Today’s elephants are a remnant species, the last of order Proboscidea. The order name refers to the proboscis – the trunk. There are two species, the African and the Asian (Elephas maximus), that have traditionally been accepted. All elephants are gray (though Asians often show de-pigmentation), but any elephant can look red or gray-green or charcoal because of a recent dust-bath.

Behavior

Adult elephants process about 300 pounds of plant material a day, but digestive efficiency is low. Elephants must have at least one foot on the ground at all times and they cannot jump, trot or gallop. A charge is a rapid, shuffling that looks like running on the fronts and walking in the back, at 11 mph. Standing on hind legs, elephants can reach very high with the trunk, and food-gathering is assisted by the dorsal and ventral trunk ‘fingers.’

Range

Scattered African elephant populations occur across sub-Saharan Africa. Preferring the more brushy Acacia woodland savannas, some frequent heavily forested areas and a few populations inhabit parts of the Kalahari Desert. They prefer to be near water, but well-worn paths cross some long distances from feeding areas to water-ways.

Diet

Wild – Elephants are herbivores that primarily browse, taking fruit when available.
Zoo – Oat grass, plus bamboo and tree browse, and various fruits and vegetables.

Adaptations

The trunk is obvious, but the short neck is often overlooked as the reason for having the trunk. The neck is short to better support the very heavy head. The head is not as heavy as it might be, because the skull around the brain is not solid. It is laced with sinuses, air bubbles that add size but not weight. Elephants are indeterminate in growth. Even a geriatric bull is adding millimeters to his size every year. The fact that the cheek-teeth come in sequentially instead of vertically (as human teeth do) allows the ever-growing jaw to always accommodate teeth of suitable size. The teeth progress along the jaw in a conveyor-belt manner, each moving forward as the one in front wears out and is either spit out or swallowed. The 6th and final tooth in each quadrant is the size of a large loaf of bread and will last 30 or more years.

Breeding & Growth

Gestation is 22 months, and the single calf is very small, seldom over 200 pounds. The cow will move a short way away from the herd to deliver and the calf must stand within minutes of birth. They must quickly rejoin the herd. The new calf will suckle within the hour but will take days to ‘gain control’ over its trunk. The development of an elephant over its life can be compared to that of humans. A teenager is a teenager, and wisdom lies with the elderly. Elephant societies are matriarchal, the oldest (most knowledgeable) females leading the extended family groups.

Considered a ‘big cat’ only because it is tall, the Cheetah is actually the same overall size as our Cougar (Felis concolor). Cats, generally, are obviously longer than they are tall, with powerfully muscular legs. The Cheetah is ‘square’ – the same height to the withers as it is long (from chest to rump). Elements of the legs are long and lean, especially the radius/ulna, tibia/fibula, metacarpals (the palm) and metatarsals (the ‘foot’). The skull is about the same size as the Cougar, but is slightly more domed, back to front. The tail is long enough to touch the ground with the Cheetah standing. Although a cub’s claws can, to some degree, retract, adult Cheetah claws do not retract and are, therefore, blunted. Males are slightly larger than females, but with no other sexual dimorphism.

Range

Cheetahs need wide expanses of grassland. Gallery forest and heavy brush interfere with their ability to run. Cheetahs do well in more arid habitats. They occur in the band of Sub-Saharan savannah that stretches across northern Africa, down the eastern grasslands south of Somalia and across southern Africa westward into the Kalahari Desert region. There is a small population near the mouth of the Red Sea, in Ethiopia, and another that may still exist at the southern end of the Caspian Sea, in Iran.

Diet

• Wild – Cheetahs generally take hoofed mammals of less than 90 pounds (gazelle to young wildebeest). They also take small prey such as hares, warthogs and birds.
• Zoo – Feline diet, plus beef, rabbits and chicks.

Coloration

Cheetahs are tawny yellow with black thumb-print spots. All Cheetahs have a black eye-stripe down the cheek to the corners of the mouth. The belly fur is usually white, as is the very tip of the tail. Cheetah cubs have long white hairs that run in a crest down their backs. As with any animal species, genetic mutations may produce aberrant colors and patterns.

Behavior

Cheetah are tall, they are not big cats. They are about the same size, over all, as the Mountain Lion (a.k.a. Cougar, Felis concolor). They must be secretive because these solitary cats have few of the adaptations that other cats have. They have difficulty defending themselves or their cubs against such antagonists as lions, leopard or hyena all of which would steal the Cheetah’s prey or kill Cheetah cubs, if the opportunity arose.

Adaptations

The Cheetah is, indeed, the fastest animal on land. It is said that the Cheetah can accelerate faster than most cars. National Geographic says “0 to 60 in only 3 seconds.” The thing more amazing than their speed is their agility. Cheetah can make quick, sudden turns, during prey-pursuit, and that is dependent upon the use of the long tail. The Cheetah will whip the tail side to side in order to maintain balance in a sharp turn.

The Cheetah’s keen binocular vision picks up the slightest movement as they scan the grassland. Its spotted coat keeps it well camouflaged while lounging under a bush, and its shape and coat-color allow it to meld into tall, dry grasses. Prey is approached with stealth, the timing must be perfect. The chase is usually over in less than a minute, and the Cheetah expends a great deal of energy in that short time. In fact, the Cheetah cannot really run longer than about 2 minutes because its body temperature rises very rapidly during such exertion. Even when a kill is made, the Cheetah must pant to cool itself down before eating.

Built like a greyhound, the Cheetah’s back flexes and extends, as it runs, so that its hind feet far surpass the front legs before hitting the ground to begin the next thrust and stride. As it runs, the Cheetah’s head hardly moves from level, its focus is to match the prey animal’s every move. It has no grappling-hook claws with which to grab, it cannot even supinate its paw [turn it palm-up] as other cats can. The Cheetah is a pursuit hunter, not a lie-in-wait hunter, and it must breast the fleeing quarry and trip it knocking the prey down is the only way to stop it.

When the prey falls, it is equally amazing that the Cheetah goes from 60 to stop almost instantly, as it grabs the prey in the choke-hold necessary to dispatch it. Once the kill is made, the Cheetah tries to conceal the fact by dragging it into hiding. Other hunters, like an observant lion, will move toward the action as soon as a Cheetah starts its run. Cheetahs are usually successful (once they start a run) and it is easier for the lion to take that kill than to capture prey itself.

Breeding & Growth

Cheetah are generally solitary, although brothers may stay in a group called a coalition. Breeding is usually timed so that the cubs will be born at the beginning of the wet season … their survivability is greater (50% of all cubs born will die before they are 3 months old – starvation or predation). The typical litter is 3 altricial cubs. Cub eyes will open at about 10 days, but they will stay in seclusion for several more weeks. At 3 or 4 months they will begin to follow their mother and share her kill. In fact, the cubs usually eat first because the huntress must pant to cool down after the run and the kill cannot be lost to thieves. Cubs will stay with her for as much as 2 years. They have much to learn. Wild longevity is about 12 years but Cheetah may reach 17 or more in captivity.

The cubs demonstrate an adaptive coloration feature. Newborn cubs are blue-gray to black, with a crest of white hair down their backs. This color pattern is does resemble the fierce mustelid predator called the Ratel, or Honey Badger (Mellivora capensis). The color fades to the well-known spotted coat as the cubs become more capable. Although the hypothesis has never been tested, the illusion of ‘Honey Badger’ may well protect the youngsters from predation in certain instances. Even the largest predators are loathe to face a Ratel.

The white rhinoceros is the largest species of rhinoceros and the world’s largest land mammal after the elephant. They have a massive body and large head, short neck and broad chest. Rhinoceros weight typically ranges from 3,000-8,000 lb. On its snout it has two horn-like growths, one behind the other, which are made of solid keratin called agglutinated hair. The front horn is larger and averages 35 inches in length.

The white rhinoceros also has a noticeable hump on the back of its neck. Each of their four stumpy feet has three toes. The color of the body ranges from yellowish brown to slate grey. There is no apparent hair on their bodies except ear fringes and tail bristles. White rhinos have a distinctive broad, straight mouth which is used for grazing. (Black rhinos are browsers.)

Adult white rhinos have no natural predators (other than humans) due to their size. All rhinoceros are under threat from habitat loss and poaching for their horn.

Range

White rhinoceros are found in the grassland and savannah habitat of southern Africa, primarily on reserves or in national parks. Like all other species of rhinoceros, they have been greatly reduced in numbers.

Diet

White rhinoceros are herbivore grazers that eat grass, preferring the shortest grains. They drink twice a day if water is available, but if conditions are dry they can live four or five days without water.

Behavior

White rhinoceros are the most social of all rhino species. They live in crashes or herds of up to 14 animals, usually mostly female. Most adult bulls are solitary. They spend about half of the day eating, a third of the day resting, and love wallowing in mud holes to cool down. The white rhino is quick and agile and can run up to 30 mph from an almost standing start.

Adaptations

White rhinoceros ears can move independently to pick up sounds, but they depend most of all on smell. The olfactory passages which are responsible for smell are larger than their entire brain. The white rhinoceros has the widest set nostrils of any land based animal.

Breeding & Growth

A single calf is born after a gestation period of 16-18 months. Calves weigh between 88-140 lb and are unsteady for their first 2-3 days of life. When threatened, the baby will run in front of the mother, who is very protective of her calf and will fight for it vigorously. White rhinos can live to be up to 40-50 years old.

Both the legs and neck of the animal are extremely elongate. The body is short-coupled and the back is sloped upwards from the tail to the base of the neck. There are two ossicones, known by most as “horns” on the skull and a large bump in the middle of the forehead. The eyelashes are quite long and thick.

Diet

• Wild – Giraffes are browsers, taking leaves and shoots of Acacia and other trees and shrubs. The only competition that the giraffe has for food is the elephant.
• Zoo – Alfalfa, omolene, tree browse and grain.

Coloration

All Giraffes are mottled tan and cream to distinct orange or dark liver blotches on a white background. The various subspecies are told by the size and shape of the dark blotches. The edges of the blotches on the Reticulated Giraffe tend to be straight, like cut paper, while those of the Masai Giraffe look like torn paper. Rothchild’s are like the Masai but with a darker center on each spot. The eyes are a dark brown and the mane, ossicone tassels and long tail tassel are black.

Behavior

Sociable by nature, Giraffes live in loose groups but do not form permanent herds. Adult males, called bulls, have an identifiable pecking order that is established through a ritual of neck wrestling. Females, called cows, move in and out of various groups, and generally hang together more for the watchfulness of others against predators than for companionship. Giraffe very seldom graze, for the same reason that they take great precautions when drinking. Their necks, long as they are, are not long enough to reach the ground. Giraffes must spraddle their legs, or buckle them in a very ungainly manner in order to drink. They must be quite certain that there are no predators around before lowering themselves into such a vulnerable position. Their long necks offer an excellent field of view but they depend on the alarm of others when drinking. If they need to defend themselves, they can run 30 mph, with a stride speed of 25 or more feet.

Adaptation

Giraffes have an extraordinary circulatory system. For instance, they have the highest known blood pressure but, interestingly enough, the blood pressure to the brain drops when the giraffe lowers its head. The blood vessels in the giraffe’s neck are extra heavy – thick walled – in order to withstand the great pressure without a blowout. A giraffe’s long neck has the same number of vertebrae, as most mammals, seven, but each is disproportionately long. Giraffes are ruminants, like cows, with a multi-chambered stomach. The giraffe has a 19-20 inch prehensile tongue that enables the animal to pick shoots and leaves from between the very long thorns of the acacia trees. They have tough mouths and copious amounts of viscous saliva to deal with large thorns.

Breeding & Growth

Females bear one calf that will stay with the mother until the next calf is born, and will often hang out with them for the next year. The calf is about 6 feet tall at birth. The legs of adult giraffes are about 6 feet long to the belly (elbows and knees) so the calf must be that tall to reach the udder for its milk. The calf’s neck is quite short, relatively, but it elongates rather quickly over the calf’s first few months. Giraffe cows deliver standing up. The calf’s front toes appear first, the long legs following, with the neck and nose laid along those legs.

The calf may hang, suspended from the waist for what seems an interminably long time and then whoosh. The cow squats and the calf slips out and slams, splat on its side. The fall is actually only about 3 feet. The shock causes a sudden inhalation and breathing begins. The cow will lick the newborn and it soon raises its head on a wobbly neck. A normal calf stands within about 20 minutes and can run within hours. Giraffes were once thought to be mute, but they do make a soft lowing, especially when with the calf.