Wild Animals and Survival Techniques
Wild Animal Profiles
African Elephant |
Mammal. The largest living land mammal, the African elephant weighs 3500 to 7000 kilograms (3.5 to 7 tons) and stands 3.4 meters (11 feet) high. The elephant's remarkable trunk serves variously as a nose, arm, hand, foot and multi-purpose tool. The trunk is strong enough to uproot a tree and delicate enough to pick berries, and it enables the elephant to reach as high as 7 meters (23 feet). Humans can hear only 20% of the vocal sounds an elephant makes; 80% are on low frequencies that are inaudible to our ears. Elephants can walk up to 40 kilometers (25 miles) per hour but cannot jump or run. They are very good swimmers. | Scientific Name | Lifespan | Loxodonta africana | 60 to 70 years | Diet | Herbivore. They graze and browse, eating up to 224 kilograms (600 pounds) of food a day consisting of grass, shoots, bark, buds of trees and shrubs, fruits, and vegetables. They drink 114 - 189 liters (30 - 50 gallons) of water per day. | Predators and Threats | Humans; lions, wild dogs, crocodiles, and hyenas will prey on elephant calves. | Habitat | Savannah, dense forests to open plains; widely distributed throughout central, western and eastern Africa, south of the Sahara, with the forest elephant inhabiting the rainforests of the Congo basin. |
African Lion |
Mammal. Male lions are the only cats with tufted tails and manes. They can reach a length of 2.5 meters (8 feet) and a height of 1.2 meters (4 feet). Unlike most other cat species, lions are very social animals. They live in an extended family called a “pride,” that is made up of about 15 individuals, centered around a group of related females. The pride's social system is based on cooperation and division of labor. By hunting together, the pride can catch prey that could outrun a single lion. Despite their vast differences from house cats, lions do clean themselves, like to rub on things, and are known to chase their own tails. |
African Elephant |
Mammal. The largest living land mammal, the African elephant weighs 3500 to 7000 kilograms (3.5 to 7 tons) and stands 3.4 meters (11 feet) high. The elephant's remarkable trunk serves variously as a nose, arm, hand, foot and multi-purpose tool. The trunk is strong enough to uproot a tree and delicate enough to pick berries, and it enables the elephant to reach as high as 7 meters (23 feet). Humans can hear only 20% of the vocal sounds an elephant makes; 80% are on low frequencies that are inaudible to our ears. Elephants can walk up to 40 kilometers (25 miles) per hour but cannot jump or run. They are very good swimmers. | Scientific Name | Lifespan | Loxodonta africana | 60 to 70 years | Diet | Herbivore. They graze and browse, eating up to 224 kilograms (600 pounds) of food a day consisting of grass, shoots, bark, buds of trees and shrubs, fruits, and vegetables. They drink 114 - 189 liters (30 - 50 gallons) of water per day. | Predators and Threats | Humans; lions, wild dogs, crocodiles, and hyenas will prey on elephant calves. | Habitat | Savannah, dense forests to open plains; widely distributed throughout central, western and eastern Africa, south of the Sahara, with the forest elephant inhabiting the rainforests of the Congo basin. |
African Lion |
Mammal. Male lions are the only cats with tufted tails and manes. They can reach a length of 2.5 meters (8 feet) and a height of 1.2 meters (4 feet). Unlike most other cat species, lions are very social animals. They live in an extended family called a “pride,” that is made up of about 15 individuals, centered around a group of related females. The pride's social system is based on cooperation and division of labor. By hunting together, the pride can catch prey that could outrun a single lion. Despite their vast differences from house cats, lions do clean themselves, like to rub on things, and are known to chase their own tails. |