If you’re heading out on safari, it’s a great idea to do a little research on some of the animals you’ll encounter while you’re in the bush. We’ve rounded up15 interesting safari trivia facts that you can wow your fellow safari-goers with!
Fact 1 “The Helmeted Guineafowl”
Helmeted guineafowls spend their days feeding on the ground but roost in trees at night to avoid predators. Some Luangwa leopards, however, have become adept at hunting them in the treetops!
Fact 2 “Crocodile Eyelids”
Did you know that a crocodile has three eyelids? As well as the top and bottom, there is a clear eyelid that protects the eye underwater.
Fact 3 “Elephant Trunks”
An elephant’s trunk is probably the most versatile and useful appendage on the planet. It is a nose, an arm, a hand, a voice, a drinking straw, a hose and much more, but youngsters may take years to truly master its usage.
Fact 4 “Giraffe Horns”
A giraffe is one of the few animals born with horns. A baby giraffe’s horns lie flat against the skull when it is born and pop upright during the first week of life. The ‘horns’ are formed from ossified cartilage and are called ossicones.
Fact 5 “The Nile Crocodile”
The Nile Crocodile has between 64 and 68 cone-shaped teeth, which are constantly being replaced as they get lost or damaged. An individual tooth lasts for about 2 years and a single crocodile might go through over 2000 teeth in its lifetime.
Fact 6 “Lion Cubs”
Play, both with adults and littermates, helps young lions to develop such skills as stalking and pouncing.
Fact 7 “The Pied Kingfisher”
The pied kingfisher is believed to be the world’s longest bird (measured bill to tail) that can sustain hovering flight in the air. This hovering ability allows it to hunt over shallow water without a perch.
Fact 8 “Male Buffalo”
The horns of a male buffalo differ from those of a female by broadening into a heavy shield, known as a boss, across the forehead. Horn length may be as long as 160 cm along the outer curve in large males, with a horizontal spread greater than 90 cm.
Fact 9 “Baby Hippos”
Did you know that baby hippos are usually born on land or in shallow water, but suckle underwater? They remain with their mothers for up to eight years.
Fact 10 “Leopards”
Leopards tails are so long so they can act as counterbalances when running, jumping or climbing trees.
Fact 11 “Twitcher Trivia”
Did you know that the collective noun for a group of oxpeckers is a “fling”?
Fact 12 “Leopard Lunch”
Leopards have been recorded feeding on over 90 different prey species. Their diet includes insects, rodents, birds, reptiles and carrion, but medium-sized antelopes are a favourite target.
Fact 13 “Elephant Diet”
Recent research shows that a clear record of an elephant’s diet can be obtained by analyzing the proteins that make up their tail hairs.
Fact 14 “Laughing Hyenas”
Spotted hyenas make up to ten different types of vocalisation. Recent studies have shown that the pitch of the hyena’s “laugh” reveals its age. “whoops”, with long inter-whoop intervals, are primarily used to signal that two individuals have become separated while “grunts” or “soft growls” are emitted when hyenas of the same clan come into close contact.
Fact 15 “Wallowing Warthogs”
Thanks to their habit of wallowing, warthogs often develop a mud ball on the end of their tails? When it gets too heavy it pulls out the tail hairs and falls off… leaving a rather unusual item for the safari guide to identify!
Here at Safari & Beach, we love learning weird and wonderful facts about animals – the stranger the better! Let us know if you have any interesting safari trivia facts by leaving a comment below.
For more information about African holidays, please contact Safari&Beach on 01548 854125 or email us at: info@safariandbeach.com.
