mammals Flashcards
Zebra
scientific name: Equus quagga
In this area, there are specific subspecies from the Southern Mozambique area.
There are two other subspecies in South Africa: Cape mountain zebra and Hartman’s mountain zebra. They are both smaller in size and have strips that run down to their feet, sort of like rugby socks.
Stallions fight viciously to control the group of mares
Those that can’t gain tenure over mares form bachelor herds.
Herd structure: “Harem” 6-7 members with a dominant male
Stallion often trails behind the herd but is the first to lead the group to a watering hole.
Ranking female structure with ranked mare number i.e when the first female gives birth, if female will take on the rank of the female.
often can be found with grazing with blue wildebeest. Blue wildebeest prefer longer grass while zebras prefer shorter grass. Zebra sort of acts as a lawn mower for the blue wildebeest.
Bulk grazer, which means that they do not have a particular grass preference. Often will see them bloated.
Zebra are hind gut fermenters similar to horses. The process of digestion occur in their hindgut, which contains billions of naturally occurring bacteria and microbes. In order for this process to work properly, they need to drink a lot of water. Have specially adapted front incisors in the front of the mouth to bite grass and large molars in the back for crushing and grinding.
For the madbele people in Zimbabwe, zebras are extremely culturally significant icon of unity together. Often their beads feature the black of white strips of zebra which remind them of the community and togetherness.
Similarly the Basotho people of Lesotho believe the zebra represents the balance between nature and humanity.
Masai people of kenya believe that the zebra was once entriely white but the god Engai impressed by the zebra resislence, bestowed upon it black stripes as a symbol of strength and resilience
Giraffe
scientific name: Giraffa Giraffa
Group structure: Loose association
usually consist of 3-9 members.
Comes from xiraphhe which means one who walks swiftly
Hvae very powerful hearts weigh up t0 12 Kgs
They got bunch of capabiliries at the base of the brain which essentaily acts as a bllod sponge which slows down blood flow and effectively absorbs allow of the fluid.Have got 2 one way valves whihc essentalu restrcist the blood pressure.
peopel ogten will ask how giraafes calf not dies form the fall when injuring themself and it because giraffe are bron with their feet first by the time the head come out the fall is hort enough not to cause any major injuries
have long prehensal tongue up to 45 cm with a highly dectrouis upper lip which theyuse to get in between throns and minpulate the branches between them
Bull giraafes do npt develop terroty but rather etabils ahirachy amogmst themslef with the reqrd being the highest ranked male getting acess to females
Interesting it was previously believed that giraffes were socially fluid in nature with no lasting bonds between indiviudals. However recent research indicates that the giraffe groups are most likely to kin (strongest association between mothers and grown offspring).These groups seem to exisist in a more fluid society with groups of related females associating with each other or with males. Giraffe females have been observed leaving their creche, like structure in which they are cared for by another adult.
They are fairly silent creatures and communicate using a low humming sound which is beyond the normal range of human hearing
Cows also show distress signal following the death of another individual calf indicating that giraffe cooperate during breeding.
Giraffe females spend up to 30% of life in a post-reproductive state, this has led to what is known as the grandmother hypothesis. There are many scientific theories about why this is the dominant one, including the grandmother hypothesis and the repository of knowledge hypothesis. The grandmother hypothesis theorises that the reason why giraffe females spend so much of their life out of the reproductive state is to help raise successive generations the repsosiaty of knowledge hypothesis believes that they remain alive for long in this state to pass on knowledge to successive generations.
Recentely reaserch has indicated that Giraffes are capable of what is known as staistical reasoning. What is statistical reasoing? Every human being is born this ability. Imagine yourself going to a candy store and looking a bag jelly beans. In all likelood you woood chosse the bag with most amount of greem or jelly beans wha ver your gavoiute falovaour and ignore the bag the most amount hated jelly beans.This ability to discern and choose is what is known as statistical reasoning.The experiment was conducted using mixed boxes of carrots and zuchini. The griaffe in this experiemnt were know to love carrots and ahte zzuchini.Each time the goraafes were fed they were presented with boxes with more zuchini or more carrots.They immedaitely choose the box with more carrots and less zauchini.Every time varying the ratio of carrots and zuchini the griaffe were able to disguish which box had the most carrots
The Maasia people of Kenya
see giraffes as a symbol of gentleness and nobility. In some cultures their necks symbolise clear communications and the ability to see beyond immediate challenges. The Fulani people of West Africa believe that encountering a giraffe brings good fortune
Elephants
Get 2 species the savannah elephant and the forest elephant loxidanta afriacner and loxindanta cylotis The svanag elephant is the alrgest living land mammal in S. largets recorded tusk were recorede as waying 102 KG. The tusks are modified incisor. Never reach their maximum length due to wear and tear.Their large ears are used as signalling devices and will as cooling aids as a very venoius and thus bllod cool while flowing through them.Skin is viirtually ahir less excpet for a litlle bit at end of tail.They will usauuly take on the colouration of local soils and result of freuqent mud bathing and dust bathing.have four nail in front and juat 3 on back.occupy virtually all habitats across sub suran africa.Research indicate that 30 000 are killed every year and highly demanded species for their tusks
in wet season for grass is taken while more woody and herbasoius food is taken for in dry season.tusk are used to strip to bark and dig for roots,An evrage at about 150 kg of ffod and drink 100 to 200l of warer a day.Caary calf for 22 months.Highly socialble creature herd cosnsiting of an older matriach cow and her offspring.Adult males move freeley between matrichal herd seeking out the most recpetive cows.Young bull once they reach puberty will often leave group willnot mate until they usaully reach the age of 25.
Trunks have 1000 of muscle along which alow it to be highlu dectriuos.Specifcaaly it has highly straited raila muscles along its length for up and own movemnt.And helceltacla muscles for side to side movements.The helical and radial muscles working together is very evident when watching them rip clump of foliage off tree or eat grass clumps.Additionely trunk is extremely senstive due to extremely senstive hair which run up the trunk.Increbible acute hearing can hear yp 5 hz where as humans can only hear up to about 25 hz
Diceris biconis
fruqent wallowers
Horn are attched to skin not bone.occured virtuuaaly throigh South Africa .there umber of undergone a catarophic decline in numbers.They solitary animals.Males and female meet sometines to mate.At live in home ranges wich some time overlap with other black rhinos.depoist dung in midden areas or at radom through home range.Dung species of the 2 rhino species and disgned quite clearly as the is a broswer while the other is grazer.feeding usually takes place during the cooler daylight hours but alos at night.The hooter miday peroid is uaaluly spent in the shade .Horn used sometime to break off twigs and branches that are ually at reach of the mouth.Calf uassuly dropped at any paoint in the year.Calf usaaly walks alognside or behind mother .Calf is able uassly three hour after giving birth
certhuim cinum
Much gregaourous that than the black rhino with social groupsing usaaly consiting of dominat bull and young.Dominat bull will usaauly move out of area for 3 to 4 hour a day to drink.Dominate bull can be torleant of suborndiate bull bull if they do not show dominace behavoiur . Paths to waterhole are usaaly linear.Bull usaualy mark their terrotories withmdden kocated around their permiter of their teroties.Altough avoided in most cases fights of territories still do occur.Spraying of urine also used as terotical marking fuction.Most ffeding take place during daylight hour and at night
Selective graases with preference for short grasses.
Calf always walks in front of mother unlike black rhino in which the calf either walks alongside or in behind. The Calf can be dropped anytime of the year
Hippo
Hommptimus amphibus
ketsone species for waterwyas
Semi aquatic psecies spend most daylight hour in water .Emegre night to feed.ussualy ive in herd of up to 10-15 indivduals but solitary bull are not uncommon.Dominat bull will usaauly dened it terroity over intrider bulls
can be summerged for up to 6 minute run rapidly at the bottom of a water.mating usaully take place during the dry season
mating usaault atke place in watter gesation peroid is between 225 and 257 day.Lack weebing between feet for swimming Actauuly rubn onlong the bottom of dam amking pathways
When under water their pulse drops by 2 thirds allow them to exped less energy and far less feul for operation
Mate under water
Big teeth used for mating dsipalys showing off to woud be enenmies
Big teeth in front of mouth s inscosirs
Socail groups usaaly consit of a dominat male with a female.Howver just like elephants they will toerate other males along as thye are submiisve
African buffalo
Highly gregarious breeding herd. bachelor herd apart from the main herd. Know as dagga boy. Cows will create a dominant hierarchy among themselves. usually drink in the early morning and late afternoon. They are predominately grazers. In marshy areas, they sometimes eat reeds. Gestation usually in warm/wet season
dwarf mongoose
helogate parvula
Strictly diurnal and terrstrail. the group usually consist of 10 members..Trrops are territorial will defend against other troops.Each troop has a dominat female and a dominant male.With the rest of the colony with the younger animals ranked highest. Females are always dominant During ealry morning wil often find the sunbasking on rocks or logs.Most moongoes screation from anla and cheeck glands..Reproduction usaauly concides with the rainy season
Mainly eat insect but there have some evidence recorded of them eating fruit
Slender moongoose
Herpestes snaguinea
Both males and females establish and defend territories which have little to no overlap. Males form a coalition of up to 4 males and females solitary.Wide range of inveratbrates some wild fuit and berries
water mongoose
predominately active at night eat amphibians
solitayr animals
Banded mongoose
Highly gregarious with troop numbers up 5-30 members. Dinunaral and terrestrial. Insects
At night territorial family groups nest together in holes and trees
Male mainly resposible for terratorial defense
alothough feale do chase intruder off
will often take fruit pods like from the termlai pronides and hide them away some where in the ground and forget about them somewhere
Smith bush squirell
Warthogs
Live in matrical groups led group called sounders. male tend to form bachelor groups as they get older and willtmeparly associate wityh females when females are in oestrus
Kudu
Trehelaphus strepcerus
Pure prowsers favouring forbes
Prefer densely wooded thicket.Social structure gnerally family groups,bachelor herds which are found all year and soliatry animals.have large ear which are used for cooling and acute hearing.Depend haevly on hearing as defense from predators.Rarely fight but when there have een instance of male horns getting intertwined .This was recoreded by steven hamilston who was the first game ranger in teh kruger park. Male will sometime use their horn to bring browsing material bc=ack down to a managble levl
Blue wildebeests
Male are terotrail and us ethir preorbitaol gland and pedal gland.Femeale will roam freeley in males hered.If they like the habitat of males terroity they will proceed to mate with him.
Tree squirell
Family groups
withe male female and children
Hide feeds from tree and plant contribute to propationof plants/
Nyala
Nyala
Treagaphus angasi
Female live in small herd and males are solityary except for during the breeding season when they assocaite with females.Male can also form lossely associated groups of 2 to 3 but these are usauuly temporary.baabiesa re born away from the mopther group and will lie in thicket for 18 days or so.nyala breed all year.There is a major rut in janauary to may.Males take on the same colours as ewes when they are younger but grow blacker as they get older.Instrenstingly males will not change colour.manly due to lack andrigen production
waterbuck
Kobus ellipspritimus
Small herd of females ualluy roam and yound roam together .Sometime find the males with groupthese group although this only during the breeding season together.Male are terrorial.White M on back used as fllow me signal
Steenbok (Raphercerus campestris)
mate for life .Incredibly fsat antelope often able to outrun predatory animalsmMale usauuly have short stright sharp horns,Female dont usauuly ahve horns alouthough instance of this have been recoreded in the nothern and eastern bushveld..Very usnausly antelope and they bury their dung.
Grey duciker Slyvicapra Grimmia
Live singly or in pair in woodland
Male have hrons but female do not.When starled often leap in short bound.This belived to be the orgin for the wokr duicker which means diver Mostly eat new,shhot and fruit.But spmetime will consume meat in the form lizards eggs rodents and carrion (Decaying flesh if avaiable) if avaiable
