The cheetah, or hunting leopard, is the undisputed world's champion runner; may reach and maintain for 400 meters the speed of 110-120km/hr. Acinonyx jubatus is its Latin name. Same class, order and family as the lion; 70 to 80 cm high, about 2m long, does not weigh more than 65kg.
Gestation period; 3 months, with three or four cubs at a time. My live up to 15 years. Some consider this feline as halfway link between the cat family and the dog family. Its claws are not so retractable and the body shape is more suitable for racing than for a jumping attack, normal in felines. It can also be easily domesticated.
Favourite prey; gazelle. Even the exceptional speed of the gazelle is bested by the cheetah. This latter however does not like to waste its energy; its first step in the hunt is to climb to higher ground to watch a herd of gazelles, choose one showing signs of weakness, which will cause the poor thing's end. The cheetah (and generally all felines) does not play about with the victims as cats do. May be Mother Nature or past experience have taught that it is not wise to play with sharp horns or the powerful hooves of gazelles and antelopes.
Cheetahs are easy to spot as they will usually be occupying that vantage point, be it a small bump on the ground or the hood/bonnet of your safari vehicle. They are usually very trusting animals to humans and will not shy away from jumping on top of your van to take advantage of that higher than usual look out opportunity.
Hippo animal Africa
Hippopotamus amphibious is the Latin name of the hippo, which means river horse. Class; mammals; order: Artiodactyls. Length: 3-4 meters; weight: up to 4 tons. Gestation period; 230 days, with one young at a time. A hippo Lives up to 50 years. In the kingdom of hippos, in contrast with most other animal communities, it is the female which rules. The powerful male which wants to enter among the female group, must submit to a strange ceremonial; it must literally kneel down at the feet of the "ladies"!
The habitat of hippos is amphibious as its name implies. Although it spends most of its time in water, it feeds on grass. Its regular time underwater is about 5 minutes, but in case of danger it may stay even more than 10 minutes the thick hide is without hair and looks more like a layer of fat than a true skin. The fat is good protection against cold water. To be a spectator at one of their fights can be shocking, because the battle, unlike the usual pattern among animals, goes on until the loser is torn to pieces without mercy.
Maternal care for the young hippo is proverbial; when it gets out of the water to graze, the mother pushes, with her snout, the last born in front of her so as to have it always in sight. She makes the last-but-one follow her and so on until the end of the line of offspring, still needing protection. The young can provide an attractive, tasty meal for a number of predators. Even the crocodile can venture sometimes to catch a small hippo, but usually ends up by losing its own precious hide.
