Meerkats: members mogoose family

Meerkats are members of the mongoose family. Mongooses have long bodies, four short legs and long tails.

The scientific name for meerkats is suricata suricatta. A full-grown adult meerkat weighs 2 to 3 pounds.

When it stands up straight on its legs, it is only about 12 inches tall. Meerkats are mammals. Mammals are warm-blooded animals with backbones. The body heat of warm-blooded animals stays about the same.

Meerkats live together in a large group with up to 30 members. Meerkats spend much of their time lying in the sun. They lie on their backs. Meerkats may do this alone or in groups. Meerkats live in southern Africa, in countries such as South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe.

Meerkats live in flat, dry parts of these countries and many meerkats live in parts of the Kalahari Desert, one of the biggest deserts in the world.
Meerkats: members mogoose family

Family Balaeniciptidae: Shoebill bird

Wild shoebills live in African wetlands. Perhaps the most eagerly sought of all African birds, the shoebill is one of the few that is likely to make an impression on those travelers who regard pursuing rare birds to be about as diverting as hanging about in windswept railway stations scribbling down train numbers.

Because of the size and weight of the bill, the bird has to have a very thick neck to support it. The shoebill has long legs and large toes that spread out to carry the bird on the plants that float beneath the surface of the water on the lakes and rivers where it lives.

The shoebill is the quintessence of the patient hunter an it can stand entirely motionless for more than 30 minutes by which time one can hardly resists the desire to poke it to see if it still alive.

Being solitary and inconspicuous hunters, Shoebill can be hard to find, even where they are common. When agitated or startled, it can fly long distances. Its name comes from the shape of its bill, which resembles a wooden shoe.
Family Balaeniciptidae: Shoebill bird

Chimpanzee

The chimpanzee is the species biochemically and genetically closest to humans. Chimpanzees are very smart and social animals. They belong to the group of mammals called primates.

Chimpanzees are found in western, central and eastern Africa. Most of them live in rain forest. But some chimpanzees live in drier grasslands and other areas. Everywhere, numbers are continually decreasing as a result of habitat destruction and hunting.

Being apes and not monkeys, chimpanzees lack a tail. Their arms are longer than their legs and their armspan is 50 percent longer than their height; the ratio is similar in humans.

Their feet are narrow and have a large opposable ‘thumb’ or big toe, which is used to improve grip when climbing and swinging through the treetops.

In semierect position, the chimpanzee walks on all fours. The arms are used for swinging. In walking, the animal leans on its hands propped by the knuckles and when it stands erect, its arm reach to just below the knees.

The life span is about 35 years and adulthood is achieved about 11 years. Chimpanzees feed on fruit, bird eggs and plant shoots.

Chimpanzees live in groups of about 15 to 120 individuals led by a male. They communicate with each other using facial expression, gestures and sounds.
Chimpanzee 

Leopard (Panthera pardus)

The scientific name of the leopard is Panthera pardus. The size of the leopard a close relative of the lion and tiger, varies from one part of its range to another. It is known for its spotted coat. Leopards are sometimes called panthers.

It is found in southern Asia through Central Asia and India into China, in parts of Arabia and in sub-Saharan and north eastern Africa.

The leopard can adapt to nearly any habitat, is usually nocturnal, and is said to have adapted better than other large cats to the human presence and activities.

They can feed in almost any type of prey and do not have very specific habitat requirements.

The male may be more than 6 feet (1.8 m) long, with a 3-foot (90 cm) tail and can weigh up to 200 pounds (90 kg).

The female is smaller and rarely exceeds 130 pounds (60 kg). The color and length of the leopard’s fur also vary with geographical location and with climate.

Most leopards have yellow fur on the back and white fur underneath. Dark spots cover much of the body. The size and spacing of the boots are different in different types of leopard.

Leopards are cunning hunters and possibly the stealthiest big cats. They are ambush hunters with means they like to stalk their prey first.

Then they pounce on to before the prey has a chance to escape.
Leopard (Panther pardus)