John Hemingway once said “If I have ever seen magic, it has been in Africa”, and it’s safe to say he was speaking the truth.
Africa is home to some of the most fascinating creatures on the planet. From gentle giants to little legends, every animal contributes to the continent’s magic. But there’s so much more to African wildlife than meets the eye (or the Insta feed). So, here are 11 wildly interesting facts about some African wildlife that’ll make you wanna book your safari trip right away.
1. Elephants can detect water from miles away
You’ve probably heard that elephants have impeccable memories, but did you know they’re also mother nature’s hydrologists? These gentle giants can smell water from about 12 miles (19.3 kms) away! That’s what you get when you have a super powerful trunk. In times of drought, they’ll even dig deep into dry riverbeds, creating makeshift wells that benefit other thirsty animals. How could anyone not love them?
Image source:Contiki
2. Lions sleep for up to 20 hours a day
Yup. That’s right. The king of the jungle, everybody. They spend most of their time sleeping. But obviously, nothing is coincidental in nature, and there’s a reason for it. Biologists believe that this behaviour is because they’re predators and need to conserve energy for hunting.
3. Giraffes on the other hand, sleep for only 30 minutes
Another fact about African wildlife & their sleeping patterns? Standing tall and proud at 19 feet, giraffes need only about 30 minutes of sleep at a time, and around 4 hours of sleep in a 24-hour period. This behaviour is because sleeping makes them easy prey. More interestingly, giraffes that live in zoos sleep for a couple of hours more than giraffes in the wild. Also, they almost always stand while they sleep. Weird, but okay.
Image source:Contiki
4. Crocodiles can live for over 100 years
The Nile crocodile is one of Africa’s deadliest reptiles, but it has another superpower – it can live to be over 100 years old. That means, some of these crocs have been around since before your great-grandparents were born. In fact, as a species, crocodiles have been around for 15 million years. They’re basically living fossils…
5. It takes 1.5 million wildebeest to create the world’s largest animal migration
Every year, around 1.5 million wildebeest, along with thousands of zebras and gazelles take the world’s longest (and most dangerous) road trip together – known as the Great Wildebeest Migration. It’s an epic 500-mile journey across Tanzania’s Serengeti and Kenya’s Maasai Mara, all depending on rainfall conditions. This also marks the best time to visit Africa if you love wildlife.
Image source:Harshil Gudka / unsplash
6. Termites may be tiny, but they make huge mounds
They’re not the stars of the safari, but they’re heroes of the African ecosystem. Termites can build towering mounds that reach up to 30 feet or 9.1 metres high (which is like a mega-giant skyscraper if you compare them to humans). Plus, they play an important role in soil health and decomposition. So the next time you’re on an African safari, you better salute these little legends.
7. Dung beetles navigate using the Milky Way
Nope, I’m not joking. Researchers believe that dung beetles use our galaxy as a reference to go in a straight line, and use the difference in brightness between different parts of the Milky Way to determine which way to go. But this also means that they lose this ability when it’s cloudy. Most unbelieve fact about African safaris?? I deffo think so.
8. Animals have VIP watering hole rules
Now this is a fact about African wildlife that most people don’t know. Turns out, there are strict VIP regulations to these social clubs. Elephants (of course) get first dibs. I think that might be because no one wants to fight an animal that weighs 12,000 pounds… And when they leave, it’s usually hippos, zebras, and finally the more skittish antelopes.
9. African penguins are also called… Jackass Penguins
If you’ve been to South Africa, you’ve probably seen the cutest penguins ever. But the noise they make? Not so cute. African penguins are nicknamed Jackass penguins because of the braying sound they make (which sounds a lot like a donkey…). Doesn’t really matter though, because we love these South African penguins to bits anyway.
Image source:Contiki
10. Meerkats are the Savannah’s Gossip Girl
Well, kind of. These lovely little furry creatures are usually busy digging and foraging for food. But there’s always one meerkat that stands on guard duty, scanning for danger and letting out alarms (that warns other animals and them) if a predator approaches. The screeching varies depending on the type of predator too! Safe to say, they’re in everyone’s business, but with good intentions.
