Buffalo animal

The buffalo is also known as the African buffalo and the cape buffalo, as the buffalo is found in large herds across Africa but the buffalo is more prominent in South Africa.

Although the buffalo and water buffalo (found in Asia) look very similar it not thought that the buffalo and the water buffalo are closely related. The African forest buffalo is a subspecies of the African buffalo but the forest buffalo is about half the size of the standard buffalo.

The African buffalo is one of the most successful grazers in Africa. The buffalo inhabits swamps and floodplains as well as the grasslands and forests of the major mountains of Africa. Buffalo can be found from the highest mountains to sea level areas, and the buffalo tends to prefer habitat with dense cover such as reeds and thickets. Herd of buffalo have also been found in open woodland and grassland.

Other than the human, the African buffalo has no real natural predators as the buffalo is able to easily defend itself using the buffalos sheer size and power. Lions, crocodiles, leopards and hyena are all amongst those animals that prey on the buffalo although they are usually only successful in catching the buffalo in large numbers.

The buffalo has a very unpredictable nature which, along with the size of the buffalo, makes the buffalo a severe threat to humans. There are numerous buffalo attacks on humans every year and the buffalo is thought to be one of the most dangerous animals in Africa behind the hippo and the crocodile. Because of this the African buffalo has not been domesticated unlike the water buffalo in Asia. 

Antelope animals

The antelope is a deer-like mammal found in Africa, Asia and parts of the Americas. There are many different species of antelope including the tiny Royal antelope that stands at the height of a rabbit!

Unlike deer that renew their horns annually, the antelope has strong permanent horns, that antelope mainly use to defend their herd or to fight other antelopes.

An antelope tends to get to between 8 and 10 years old in the wild although they have been known to live for longer when kept in captivity. Many antelope individuals however, wouldn\'t last into old age in the wild as antelope are a key target for many large carnivorous mammals. If the antelope was old then the antelope would naturally be slower at running from danger.

The antelope is one of the many medium-sized mammals holding the African food chain together. The antelope may only graze on grasses but it is a stable food source for many of Africa\'s large carnivorous predators, such as lions, hyenas and crocodiles.

Antelope display different defensive behaviours based on their size, habitat, number and species. The smaller solitary antelope tend to live in dense forested areas and these species of antelope defend themselves by hiding. The duiker antelopes get their name from this specie\'s ability to dive into the vegetation. Gazelle-sized antelope run and leap, and some species of antelope exhibit their unique behaviour of pronking or stotting. Large antelope congregate in larger herds and can depend on running as group defence.

The antelope is found in a wide range of habitats, typically woodland, forest, savannah, grassland plains, and marshes. Several species of antelope have adapted to living in the mountains and rocky outcrops, a few species of antelope have adapted to deserts (both hot and cold), and a couple of species of antelope are even semi-aquatic and these antelope live in swamps.

After mating, female antelopes give birth to a single calf or, more rarely, twins, after a gestation period that can last up to eight months. A mother and her newborn calf are vulnerable to predators, and antelopes have had to evolve different strategies for surviving this period. For most antelope species, the female gives birth in dense cover and leaves the calf while she feeds. The calf comes to its mother when she calls it, and once fed, the calf will hide away again. Once in its hiding place, the calf remains completely still and will run away only if it is on the verge of being discovered.

Anteater

 Anteaters are found throughout the Southern Hemisphere but are more common in Africa, Asia and parts of Australia. The name anteater is given to any medium size insect eating mammal such as the giant anteater, the collared anteater, the silky anteater, the spiny anteater and the echidna which is native to Australia.

The average anteater is nearly a meter in length although some species can be bigger (like the giant anteater that gets to nearly 2m long), where others can be smaller (like the silky anteater that only grows to around 30 cm).

The giant anteater is found in parts of central and south America where it inhabits grasslands, forests, jungles and even the lower mountain regions. The giant anteater is known to be able to consume more than 30,000 insects (mainly termites) every day!

The giant anteater is the largest of four anteater species and can be five to seven feet long from nose to tail. The giant anteater has a narrow head, a long nose, small eyes and round ears.

The giant anteater has coarse hair which can be grey or brown in colour, with a white-banded black stripe running along the giant anteater\'s body. The giant anteater also has a long, bushy tail which can be two to three feet long.

The giant anteater\'s front feet have large claws, which are curled under when the giant anteater walks. Although the giant anteater has poor vision the giant anteater is able to detect food using its keen sense of smell.

Despite their soft appearance, anteaters are more than ready to defend themselves against predators and have been known to become very aggressive towards them. Anteaters primarily use their powerful legs and long claws to warn off larger animals including cougars, jaguars and even humans.

Female anteaters give birth to a single baby after a gestation period of around 6 months. The baby anteaters spend their first couple of years with their mother and usually become independent when she is pregnant again. In order to remain safe from waiting predators on the ground, baby anteaters spend much of their nursing period clinging to the back of their mother.

Today, the giant anteater population numbers are declining mainly due to habitat loss and over-hunting by humans. Although considered vulnerable animals, the giant anteater is not thought to be in immediate danger of extinction but recent reports indicate that there may be less than 5,000 giant anteater individuals left in the wild.

Rabbit

Rabbits are small mammals found naturally in Europe South Africa, Sumatra and Japan. Rabbits are also often found in the desert regions of the Middle East where the rabbits inhabit the greener parts of the deserts where there is enough food and water for the rabbits to survive

Zebra

Zebra Classification and Evolution
The Zebra is a large species of equine that is nativly found roaming the grassy plains of sub-Saharan Africa. They are the largest and most distinctive wild horse with bodies that are patterned with white and black stripes, the exact placement of which is unique to each individual. There are three different species of Zebra that are found in Africa  which are the Common Zebra (also known as the Plains Zebra and the Burch ell's Zebra), the Gravy's Zebra (also known as the Imperial Zebra) and the Mountain Zebra. They are incredibly sociable animals that can travel vast distances in search of fresh grass and water but are severely threatened throughout much of their natural range due to increasing levels of human activity. Today, both the Gravy's Zebra and the Mountain Zebra are considered to be endangered species and although the Common Zebra is more widespread and numerous, there have been sharp population declines in certain areas.
 Zebra Anatomy and Appearance
Zebras are heavy bodied animals that are perfectly designed for speed with their long and slender legs and narrow hooves helping them to reach speeds of 40kph when running. In the same way as horse, they only have a single toe on each foot which they walk on the tip of and is protected by their tough hooves. Their black and white stripes are unique to each individual and help them to identify each other when in the herd. Zebras have long necks and heads that mean they can easily reach the grass on the ground and a mane that extends from their forehead and along their back to the tail. The pattern of their stripes varies between the species with Gravy's and Mountain Zebras having narrower stripes and white undersides, while the Common Zebra has broad stripes that cover it's entire body. The Gravy's Zebra is not only the largest of the Zebra species but is also easily identifiable by it's large, rounded ears.
Zebra Distribution and Habitat
Zebras are found inhabiting the open grassland and plains of East and Southern Africa where they spend almost of their time grazing on the grasses. The Common Zebra is the most numerous and has the widest natural range throughout East Africa where they are found roaming the grassy plains. The Mountain Zebra can be found grazing on the mountain grassland of South-West Africa, while the Gravy's Zebra is confined to the arid grassland and sub-desert steppe throughout Ethiopia, Somalia and in northern Kenya. Zebras have evolved to run incredibly fast so they are able to escape from dangerous predators and so rely heavily on the open plains for their survival. Although the Common Zebra has been least affected, all three species are at risk from population declines due to the loss of their natural habitats caused by by increasing levels of human activity.

African Civet

African Civet Classification and Evolution
The African Civet is a large species of Civet found across sub-Saharan Africa. The African Civet is the only remaining member in it's genetic group and is considered to be the largest Civet-like animal on the African continent. Despite their cat-like appearance and behaviours the African Civets are not felines at all but are in fact, more closely related to other small carnivorse including weaseles and mongooses. The African Civet is most well known for the musk that it secretes to mark it's territory (called Civetone), which has been used in the manufacturing of perfumes for centuries, and it's striking black and white markings, make the African Civet one of the easiest Civet species to identify