Wildlife

The buffalo is a large bovine and can weigh as much as 900kg. They are herbivores and grazers. They love to wallow in shallow water, ridding themselves of parasites, and providing them with a slight mud covering. They can live up to 25 years.

The impala,also known as the rooibok, is an antelope. It is a herbivore found grazing in
the savannas and light bushlands. An adult can grow up to 95cm height and weigh
up 75kg. Pregnancy lasts between 183 to 213 days (6 – 7 months).

Zebras areequines – belonging to the horse family – with Black and white striped coats
and black manes. They can run at speeds of 56km/hr to 65km/hr. They are
herbivorous and can be seen in the savannas / grasslands and light woodlands.
Males and females are the same size standing up to 140cm at the shoulder, and
can weigh up to 400kg. Pregnancy lasts 12 months.

The dassie is a rotund, furry, herbivorous mammal. They look similar to guinea pigs with
rodent like incisors. Adults weigh about 3kg, and are about 50cm long. Their
pregnancy lasts for 229 days or 6¹/₂ months.

The honeybadger is a weasel-like, aggressive, carnivorous animal. While the majority ofthe diet is carnivorous– they eat eggs, small rodents, snakes, birds and frogs - honey badgers also eat fruit,roots, and bulbs. Bee hives are preyed upon because the honey badger also likes
to devour the bee larvae and honey inside. The honey badger adult is 60 to 70 cm long and weighs between 8 to 12kg. Pregnancy lasts between 50 to 70 days.

 Tortoises are land-dwelling reptilesthat have a large shell on their back for protection. They are herbivores,and they live in diverse habitats. In Zambia we find the Pancake tortoise (which is endangered, and has aflat turtle-shaped shell) and the Leopard Tortoise. They can live between 80
and 150 years.

The Sitatunga is a marsh-dwelling antelope. They are herbivores feeding off fresh
and aquatic / water plants. They spend the hottest time of the day resting in
the shade of reeds on a platform of plants that they have circled and trampled.
It has elongated, splayed hooves enabling it to walk in marshy, swampy areas. Only
the male has horns which can have 1 to 2 spirals. The sitatunga can grow to a
height of 116cm and weigh up to 76kg. Pregnancy lasts for 8 months.

Bush Babiesare small nocturnal primates which spend most of their lives in trees. They areomnivores and feed on tree gum, insects,pods, flowers, leaves andeven small birds.

The kudu is an herbivorous antelope. The male grows long spiral horns while the female only
occasionally has small horns. Males can grow up to 150cm tall and can weigh up
to 257kg. Pregnancy lasts for 8 months.

 The bushbuck is an herbivorous antelopewith geometrically shaped white patches or spots on the most mobile parts of
its body — the ears, chin, tail, legs, and neck. Male bushbucks have horns. They can grow to 1 m tall andweigh up to 80kg. Pregnancy lasts 6 months.

The duikeris a small to medium-sized brown herbivorous antelope foundin heavily wooded areas.Although primarily herbivorous, they occasionally eat insects and lizards. They move stealthily, lifting each leg high, and often “freeze” inmid-stride. Only themales have short horns. Pregnancy lasts 4 to 7 months.

The lion is a large cat. It is carnivorous. The males have manes and are generally bigger
than the females. A lion can grow to 1.2m height (at the shoulder). It can run
at a maximum of 80km/hr in short bursts. Females do the hunting in prides, and
live between 15 to 16 years, whereas males live between 8 to 10 years in the
wild.

The mongoose is a weasel-like predominantly carnivorous, feeding on rats, eggs,
snakes and insects. They can run at about 30km/hr. They can grow to be 3 foot
long and weigh up to 5kg. They are considered to be endangered.

Porcupines are part of the Rodent family. Their coat of quills, which are black and white striped, protects them from predators. They can grow to about 100cm in length and can weigh up to 25kg. They eat roots, tubers and the bark of certain trees; they also eat meat and small reptiles or birds.

Vervets live in groups of from 10 to 70 individuals. The males move to other groups when
they become adults. They are primarily herbivorous monkeys with black faces
with a white fringe of hair and grey body hair. The females body length can
grow to about 40cm and the males toabout 50cm.

This hare African savanna hares are solitary, nocturnal animals. They rely on camouflage to stay hidden, but can run at up to 70 kilometres (43 mi) an hour . They feed mainly on grasses and herbs but also chew roots, shoots and bark and sometimes eat fallen fruit and occasionally fungi.