LION (Simba): Lions live in open grasslands and sub desert areas. Females are grouped into prides and they stay within their home range. Males either live alone or in small groups. Lions rest or sleep for up to 20 hours each day. Lions are very powerful predators and a water hole is a favorite place for them to catch grazers off guard. The males rest while the females hunt!

GIRAFFE (Twiga): They live in dry savanna areas as long as there are trees. They are herbivores, or plant eaters, and spend most of their time browsing, nibbling on buds and leaves of the acacia tree. They are non territorial and live in large herds with males and females of all ages living together. Giraffes have no leaders or ranks in their herds. They are the tallest animal on earth, reaching heights of up to 17 feet. Their necks and their tails can each be over 6 feet long!

 

HIPPOPOTAMUS (Kiboko): They prefer living in swamps, lakes and ponds which are bordered by pastures. They are never found far from the water and spend most of the day cooling off in it. In fact, they might spend up to half of their lives floating around in lakes, rivers and ponds. In the evenings hippos munch on short grasses. They can eat up to 88 pounds of grass each day! Each hippo pool is defended by one male.

ELEPHANT (Tembo): They live in rain forests, montane forests, the forested savanna and sub desert areas. Their groups, or clans, are made up of mothers with their young offspring and grown daughters. Elephants can give birth anytime during the year, even during the dry season. African elephants have larger ears than Indian elephants. They use their large ears to fan themselves and to drive away flies. Both male and female elephants have large tusks. They use their tusks to dig for water during the dry season.

See More African Animals

See Other African Animals

 

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