Animals in Africa, from A to Z

Africa is home of some of the most well known, loved, feared animals in the world. They are so many and so wonderful we’ve made an A to Z list of African animals (only missing the Q unfortunately).

A

Aardvark

This medium seized nocturnal mammal native to Africa only eats ants, termites and one type of cucumber, called aardvark cucumber and it is believed by African magicians to have magical powers.

image by dipthongasaurus rex on flickr

B

Baboon

These monkeys are furry and noisy but very caring to their young. They are omnivore foragers, but are also known to eat sheep, goats and small antelopes. In Egyptian folklore, Baboons were considered sacred animals.

photo by jambo 13 on flickr

C

Cheetah

This large feline is the fastest animal on land running with a speed up to 120 km/hours in short 500 meter bursts. It can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/hours in 3 seconds. They have non-retractable claws so they can’t climb tall trees.

image by schinkerj on flickr

D

Desert Warthog

While some say this is not the prettiest pig relative out there, we just can’t ignore his resemblance to Pumba (the Lion King character) and think it’s quite a character with its huge tusks and care for hie non-stop following young.

image by KCBirdFan on flickr

E

Elephant

With elephants being the largest creatures on land at the moment it’s no wonder their babies weight 100 kilograms at birth. But did you know the gestation period lasts for 22 months?

image by LHG Creative Photography on flickr

F

Fennec Fox

With a total body length between 24 and 40 cm, this big eared guy is the smallest fox there is. His ears help him detect insects and rodents hiding underground.

image by reMuse on flickr

G

Giraffe

With it long neck the giraffe can reach the talles and tastiest leaves in the savanna and also engage in “neckings”, a type of male combat in which the neck is used as a weapon. Invulnerable to predators as an adult, calf giraffes are hunted by lions, leopard and hyenas.

photo by Ben Heine on flickr

H

Hippo

Hippos are large, mostly herbivorous,  semi-aquatic mammals. Despite their pig like appearance their closest relatives are whales, from which they diverged some 55 millions of years ago.

image by David d'O on flickr

I

Impala

One of the most abundant antelopes in Africa, the impalas, can grow up to 95 cm tall.  Only the males have horns, which they use in territorial battles.

photo by aftab on flickr

J

Jackal

These far away relatives of the wolves are crepuscular, being most active at dawn and dusk. They are scavengers and hunters of small animals. In oriental mythology jackals are clever sorcerers, while in Egyptian religion it is the God of afterlife.

image by alistair.pott on flickr

K

Klipspringer

These half a meter tall antelopes can fit all fours hooves on a piece of cliff the size of a coin and never have to drink water, since the succulent plant they forage on provide them with sufficient water.

image by jdnx on flickr

L

Lion

The King of the Jungle, the second largest feline after the Tiger, the Lion is today considered a vulnerable specie, with its population decline of thirty to fifty percent in the last 20 years.

image by Derek Keats on flickr

M

Mongoose

Close relatives of Meerkats, mongooses are very attentive little creatures, also using a sentinel to keep eye on eventual predators, such as birds of prey. They eat insects, small rodents and birds.

image by Leo Reynolds on flickr

N

Nyala

This medium sized antelope prefers a deep forest to any plain there is in Africa. While the females are warm brown and horn-less as the nyala pictured below, the males are dark skinned with long spiraled horns and a woolly fringe on their belly.

image by dtaylorcreative on flickr

O

Otter

Otters are semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish, birds and small mammals. They are also the best swimming teachers out there. Check out this video of a mother otter swimming its pup to swim.

image by wwarby on flickr

P

Porcupine

Porcupines are rounded, large, slow rodents. Their body is covered with large, pointy spines. Porcupines are salt lickers and will lick and eat anything that is covered in salt, from household items such as tables or clothes to vehicle tires coated in road salt.

image by kibuyu on flickr

R

Rhinoceros

Rhinoceros are large plant eating mammals which are able to reach more than a tonne in weight. They have thick armor like skin, small brains that can weight less than a kilogram and no knees.

image by Cyberslayer on flickr

S

Sable Bull (Sable Antelope)

These antelopes can reach a height of up to 140 cm and their horns can be as long as 110 cm. When fighting, male sable bulls drop to their knees and use their horns to fight.

image by Saparevo on flickr

T

Topi

Topi are some of the fastest antelopes, reaching a speed of up to 70 km/hour when pressed. The Maasai describe them as wearing a suede jacket, blue jeans and yellow boots.

image by RayMorris1 on flickr

W

Wildebeest (also called a Gnu)

A relative of the bull, the wildebeest or the gnu is a large game animal. Wildebeest are killed for food, especially for making the Southern African delicacy biltong (dried game meat).

image by rafa on flickr

Z

Zebra

Relatives of the more common horse, zebras are very unpredictable animals and don’t cope well with stress, reason for which they could never be domesticated. Their famous stripes are different and unique to each individual, just like a human fingerprint.

Blushing Hides: 10 Amazing Pink Animals

Blushing Hides: 10 Amazing Pink Animals

Pink pigs (and people) display beauty that’s only skin deep but when pink appears as an animal’s prime pigment the results can be strikingly beautiful… they don’t call it “shocking pink” for nothing! This proud posse of puce poseurs provides proof positive pink can be a perfectly pleasing pigment. Period.

Pink Insects

(images via: Loucigaloun04, Mongabay and Dipity)

Insects can be pink owing to a number of factors but mainly two which would seem to be counteractive. Those that frequent pink flowers seek to blend in so as not to be seen by predators – or prey. Others adopt pink along with another, contrasting color to send a vivid “keep away!” signal to potential predators. Can you imagine hot pink & turquoise bees and wasps?

(image via: About.com/Insects)

Why bother with contrast when you’re a newly discovered Dragon Millipede (Desmoxytes purpurosea)? This small but serious critter has a gland that produces cyanide as a defense mechanism. You most definitely don’t want to be near this hot pink dude when he’s, er, millipede-off.

(images via: Audubonimages, Rigorous Intuition and Ohio Birds and Biodiversity)

Other insects are pink not by design but by defect, such as the pink katydid and grasshopper above. In cases of Erythrism, these creatures lack a certain pigment that (by virtue of its absence) leaves the insects with an unintended color scheme. Lobsters can suffer a similar fate but due to different pigments involved, there are no pink lobsters. Pity.

Pink Starfish

(images via: SP13001, TripAdvisor and Squidoo)

Starfish are a favorite subject of photographers thanks to their wide variation in coloration and contrast. It’s not certain what purpose vivid colors serve starfish, however. Slow-moving creatures who frequent reef environments and occasionally feast on endangered corals, starfish are often washed up on beaches where their brilliant hues quickly fade.

(image via: Bargain Florida Lots)

You’ve gotta hand it to echinoderms (who don’t actually HAVE hands), they’re definitely “stars” when it comes to showing their true colors. The hot pink starfish above somehow found its way to a southwest Florida beach without getting BP’d.

Pink Frogfish

(images via: Kapalselam, Delargy.com and DownBelow)

The world’s oceans host an abundance of pink fish and frogfish but this pink Frogfish steals the spotlight. Who can resist this finned clump of cotton candy as it scuttles along the seafloor? Don’t be fooled though, some species of frogfish have toxic spines on their heads that can deliver a painful dose of venom to the unwary.

(image via: RedBubble)

Frogfish don’t have scales and can adjust their skin coloration to match their surroundings. We’re not sure what was surrounding the bubblegum-pink frogfish above… perhaps a sunken ship’s cargo of pink bubblegum?

Pink Land Iguana

(images via: Cryptomundo, Zoo Kawaii and Galapagos Conservancy)

Almost 175 years after Charles Darwin roamed their rocky shores, the Galapagos Islands are still springing surprises on biologists who’d thought they’d seen it all. Maybe now they have: a small population of large, pink land iguanas living on the slopes of the Wolf Volcano on Isabela Island.

(image via: National Geographic)

A park ranger first noticed these (actually, quite noticeable) large iguanas in 1986 but it was thought at the time they were merely a variation of the common land iguana – or, that he’d been drinking. The results of blood testing (on the iguanas, not the ranger) confirmed the Pink Iguana is a specific species and not just a great band name.

Pink & Coral Cornsnakes

(images via: Poppycorns)

Snake breeders have long striven to induce their reptilian subjects to express colors not normally found in nature. Take the Pink & Coral Cornsnakes above… not to worry, they’re not poisonous. Buyers now can choose from a wide variety of pinks and patterns to suit their needs, whatever those needs might be.

(image via: Poppycorns)

Of course, it also helps to have a colorful name, like Coral Snow Peaches, Neon Coral Roses, Starburst (as in the candy) Snow Rhapsody or Champagne Pink Minstrel.

(image via: Bite-Dose)

Naturally pink tinted snakes are unusual and most of those reported have been determined to be albinos – their pink tint is owed to their muscle tissue showing through translucent skin. The snake above, however, boasts serrated stripes of brilliant pink that are even more prominent when seen against its black base coloration. Liophidium pattoni, native to the forests of Madagascar, is new to science having only been discovered in 2010.

Pink Flamingos

(images via: MyMixFM and Shutterpoint)

Think pink and pink flamingos are probably what come to mind. NotPink Flamingos, the 1972 cult classic film from avantgarde director John Waters and starring the notorious Divine, but we digress. Real flamingos are not actually pink, they TURN pink from ingesting water-borne bacteria and from the beta carotene in the food they eat.

(images via: TravelBlog, Luxurious Mexico and Beecy.net)

Flamingos kept in zoos are fed beta carotene supplements and shrimp in order to help them maintain their rosy plumage. Not only do zoo visitors appreciate the results, the flamingos may as well: a pale, drab flamingo has a lesser chance of hooking up with their opposite number. Is that where the cliché “in the pink” comes from?

(image via: Wikipedia)

The garish bird above isn’t a flamingo but is shown here because of its various shades of pink ranging from salmon to neon. Take away the color and it’d be pug-ugly… like most vultures. Yep, it’s a California Condor chick!

Pink-Faced Bald Uakari

(images via: National Geographic, YouSayToo and Retrieverman)

Uakaris are monkeys… monkeys from Hell!! OK, not really, they come from isolated areas of the northwest Amazon basin and just look like Skeletor’s pet. There are 4 known species of Uakari but our focus here is on the Bald Uakari. This odd-looking New World monkey has copious hair all over its body with the exception of its head – much like your average middle-aged human male.

(image via: Greg Neise)

Uakaris have no fat beneath the skin of their faces; basically they’re just skin & bones above the neck, giving their countenances a bizarre, some say “demonic” aspect.

(images via: Fun Gallery, GEO and Wikipedia)

Since the Uakari’s home ranges are located deep in the Amazon rainforest, not a whole lot is known about their lives and lifestyles. Reports have stated they live in the treetops and (thankfully) have a herbivorous diet. Uakaris sometimes travel in groups of up to 100… forget chimps, they should’ve made Rise of the Planet of the Apes with THESE guys!

Pink Dolphins

(images via: Dani.gomes61, Creepy Animals and Condé Nast Traveler)

The pink Amazon River Dolphin (Inia geoffrensis) is actually a mottled pink with gray, though it’s pinker by far than any other dolphin. They’re also thought to be intelligent and have a brain capacity 40% larger than that of humans. You didn’t see any Amazon River Dolphins at the Kardashian wedding, did you? Case closed.

(images via: Scholastic, ECDAfrica and Daily Mail UK)

The Amazon pink dolphins come by their hue naturally, which is not to be confused with a number of albino Bottlenose Dolphins that have been featured in the news recently.

Pink Hippos

(images via: ScienceRay and Have-Fun-In-The-USA.com)

Pink Hippos are rarely sighted outside of Hanna-Barbara cartoons but they do exist, and for several reasons. Most hippos are a brownish-gray color with pink undertones. They can appear even pinker on hot, sunny days when they tend to sweat: hippo sweat is pink!

(images via: AnimalFWD, OK! Magazine and National Geographic)

For a few hippos, even sweating pink isn’t enough: so-called Leucistic hippos lack the normal amount of gray pigment in their skin and, by default, tend towards a more pinkish aspect. Hippos can tolerate leucism more than other creatures as they spend a lot of time in the water and, as a bonus, secrete an oily substance that acts as a sunscreen.

Pink Elephants

(images via: Tremendous News and BBC)

Pink Elephants, no longer just a drunkard’s hallucination! Though this post has focused on naturally pink animals, albino elephants just had to be included because there’s just no ignoring the 800-lb pink elephant in the room – or in the wild. Curiously, albinism is much more common (though still rare) in Asian Elephants and the sighting of the pink baby above in Botswana’s Okavango Delta region sparked a flood of interest from zoologists and conservationists.

(images via: IOL)

“I have only come across three references to albino calves,” stated Dr Mike Chase of Elephants Without Borders, “which have occurred in Kruger National Park in South Africa.”

(images via: Geof Wilson)

Dyeing to be pink? We’ll ignore the antics of pink poodle fanciers or that wacky Brit who tinted her cat pink with food coloring to match her hair. The flock of sheep above was “dyed in the wool” to deter rustlers. Don’t tell that English chick about this, OK?