Large Mammals Of The Kruger National Park And Southern Africa

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The Largest Mammals Of Africa

Large mammals are what attract most people to National Parks. These herbivores all weigh over 800 kilograms. Unfortunately they are restricted to large reserves and are not found outside these conservation areas due to hunting and poaching. They are very dangerous. For example Hippos kill more people every year than Leopards and Lions combined. On a happier note they are amazing animals to watch and most of the time they are peaceful and tranquil.

There are two species of Buffalo in South Africa, one, (Cape Buffalo) is the subspecies of the other (African Buffalo). The Cape Buffalo is restricted to the Eastern Cape and is mainly active at night; there are about 500 in the province, with most of them occurring in the dense Addo bush and in the Shamwari Game Reserve. The Cape Buffalo has become nocturnal due to hunting and habitat destruction. In the 1900s they occurred naturally in the Eastern and Western Cape, even in Kwazulu Natal, but now are restricted to reserves in the Eastern Cape. The African Buffalo is active during the day and is found all over Africa. One herd of African Buffalo may out number the whole population of Cape Buffalo.

There are two species of Rhino, the White (Square-lipped) and the Black (Hook-lipped). They are not called the White and the Black Rhinoceros because of their colour. These peaceful animals have been poached to the brink of extinction. However their numbers are starting to increase again. The Rhino was poached because of its horn; the horn could be sold for tens of thousands of U.S. dollars. The White Rhinoceros lives in herds, is peaceful and has a wide square lip to graze (hence its name, wyd meaning wide in Afrikaans, became white). The Black Rhinoceros is solitary, very aggressive and has a hooked lip to browse.

The African Elephant is by far the most common of all the large herbivores. It is found in massive herds of up to 400. They drink every day and eat over 250 kilograms of food daily. The largest tusk on an African Elephant is 103 kilograms. Males live alone or in bachelor groups and are more aggressive than the females. The herd is lead by a matriarch.

The African Hippopotamus is one of two species found in Africa the other being the Pygmy Hippopotamus which is found in Congo. They live in rivers and lakes. They feed on grass and come out of the safety of the water at night to feed. Hippos are territorial. Their skin is sensitive to the suns rays.

sensitive to the sun’s rays.

Large Mammals Of The Kruger National Park And Southern Africa

The Largest Mammals Of Africa

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