Tag Archives: Africa

Dormouse

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Dormouse

The dormouse is very cute.

  • Dormice are small, furry mammals that are native to Europe and parts of Asia and Africa.
  • The dormouse has the scientific and family name Gliridae, that has also been known as Myoxidae and Muscadinidae, and includes 29 species.
  • Dormice can grow to be 6 to 19 centimetres (2.4 to 7.5 inches) in length, in addition to their long tail, and they can be 15 to 180 grams (0.5 to 6.35 ounces) in weight.
  • Dormice are rodents that are a similar shape to a mouse, although they have a furry tail.
  • Dormice have diets that mainly consist of vegetation, including fruit, nuts and flowers, along with insects, and they have many predators that include birds and mammals like cats, foxes and weasels.
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Dormouse
Image courtesy of Moscardino/Flickr
  • Dormice have a life span of up to five years, and females have litters one or two times a year, and on average have four mice per litter.
  • Doormice are mostly nocturnal, live in small groups mostly among trees and are good climbers.
  • The word ‘dormouse’ possibly comes from the term ‘dormeus’ or ‘dormir’, an Anglo-French word meaning ‘sleepy’, and the animal does have notably extended hibernation periods that can last longer than six months.
  • Dormice have been eaten historically by the Ancient Romans, as well as today by some cultures.
  • The fur of a dormouse can range from brown, tan, gold, white, grey or black in colour, and their whiskers are black.
Bibliography:
Dormouse, 2014, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/dormouse/
Dormouse, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dormouse

 

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Feathertop Grass

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Feathertop Grass

Tickle, tickle. Feathertop grass can tickle.

  • Feathertop grass is perennial grass native to northern Africa and part of the Middle East.
  • Feathertop grass has the scientific name of Pennisetum villosum.
  • Feathertop grass is from the family Poaceae, the family of true grasses, and the family is also referred to as the Gramineae family.
  • ‘Feathertop grass’ is also known as ‘feathertop’, ‘long-style feather grass’, ‘white foxtail’ and ‘purple squirrel tail grass’.
  • Feathertop grass grows to be 15 to 70 centimetres (6 to 27.5 inches) tall, and has thin green leaves.

Feathertop grass, white, clumps, invasive, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • Feathertop grasses have soft looking feathery flower spikes that are white to green coloured, and sometimes have a touch of purple, that turn a creamy yellow or white colour when they age.
  • Feathertop grasses are classified as weeds in some countries and states, including states of Australia, and can often be seen growing en masse in fields or paddocks, along the roadside and in other areas.
  • Feathertop grasses bloom mainly in summer, although the flower spikes can also be seen in spring and autumn.
  • Feathertop grasses grow from rhizomes and spread via underground root systems, cuttings, and seed dispersal through water and waste systems and wind, among others.
  • Feathertop grass is grown as a decorative plant in non-invasive areas, and prefer sunny conditions and warm climates.
Bibliography:
Feathertop, 2011 Weeds of Australia, http://keyserver.lucidcentral.org/weeds/data/03030800-0b07-490a-8d04-0605030c0f01/media/Html/Pennisetum_villosum.htm
Pennisetum villosum, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennisetum_villosum

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Spotted Hyena

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Spotted Hyena

“Cackle, cackle,” laughs the spotted hyena.

  • Spotted hyenas are mammals native to areas south of the Sahara Desert in Africa, and are found in woodland, desert and savannah habitats.
  • ‘Spotted hyenas’ are also known as ‘laughing hyenas’, and have the scientific classification of Crocuta crocuta and are from the family Hyaenidae, the family of hyenas.
  • Spotted hyenas grow to be 86 to 150 centimetres (34 to 59 inches) in length and weigh around 40.5 to 86 kilograms (89 to 190 pounds), and can run at speeds of 60 km per hour (37 miles per hour).
  • Spotted hyenas have short manes and fur coats of grey-brown to yellow-grey in colour, spotted with darker coloured spots.
  • Spotted hyenas can live up to 25 years in the wild, and females typically have litters of two cubs, sometimes three, and the cubs are born eyes opened and may attack fellow cubs at birth.

Spotted Hyena, Black, Hunt, Multiple, Three, brown, Africa, Ten Random Facts

Spotted Hyenas
Image courtesy of Steve Jurvetson/Flickr
  • Spotted hyenas live in clans of up to 80, living in dens often made by other animals and later deserted, and commonly with multiple adults and their cubs in a single den.
  • A spotted hyena’s diet mostly consists of animals of all shapes and sizes, and they are typically hunters, although they may occasionally scavenge, often hunting in small to medium sized groups.
  • Spotted hyenas typically compete for food with lions, with lions sometimes stealing their hunted food, and they may attack humans, out of threat or desperateness, but it is not common.
  • Spotted hyenas vocalise with sound including laughing, grunts, whines, squeals and whoops, among others.
  • Spotted hyenas generally consume all parts of an animal, including bones, horns, hooves, teeth, skin and fur, most of which is broken down by their internal organs.
Bibliography:
Spotted Hyena, 2014, National Geographic, http://animals.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/mammals/hyena/
Spotted Hyena, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted_hyena

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Mount Kilimanjaro

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Mount Kilimanjaro

Mount Kilimanjaro… not for the faint and weary!

  • Mount Kilimanjaro is a volcano mountain with three volcanic peaks, Mawenzi, Shira and Kibo, and the first two are extinct, while Kibo is dormant, and is located in Kilimanjaro National Park in Tanzania, Africa.
  • At 5,895 metres (19,341 feet), Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest African mountain and highest mountain that is free-standing on earth, as well as one of the largest volcanoes.
  • The name ‘Kilimanjaro’ of ‘Mount Kilimanjaro’ is often regarded to mean ‘Mountain of Greatness’, although ‘Kilima’ means ‘hill’,  while it also could be called ‘Mountain of Caravans’ or ‘Mountain of Light’, and is often spelt incorrectly as ‘Mount Kilamanjaro’.
  • The summit of Mount Kilimanjaro was first climbed successfully by German Hans Meyer, a geologist, and Austrian Ludwig Purtscheller, a mountaineer, and their team in 1889.
  • Mount Kilimanjaro covers an area of around 388,000 hectares (958,000 acres), and its summit can be reached by 7 official paths, taking around 5 to 8 days.
Mount Kilimanjaro, kibo peak, Africa, second mountain, ice, snow, volcano, Ten Random Facts
Mount Kilimanjaro
Image courtesy of Pius Mahimbi/Flickr
  • It is said that 6 to 8 people die on Mount Kilimanjaro every year, often caused by heart attacks, hypothermia, or altitude sickness.
  • Mount Kilimanjaro is the native home of the giant groundsel plant, among other vegetation found on the mountain, and in the forest areas, although seen rarely, there are honey badgers, primates, leopards, bush pigs, rodents, birds and bugs.
  •  Mount Kilimanjaro’s peak was originally covered by a glacier, although over 80% has melted, and it is said that the ice will possibly disappear by 2022 to 2033.
  • Mount Kilimanjaro is visited by approximately 35,000 people every year, and while no special skills are necessary to climb the mountain, many thousands never reach the summit due to altitude sickness, not being properly equipped, and lack of fitness.
  • In 2010, Spanish 22 year old Kilian Jornet became the record holder for the fastest two way climb of Mount Kilimanjaro, and completed the round trip in 6 hours and 29 minutes.
Bibliography:
Background Information on Kilimanjaro, n.d, Climb Mount Kilimanjaro, http://www.climbmountkilimanjaro.com/kilimanjaro-conquered.html
Mount Kilimanjaro, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Kilimanjaro

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African Buffalo

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African Buffalo

African buffalo are too unpredictable, so they have never been tamed.

  • African buffalo are stocky mammals, that look similar to cattle, and are native to areas south of Africa’s Sahara Desert.
  • ‘African buffalo’ are also known as ‘Cape buffalo’, ‘Congo buffalo’, ‘savanna buffalo’, ‘widowmakers’ and ‘black deaths’, and are included in Africa’s ‘big five’ game animals that are the most dangerous and difficult animals to hunt, and are considered more dangerous than African lions, leopards and elephants, and black rhinoceros that make up the other ‘big five’.
  • African buffalo have the scientific name of Syncerus caffer, being the only species in the genus, and are from the family Bovidae, the family of cloven hoofed (split into two toes) ruminants with non branching horns.
  • African buffalo can grow up to 1.7 metres (5.6 feet) in height, up to 3.4 metres (11.2 feet) in length, and depending on habitat, have a weight of 250 to 900 kilograms (600 to 2000 pounds).
  • There are four or five subspecies of African buffalo, and they typically have brown, black, brown-red or, if juveniles, red fur colour.

African Buffalo, Herd, Bull, Calf, Brown, Ten Random Facts, Grassland, Africa, Cape Buffalo

African Buffalo
Image courtesy of Harvey Barrison/Flickr
  • The inward curving horns of African buffalo can grow up to 150 centimetres (5 feet) long, although forest buffalo, the smallest of the buffalo subspecies, have horns half that length, and on the male buffalo, the base of the horns extend across the head to form a shield, called a ‘boss’.
  • The African buffalo diet consists mainly of grass, and they live in marshlands, savannahs, mountains, plains, grasslands and forests, in herds of 50 to 500 animals in savannah areas, and under 20 in forests.
  • African buffalo are preyed on by lions, cheetahs, crocodiles, leopards hyenas, and humans, although they are only hunted by the experienced, as they are highly dangerous when threatened or attacked, and many people are killed each year by the buffalo.
  • African buffalo make sounds of grunts, growls and other deep cow sounds.
  • African buffalo typically have litters of one calf, and have a life span in the wild of around 20 years, although they can live up to 29 years.
Bibliography:
African buffalo, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_buffalo
Quick Facts, 2013, Ultimate Ungulate, http://www.ultimateungulate.com/Artiodactyla/Syncerus_caffer.html

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Maidenhair Fern

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Maidenhair Fern

Keep up the water to your maidenhair ferns.

  • Maidenhair ferns are a group of ferns of which there are approximately 200 species.
  • Maidenhair ferns are from the family Pteridaceae, the family of ferns, and has the scientific name Adiantum.
  • Maidenhair ferns have soft textures and lacy appearances, although textures and appearance vary among the species.
  • Maidenhair ferns are generally green in colour with black or brown leaf stems, although the colours of the leaves can be variegated.
  • Maidenhair ferns are deciduous, grow from rhizomes, and reach up to 1 metre (3 feet) in height.

Maidenhair Fern, Green, Plant, Vegetation, Genus, Adiantum, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • Maidenhair ferns are typically used as an ornamental plant, both indoors and outdoors, and are often grown in pots, terrariums and hanging baskets.
  • Maidenhair ferns prefer a shady position in the garden, and if kept inside, then need to be grown in a well lit area.
  • ‘Adiantum’, the scientific name of maidenhair ferns, is from the Greek word ‘adiantos’, meaning ‘unwettable’, referring to the foliage of the plant that repels water.
  • Maidenhair ferns dry out quickly if not watered, but can be resurrected by cutting off dead branches and keeping the soil moist, and are not technically dead until green growth has not been seen for 18 months.
  • Maidenhair ferns are native to all continents except Antarctica, and grow best in moist habitats, particularly among rocks or near water features.
Bibliography:
Adiantum, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adiantum
Maidenhair Fern, 2006, Burke’s Backyard, http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/factsheets/Indoor-and-Potted-Plant/Maidenhair-Fern/2156

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