Every single animal out here in the Timbavati is unique and interesting in its own way. In fact, once we get started on one we find it hard to stop. So, this week we decided to rather share a “fruit salad”, so to say, of fun facts about some of the incredible mammals we see regularly on safari at Tanda Tula.
An elephant’s trunk has over 50 000 muscles in it – bear in mind a human only has 600 muscles in their whole body! An elephant can tell the size, temperature, and shape of an object just by inspecting it with their trunk.
The entire anatomy of a cheetah is geared towards speed, it is the fastest land animal after all, this has led to the cheetah being one of the most specialized predators on the planet. With a rudder like tail for assistance in turning sharply at full speed and a deep-set chest to allow space for the massive lungs and heart are just two of these adaptations.
Warthogs have an eating stance, whereby they get right down on their haunches by folding in their front feet, this has literally come about to get them closer to their food in a more comfortable manner. They do look particularly cute when moving around in this position.
Impalas are synchronized breeders. At the beginning of the wet season, around November, the females will all start to give birth usually within a few days of each other. This gives the impala calves the best chance at survival, not only because there is plenty of food and water around, but also the sheer safety in numbers.
Of all the big cats’ leopards have the widest diversity in habitat and can learn to adapt to any given environment. Their habitats including rainforests, deserts, woodlands, grassland savannah and forests.
The giraffe’s scientific name, Giraffa camelopardalis, comes from the ancient Greeks who believed that these animals looked like camels wearing a leopard’s coat. No two giraffes are the same, their unique coats are exactly like human fingerprints.
Younger baboons learn from their parents what is good and safe to eat. It is usually the inquisitive younger baboons who discover new food sources, and this knowledge is then quickly passed through the troop.
