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Safari animal
conversation pieces
 Cape
Buffaloes
Don't let their resemblance to the water buffaloes that pull plows fool you.
These wild-and-grumpy members of the Big 5 are bigger and stronger than
those distant relatives.
 Cheetahs
They are the world's fastest animal. Cheetahs can accelerate from a dead start to
100 kph (60 mph) in seconds. However, they lack stamina.
 Unlike
lions, cheetahs
are daylight predators and hunt best in relatively open spaces, not dense bushscapes, which would slow them down.
Centuries
ago, people trained cheetahs to find and catch prey.
 Elephants
The
African elephant is the biggest animal on land and is noticeably larger than its
Asian counterpart.
If
you threaten or otherwise disturb these gentle vegetarians, they become
unpredictable and quite dangerous.
Their
trunk is strong enough to knock out a lion with a single swing (yet delicate
enough to pick up a peanut).
Elephants
are intelligent, have good memories, and enjoy a highly developed social
structure built on deep emotional bonds with fellow herd members.
 Giraffes
These long-necked mammals are the world's tallest.
Newborn
giraffes are 2 meters (6 feet) high.
To
drink, a giraffe must lower its shoulders by splaying its front legs.
To
fight, it kicks out its lethal sharp-hoofed rear legs.
 Hippos
They are herbivores.
They
eat on land, but spend most of their time in water to cool their bodies and
reduce the heavy weight load on their feet. Hippos
can stay submerged for about 5 minutes.
They
live in groups. Take
hippos seriously. They will attack if angered.
 Hyenas
They are the four-legged pests in the world of safaris.
Hyenas
usually travel in packs and relish scaring a lion, leopard or cheetah away from
its kill.
They
also do their own hunting and killing.
 Leopards
They are the most beautiful and graceful of the Big 5 - and are the hardest to
find.
After
making a kill, a leopard drags the carcass up a tree to keep hyenas and
other creatures from stealing the meat.
 Lions
Males weigh 200 kilograms (450 pounds) or more.
They can eat 25% of their
bodyweight during a meal.
You
cannot outrun lions - they sprint up to 55 kph (35 mph).
They
do most of their hunting nocturnally (they have splendid night vision).
Lions
have the most complex sociable structure among cats.
The
females of pride do the hunting and killing. The male's chief roles are to
father the cubs and guard
the territory. His dining reward is eating first (as females patiently observe
from a polite distance).
 Rhinos
Despite
their bulk, rhinos can speedily charge you - and will if they think you
are a menace.
They
can easily knock over a full safari vehicle.
Rhinos
make up for their poor vision with decent hearing and a sharp sense of smell.
The
black rhino is smaller than a white rhino. It's also more endangered.
 Wild
dogs
You won't find these back home. They hunt and kill in
packs.
Sometimes
they get their fill by driving lions and other predators away from their fresh
kills.
But
they are not total scavengers. They also hunt and kill.
 Wildebeests
These bearded creatures belong to the antelope family.
They,
along with zebras, are the leading participants in the annual Serengeti Migration.
During
this trek, lions prey on them, but their most harrowing moment is when they
cross the crocodile-infested Grumeti River.
 Zebras
They are related to the horse and almost as fast.
Zebras
have black stripes on a white skin, not the opposite.
The stripes help confuse a
chasing predator. Each
zebra has a distinct pattern.
Zebras
are a favorite food of the large predators.
Collective nouns
The noun "herd" is linguistically correct for some but not all safari species.
No need to worry, though. Go ahead and say "herd" when it sounds right to you.
No one is going to zap you. But if you are a purist, memorize these:
Coalition of cheetahs
Bloat of hippos
Cackle of hyenas
Leap of leopards
Pride of lions
Parliament of owls
Crash of rhinos
Pack of wild dogs
Dazzle of zebras
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