tsonga / Shangaan – Mhalamhala
Tswana - Kwalata
Zulu - Mpalampale
Afrikaans – Swartwitpens

Roan
Sotho - Hlaba-ka-lela
Tsonga / Shangaan – Ndakadsi
Tswana - Kunkuru
Afrikaans - Bastergemsbok

Gemsbok
Sotho – Nyamatsane
Tswana - Kukama
Xhosa - Inkukhama
Afrikaans - Gemsbok

Eland
Sotho - Phofu
Tsonga / Shangaan – mhofu
Tswana - Phofu
Xhosa - Impofu
Zulu - Impofu
Afrikaans - Eland

Red Hartebeest
Sotho – Tlohela
Tswana - Kgama
Afrikaans - Rooihartebeest

Tsessebe
Sotho - Kgama ya lebasetere
Tsonga / Shangaan – Nondo
Tswana – Tshesebe
Afrikaans - Basterhartbees

Blue Wildebeest
Sotho – Kgokong
Swahili - Nyumbu
Tsonga / Shangaan – Hongonyi
Tswana - Kgokong
Xhosa - Nkhonhoni
Zulu - Nkhonhoni
Afrikaans – Blouwildebeest

Cape Buffalo
Sotho - Nare
Tsonga / Shangaan – Nyarhi
Swahili - Nyati
Tswana - Nare
Xhosa - Inyathi
Zulu - Inyathi
Afrikaans - Buffel

Nile Crocodile
Swahili – Mamba
Tsonga / Shangaan - Ngwenya
Tswana - Kwena
Zulu – Ingwenya
Afrikaans – Nyl Krokodil

Facts about Porcupines

Cape Porcupine

Latin Name: Hystrix africaeaustralis

Derivation of Name:
The name or word “Porcupine“ comes from the French word “porc- ѐpique” (thorny pig).

Weight: Both males and females weigh 20kg to 25kg.

Lifespan: 12 to 14 years.

Gestation Period: 3 Months.

Habitat:
Porcupines are found in woodland, savannah and forest biomes as well as rocky outcrops. They often take shelter in aardvark (Antbear) burrows which they modify to make more comfortable.

Behaviour:
Porcupines are primarily nocturnal, moving alone or in small groups of 5 or 6 individuals.

The porcupine is Africa’s largest rodent. It is believed that they are capable of “shooting” their quills, but this is not the case. When the porcupine sees predators such as lion, leopard or hyena it will often “freeze”, in the hope that it won’t be noticed. If confronted, it turns its back towards the predator, often running backwards resulting in a face pierced and filled with quills.

If given the chance it will crawl into a burrow face first only to expose its sharp quills, making it rather difficult for predator to dislodge them. Their quills are hollow and exceptionally sharp and upon losing them, they re-grow. The porcupine shakes its tail quills to create a rattling sound as a threatening distraction to predators. They are also capable of erecting all their quills outwards to make themselves’ look larger and more intimidating.

Diet:
Porcupines feed mainly on roots and tubers, which they dig out with relative ease using their strongly built claws. They also eat the bark from trees which chew and tear off with their sharp incisors. Other food sources include the fallen fruit from trees, carrion which is ideal for protein, as well as bones which they gnaw on for the extra calcium and phosphorous intake.
Bones are often taken back to the burrow to feed on at leisure.

The porcupine’s stomach is filled with symbiotic microorganisms which help break down the plants eaten into a usable form.

Breeding:
The female, at night, initiates courtship by presenting herself to the male. Mating takes place with the female’s quills flattened against her body and her tail raised to allow for safer copulation.

Before giving birth the female lines the chamber of the burrow with grass to create a comfortable nest.

After a 3 month gestation, she gives birth to between 1 and 3 youngsters. The youngsters suckle off the mother for approximately 3 weeks before they start eating solids, but are still dependant on the mother for at least another 3 months.

Unlike most mammals, the male also helps the female in taking care of the young.

Elephant Culling

There are always huge debates as to whether the culling of elephant is ethical or not. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and in my opinion and many others, it MUST be done. If we don’t cull we will still lose many 1000’s of elephants as well as many other different species of game along with them in the future.
The Kruger National Park is a massive 20 000 square kilometres surrounded by a fence and because of this fence it is not a 100% natural environment which as a result requires grooming such as culling, stocking up of rare animal species from other reserves and controlled fires to keep it as natural as possible.


The Problem

150 years ago there were no fences dividing countries which prevent the natural movement of game forced by the change in seasons. Many animals migrating in search of food and or water died, especially old, weak and injured individuals, possibly as a result of not reaching their destinations on time. This would help control the numbers of many game species, leaving only the strong and healthy to survive.
With the development of conservation areas such as the Kruger National Park, with all its man-made dams and abundance of thick vegetation, there is very rarely a shortage of food or water for game resulting in the massive increase in the elephant population.

It’s hard to believe that the Kruger national Parks’ elephant population was almost totally wiped out just 100 years ago due to excessive hunting and poaching and today it sits on about 12 000, which is 4 500 above the natural carrying capacity with the population increasing close to 3% every year!
If populations get too high, the impact on vegetation will be devastating as elephants require huge amounts of food to sustain their large bodies along with their weak digestive systems. Large bulls will eat as much as 250 kg of vegetation and drink up to 180 litres of water every day!

Of all the African herbivores the elephant has the most varied diet in terms of different plant species, eating almost every plant if finds and who knows, with too many elephant how many plant species may be lost forever. The elephants’ favourite food is grass. If an area is over-populated, in time the ground will be totally stripped of all grass which may result in serous erosion as the root systems of the grasses would normally hold the soil together. Areas that have been severely over-grazed and eroded may take many years to recover back to a suitable state and in some cases never recover. Grazing animals such as wildebeest, zebra, white rhino and hippopotamus will eventually die off if there is no grass to eat or nowhere else to find more.
When all the grass has been eaten, the elephant then concentrate more on feeding off trees and shrubs. It’s not just the leaves they eat but also the roots and bark of certain trees. They uproot trees, strip off bark and before we know it there are 1000’s of dead trees as far as the eye can see.
So what use to be lush thick vegetation with allsorts of beautiful trees and shrubs now looks like a desert with lots of sand, heavily eroded areas, tree stumps and the bones of all the animals that have now died of starvation, all of this as a result of nothing been done to properly solve the over-population of elephant.

Solutions?

Relocation of elephants to other game reserves:

Sounds good but it only helps temporarily as eventually space in these reserves runs out and the cost of moving them becomes more expensive as they have to be moved even further away to new areas. With over 300 elephant born into the Kruger National Park every year you can imagine the cost of moving 300 every year just to keep the population constant at 12 000.
Helicopters, pilots, vets, sedative drugs, transportation trucks, fuel, legal papers, all of this costs a lot when moving elephants to other game reserves or countries.

Female Contraception:

The female elephants are given a contraceptive injection that is highly effective but needs to be administered roughly every 6 months to keep working. Not all females are given the contraceptive that still allows the births of a few calves into the herds. This exercise is extremely expensive especially with large populations where 1000’s of females are given the injection every 6 months. The population growth slows down but still doesn’t solve the over-population problem.


Cropping:

Cropping is the process where small amounts of game are shot over a long period of time. An example of this would be taking out say 5 or 10 animals per week over a period of a couple months. Cropping works but has the down side that the visibility may be poor in the summer and early winter months, making it very difficult when shooting on the ground or from helicopters.

Culling:

Culling is the process whereby a fairly large amount of animals are shot within a short period of time, for example; shooting say 200 elephants in the space of 3 weeks. This may come across a very cruel, but to date has been the only real long term effective method used. Culling operations are done in the shortest possible time to lessen the stress on the animals been shot.
Before culling was put to an end in 1997 the Kruger had a very healthy population of elephant. The tusks of culled animals were stored in safe warehouses or often burnt and much of the meat was processed for tin food which was given to poor communities and used by staff members of the park. Hyenas, jackals, vultures and many other scavenging animals made sure to clean up the rest of any carcasses left behind.


For now the game reserves that can afford it are using female contraception and relocating elephants. There are ongoing talks about bringing back culling but still no change. One day in the future ‘they’ will realise that culling is the answer but by that time it will be too late. If only ‘they’ would fully understand.