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World’s Largest Land Mammal

Posted by Gary on July 27, 2017 in Wildlife

African elephants stand 11 tall at the shoulders and weight upwards of 13,000 lbs. Their large ears help to radiate heat under the hot sun and flapping their ears is a form of communication of fear and joy with other elephants. Tusks (which are modified teeth) grow on both males and females. Like humans who lose their baby teeth, baby elephants lose their tusks when a year old and grow adult ones. Another elephant species include the Asian elephant of Southeast Asia. You don’t really appreciate how large these creatures are until you see them up close. (These pictures were photographed at Tampa’s Lowery Park Zoo.)

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Penguins in Africa?

Posted by Gary on July 19, 2017 in Uncategorized

Penguins conjure up visions of the frozen Antarctic with icy cliffs and subzero bitter weather. There is a species of penguin that lives along the southwest rocky coast of the African continent simply called the African Penguin. Like its Antarctic cousins, the African penguin nests in colonies numbering thousands of birds where it nests in the shelter of burrows and crevices. These small penguins feast on anchovies, sardines and squid in the cold waters off the African coast. These are one of the most endangered penguins having lost 60% of their population in the last 30 years.

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Angolan Colobus of Africa

Posted by Gary on July 16, 2017 in Wildlife

These black and white monkeys live in dense rain forests of African Congo River Basin and in eastern Africa in the coastal forests in Kenya and Tanzania. This species eats primarily leaves (and some fruit and flowers). Unlike other monkeys, this species does not have thumbs, an adaptation that enables them to be more efficient at climbing tree branches in the forest canopy. As with other species of wildlife, Colobus monkeys are threatened by habitat destruction and hunting.

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Guenon – Arboreal Dwelling Monkeys of African Forests

Posted by Gary on July 15, 2017 in Wildlife

The name Guenon includes 26 species of medium-sized monkeys of African forests and wetlands. Many have brightly colored patterns which helps identify the species. These monkeys eat plants, fruit and insects. These monkeys were photographed in Tampa’s Lowery Park Zoo.

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Gorillas at the Myombe Preserve, Busch Gardens Tampa

Posted by Gary on July 7, 2017 in Wildlife

Tropical vegetation, picturesque waterfalls and misty jungles transport you to Africa where silverback gorillas roam freely in a realistic habitat area. Gorillas seem to feel at home here eating plants and interacting with each other. These primates are large and powerful yet there is a human-like quality that connects us to them. These gorillas are critically endangered. Civil wars in the areas these gorillas live, habitat destruction and poaching decimate their populations. Hopefully, efforts to save these gorillas will work before we lose another species on this planet we call home.

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