African Animals By: Hayleigh Wilson

African Elephant The African elephant is the largest of the two species left in the world. They have extremely large ears and tusks. They can be more than 12 feet tall and weight about 14,000 pounds. Most of them live in the Savannah desert. Many of them also live in the thick forests. They stay in herds of about 12 to 20 but can often be seen in smaller groups.

African Lion Lions are the only cats that live in groups, which are called prides. Prides include up to three male lions, a dozen female lions, and their young (cubs). Only male lions have manes Female lions are the primary hunters

Cheetah Cheetahs are not strong, but they are fast. They rely on their speed, which can reach up to 70 mph, to catch their prey. Cheetahs cannot roar, but they do growl, hiss, purr and chirp. They can be found in southern and eastern Africa.

These long legs allow giraffes to run as fast as 35 miles per hour. Giraffes are the world's tallest mammals, due to their towering legs and long necks. These long legs allow giraffes to run as fast as 35 miles per hour. A giraffe eats hundreds of pounds of leaves each week and must travel miles to find enough food.

Gazelles are medium-sized antelopes found in Africa. These grazing antelopes live in herds, which can consist of as few as ten or as many as several hundred. Gazelles are nimble and beautiful animals with a variety of stipes and markings. Open plains make them visible to predators like cheetahs or wild dogs, but gazelles are very fast.

Hyena The hyena is Africa's most common large carnivore. The hyena is a skilled hunter and also a scavenger. Hyenas are social animals that communicate with one other through specific calls, postures and signals Hyenas can live up to twenty-five years in captivity!

Black Rhinoceros The Black Rhinoceros is actually gray. Black Rhinos feed at night and the early hours of the morning. Rhinos have sharp hearing and a keen sense of smell. Large amounts of Black Rhinos once roamed the sub-Saharan Africa, but today is on the verge of extinction due to poaching.

Fennec Fox The fennec fox is the smallest of all the world's foxes, but it’s large ears can be up to six inches long. Fennec foxes dwell in the sandy Sahara and elsewhere in North Africa. Their large ears help keep them warm and also keep them cool in warmer temperatures. The eat plants, rodents, eggs and small reptiles.

Hippopotamus Hippos love water, and spend up to sixteen hours a day submerged in water in order to keep their big bodies cool. Their eyes and nostrils are located high on their heads, which allows them to see and breathe while submerged in water. At sunset, hippos leave the water and may travel up to six miles in order to eat up to eighty pounds of grass.

Zebra No animal has a more distinctive coat than the zebra. Every zebra has a different set of stripes, no two are alike! Scientists are unsure of exactly why zebras have stripes, but they’re almost positive their stripes are to camouflage them from predators. Zebras are social animals that spend their time in herds.

More about African Animals… There are over 1,100 species of animals in Africa! In fact, most people visit Africa just to see the amazing variety of wildlife. I hope you enjoyed the animals we looked at today, just remember there’s plenty more African animals to explore!

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