Fauna of Africa Reference Libraries
The Sitatunga or Marshbuck (Tragelaphus spekeii), is a swamp-dwelling antelope found throughout Central Africa centering on the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Botswana and in Zambia. Sitatunga live in papyrus swamps and are very good swimmers. They may take to the water to evade predators such as leopards or wild dogs, lying submerged in pools with only their nostrils above the surface....
The Lechwe (Kobus leche), is a species of antelope found in Okavango Delta of Botswana, the Kafue Flats and Bangweulu Swamps of Zambia, and the very southeast of Democratic Republic of the Congo. Lechwe are found in marshy areas where they eat aquatic plants. They use the knee-deep water as protection from predators. Their legs are covered with water repelling substance allowing them to run...
The Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata), is a pangolin that is found in many parts of India. Like other pangolins, it has large, overlapping scales on the body which act like armor. It can also curl itself into a ball as self defense against predators such as the Tiger. It is an insectivore and feeds on ants and termites, digging them out of their mounds using its long claws that are as long...
The Bushpig (Potamochoerus larvatus), is a member of the pig family that lives in forest thickets, wetland vegetation and reed beds close to the water in Africa. Still distributed over a relatively wide natural range, the bushpig occurs from Somalia to eastern and southern former Zaire and southwards to Cape Province and Natal in South Africa, having probably been introduced on Madagascar,...
The Sumatran Rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis), is the smallest of the rhino species. It also has the most fur of any other rhinos, which allows it to thrive at very high altitudes in Borneo and Sumatra. The Sumatran Rhinoceros once inhabited a continuous distribution as far north as Myanmar and eastern India; however poaching has made it extinct in Thailand and Vietnam, while it has not...
The Indian Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), also known as the Great One-horned Rhinoceros, is a large mammal found in Nepal and in Assam, India. The rhino once inhabited areas from Pakistan to Burma and may have even roamed in China. But because of human influence their range has shrunk and now they only exist in small populations in northeastern India and Nepal. These rhinos live in tall...
The Topi (Damaliscus lunatus), also known as the Tsessebe, Tiang or Korrigum, is an antelope found in Sudan, Chad, Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa. It lives in savannah and floodplain where it eats mainly grasses. Topi can reach over forty miles per hour when frightened and will sometimes jump over each other to get away from a threat. They have the reputation of being the fastest of all...
The Hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus), is a grassland antelope found in West Africa, East Africa and Southern Africa. Hartebeest live in grassland and open forest where they eat grass. They are diurnal and spend the morning and late afternoon eating. Herds contain five to twenty individuals but can occasionally contain up to three hundred and fifty. The Hartebeest stands nearly 60 inches...
The Chinkara (Gazella gazella bennetti), also known as the Indian Gazelle, is a species of gazelle found in South Asia. It lives in grasslands and desert areas in India, Pakistan, and parts of Iran. The population of Chinkara is declining due to being hunted for game. Indian film star Salman Khan was sentenced to a 5 year imprisonment for hunting and killing several chinkaras and blackbucks....
The Springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis), is a small gazelle found in south and southwestern Africa. Its range includes the countries of Namibia, Botswana, Angola and the Republic of South Africa. They used to be very common, but are declining in numbers due to the increase in hunting and habitat turned into farmland. They remain common on private facilities and nature reserves and parks. The...
