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The African Savannah is full of animals. You may have seen some of these animals before in pictures or in zoos, but it is nothing compared to the sight of them in their natural habitat. To experience this, book your trip to Africa today!

**1. Giraffe**


The giraffe is the tallest mammal in the animal kingdom. It is known for its dark brown patches, long neck and legs and height. There are nine subspecies of giraffes who all differ in size, colour, pattern, and range. They can be found all over Africa, from Chad to Niger to Somalia. They inhabit savannahs and grasslands with an abundance of acacia trees, an important food source for these loveable giants. They have an advantage in the sense that they can reach heights most other herbivores cannot, thus ensuring a steady supply of food.

2. Elephant


Elephants are land mammals with three species: the African Bush Elephant, the African Forest elephant and the Indian/Asian Elephant. Elephants are the largest living land animals, with newborn calfs typically weighing 230 pounds. The average lifespan is 50-70 years, and the oldest recorded elepant lived to be 82 years old! In Asian cultures, elephants are a symbol of wisdom as they are known to have very good memories and high levels of intelligence. Adult elephants have no natural predators, but many fall prey to human intrusion and poaching.

3. Zebra


Zebras are known for their black and white stripes. Each individual zebra has a unique pattern different from all others. They are social animals that like to live in large herds. There are three subspecies: the Plains zebra, the Grevy's zebra, and the mountain zebra. They occur in habitats such as grasslands, savannahs, woodlands, mountains, and coastal hills. Habitat destruction and hunting have had a serious impact on the zebra population, with two out of the three species being endangered. The question for you, is: are they black with white stripes or white with black stripes?

4. Lion


The lion is one of four big cats in the feline family. It is the second largest living cat, with some males growing to exceed 550 pounds. Habitat loss and conflict with humans has led to a 30-50% decrease in the population over the past two decades. Lions live on average ten to fourteen years in the wild and over twenty years in captivity. In the wild, males usually do not live longer than ten years as they sustain injuries from fighting. They prefer savannahs and grasslands. They are social animals compared to other cats, and females will usually hunt together. Male lions are easily recognized by their large manes and they are the most recognized animal worldwide.



The cheetah is also a part of the feline family and inhabits most of Africa and parts of the Middle East. They are the only feline with non-retractable claws and claws that do not allow gripping. This means that cheetahs cannot climb vertical trees. This does mean however, that the cheetah can achieve the fastest land speed of any living animal - between 112 and 120 km/h! Cheetahs have the ability to go from 0 to over 100 km/h in just three seconds. Talk about a fast cat!

Many animals sleep for most of the day. Below is a chart of some animals and the average daily hours they sleep.
 * ~ Animal ||~ Average Hours of Sleep ||
 * = Lion ||= 13 ||
 * = <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Cheetah ||= <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">12 ||
 * = <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Baboon ||= <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">10 ||
 * = <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Asian Elephant ||= <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">3.9 ||
 * = <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">African Elephant ||= <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">3.3 ||
 * = <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Giraffe ||= <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">1.9 ||

<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">Taken from:

http://www.africanfauna.com/ http://www.yowazzup.com/2008_02_01/animal-sleep-time-by-hours.html