Page 98 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - South Africa

96  WILD SOUTH AFRIC A

Southern Giraffe
Species: Giraffa camelopardalis • Best Seen:
Kruger, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi, Pilanesberg
LC
As the world’s heaviest ruminant and the
tallest land mammal, the giraffe is a
specialized canopy-feeder, browsing on
high-grade leaf foliage at heights of up
to 6 m (20 ft), though it will occasion ally
eat grass too. Giraffes typically move
in impermanent groups of up to
15 animals, with individuals often
leaving or joining at will; a herd may
be all-male, all-female or mixed in
compos ition. Males are significantly
larger in size than females, and often
engage in a form of behaviour called
necking – intertwining their necks and
heads and occasionally dealing out
heavy blows. This has various functions,
ranging from combat to a prelude to
homosexual mounting, which is
more frequent among giraffes than
heterosexual coupling. Females normally
have one calf, and give birth standing,
with the newborn dropping up to
2 m (7 ft) to the ground, then standing
Giraffes, the world’s tallest land mammal up and suckling within 30 minutes.
Common Hippopotamus
Species: Hippopotamus amphibius • Best Seen:
iSimangaliso, Kruger, Pilanesberg
VU
The most characteristic resident of
Africa’s rivers and freshwater lakes is the
common hippo, whose purple-grey
hairless hide, pink undersides and cheeks,
barrel-like torso and stumpy legs render
it unmistakable. Ears, eyes and nostrils
are placed high on the skull, allowing it
to spend most of its time submerged in
the shallows. It feeds terrestrially,
however, emerg ing between dusk and
dawn to crop grass with its wide mouth,
often rang ing far from water in the
process. The hippo is highly gregarious,
living in pods of up to 30 members,
and very territorial, with fights for
dominance between males often
resulting in seri ous injury or death.
Contrary to appear ance, the hippo
is highly mobile on land and can
easily attain a speed of above
32 kmph (20 mph). It can be very
dan gerous to humans, as it typically
heads straight to the safety of the
water when disturbed, mowing down
anything in its path. The communal
grunting of the hippo, a characteristic
sound at waterside lodges, can be
heard by day as well as after dark. Hippos are poor swimmers, tending to stick to shallow water
IUCN status EN: Endangered; VU: Vulnerable; LC: Least Concern

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