Scott Hanko
Nile Lechwe, Marabou Stork, Shoebill,Hippopotamus and Mongalla Gazelle
The Nile Lechwe (Kobus megaceros) is an endangered species of antelope found in floodplains in Southern Sudan and far western Ethiopia.
Nile Lechwe stand 90 to 100 centimetres at the shoulder and weigh from 70 to 110 kilograms. Females are golden-brown with a white underbelly and no horns. Males are chocolate brown to russet with a white 'hood' over the shoulders and small white patches over the eyes. They have long ridge structured horns which are vaguely 's' shaped in profile.
Nile Lechwe are found in marshy areas where they eat aquatic plants. Nile Lechwe are crepuscular, they are active in the early morning and late afternoon. They gather in herds of up to fifty females and one male or in smaller all male herds.
During mating season, young males bend their horns to the ground as if to poke the earth. Then they urinate onto their long throat and cheek hair. These males will roll in the feces of other males, and sometimes devour it. Males fight in the water, their heads submerging in horn-to-horn combat. These contests are usually short and violent. Females are quite loud, making a toad-like croaking when moving.
The wild population is estimated at 30,000 to 40,000 animals
The Marabou Stork, Leptoptilos crumeniferus, is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It breeds in Africa south of the Sahara, occurring in both wet and arid habitats, often near human habitation, especially waste tips. It is sometimes called the "undertaker bird," due to its shape from behind: cloak-like wings and back, skinny white legs, and sometimes, a large white mass of "hair."
The Shoebill , Balaeniceps rex, also known as Whalehead, is a very large stork-like bird. It derives its name from its massive shoe-shaped bill.
The adult bird is 115–150 cm (45–60 in) tall, 100–140 cm (40–55 in) long, 230–260 cm (91–125 in) across the wings and weighs 4 to 7 kg (8.8-15.5 lbs). The adult is mainly grey while the juveniles are browner. It lives in tropical east Africa in large swamps from Sudan to Zambia.
The hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" (ἱπποπόταμος), is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae (the other is the Pygmy Hippopotamus.) After the elephant, the hippotamus is the largest land mammal and the heaviest extant artiodactyl, despite being considerably shorter than the giraffe.
The hippopotamus is semi-aquatic, inhabiting rivers and lakes where territorial bulls preside over a stretch of river and groups of 5 to 30 females and young. During the day they remain cool by staying in the water or mud; reproduction and childbirth both occur in water. They emerge at dusk to graze on grass. While hippopotamuses rest near each other in the water, grazing is a solitary activity and hippos are not territorial on land.
Despite their physical resemblance to pigs and other terrestrial even-toed ungulates, their closest living relatives are cetaceans (whales, porpoises, etc.) from which they diverged about 55 million years ago. The common ancestor of whales and hippos split from other even-toed ungulates around 60 million years ago.[4] The earliest known hippopotamus fossils, belonging to the genus Kenyapotamus in Africa, date to around 16 million years ago.
The hippopotamus is recognizable by its barrel-shaped torso, enormous mouth and teeth, nearly hairless body, stubby legs and tremendous size. It is the third-largest land mammal by weight (between 1½ and 3 tonnes), behind the white rhinoceros (1½ to 3½ tonnes) and the three species of elephant (3 to 9 tonnes). The hippopotamus is one of the largest quadrupeds (four legged mammals).[5] Despite its stocky shape and short legs, it can easily outrun a human. Hippos have been clocked at 30 km/h (19 mph) over short distances. The hippopotamus is one of the most aggressive creatures in the world and is often regarded as one of the most dangerous animals in Africa. There are an estimated 125,000 to 150,000 hippos throughout Sub-Saharan Africa; Zambia (40,000) and Tanzania (20,000–30,000) possess the largest populations. They are still threatened by habitat loss and poaching for their meat and ivory canine teeth.
The Mongalla Gazelle (Eudorcas albonotata) is a species of gazelle found in the floodplain and savanna of southeastern Sudan. It was formerly treated as a subspecies of the well-known Thomson's Gazelle. Like the Thomson's Gazelle, it follows an annual migratory cycle.
The Mongalla gazelle is rather safe from extinction compared to other species, due to its harsh habitat, which makes exploitation and poaching difficult. Even though it has a very narrow range, being restricted to southeastern Sudan, it exists in high densities and there are currently 100,000 to 278,000 individuals left in the wild.
Hall of African Mammals
American Museum of Natural History, New York City, NY.
Nile Lechwe, Marabou Stork, Shoebill,Hippopotamus and Mongalla Gazelle
The Nile Lechwe (Kobus megaceros) is an endangered species of antelope found in floodplains in Southern Sudan and far western Ethiopia.
Nile Lechwe stand 90 to 100 centimetres at the shoulder and weigh from 70 to 110 kilograms. Females are golden-brown with a white underbelly and no horns. Males are chocolate brown to russet with a white 'hood' over the shoulders and small white patches over the eyes. They have long ridge structured horns which are vaguely 's' shaped in profile.
Nile Lechwe are found in marshy areas where they eat aquatic plants. Nile Lechwe are crepuscular, they are active in the early morning and late afternoon. They gather in herds of up to fifty females and one male or in smaller all male herds.
During mating season, young males bend their horns to the ground as if to poke the earth. Then they urinate onto their long throat and cheek hair. These males will roll in the feces of other males, and sometimes devour it. Males fight in the water, their heads submerging in horn-to-horn combat. These contests are usually short and violent. Females are quite loud, making a toad-like croaking when moving.
The wild population is estimated at 30,000 to 40,000 animals
The Marabou Stork, Leptoptilos crumeniferus, is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It breeds in Africa south of the Sahara, occurring in both wet and arid habitats, often near human habitation, especially waste tips. It is sometimes called the "undertaker bird," due to its shape from behind: cloak-like wings and back, skinny white legs, and sometimes, a large white mass of "hair."
The Shoebill , Balaeniceps rex, also known as Whalehead, is a very large stork-like bird. It derives its name from its massive shoe-shaped bill.
The adult bird is 115–150 cm (45–60 in) tall, 100–140 cm (40–55 in) long, 230–260 cm (91–125 in) across the wings and weighs 4 to 7 kg (8.8-15.5 lbs). The adult is mainly grey while the juveniles are browner. It lives in tropical east Africa in large swamps from Sudan to Zambia.
The hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" (ἱπποπόταμος), is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae (the other is the Pygmy Hippopotamus.) After the elephant, the hippotamus is the largest land mammal and the heaviest extant artiodactyl, despite being considerably shorter than the giraffe.
The hippopotamus is semi-aquatic, inhabiting rivers and lakes where territorial bulls preside over a stretch of river and groups of 5 to 30 females and young. During the day they remain cool by staying in the water or mud; reproduction and childbirth both occur in water. They emerge at dusk to graze on grass. While hippopotamuses rest near each other in the water, grazing is a solitary activity and hippos are not territorial on land.
Despite their physical resemblance to pigs and other terrestrial even-toed ungulates, their closest living relatives are cetaceans (whales, porpoises, etc.) from which they diverged about 55 million years ago. The common ancestor of whales and hippos split from other even-toed ungulates around 60 million years ago.[4] The earliest known hippopotamus fossils, belonging to the genus Kenyapotamus in Africa, date to around 16 million years ago.
The hippopotamus is recognizable by its barrel-shaped torso, enormous mouth and teeth, nearly hairless body, stubby legs and tremendous size. It is the third-largest land mammal by weight (between 1½ and 3 tonnes), behind the white rhinoceros (1½ to 3½ tonnes) and the three species of elephant (3 to 9 tonnes). The hippopotamus is one of the largest quadrupeds (four legged mammals).[5] Despite its stocky shape and short legs, it can easily outrun a human. Hippos have been clocked at 30 km/h (19 mph) over short distances. The hippopotamus is one of the most aggressive creatures in the world and is often regarded as one of the most dangerous animals in Africa. There are an estimated 125,000 to 150,000 hippos throughout Sub-Saharan Africa; Zambia (40,000) and Tanzania (20,000–30,000) possess the largest populations. They are still threatened by habitat loss and poaching for their meat and ivory canine teeth.
The Mongalla Gazelle (Eudorcas albonotata) is a species of gazelle found in the floodplain and savanna of southeastern Sudan. It was formerly treated as a subspecies of the well-known Thomson's Gazelle. Like the Thomson's Gazelle, it follows an annual migratory cycle.
The Mongalla gazelle is rather safe from extinction compared to other species, due to its harsh habitat, which makes exploitation and poaching difficult. Even though it has a very narrow range, being restricted to southeastern Sudan, it exists in high densities and there are currently 100,000 to 278,000 individuals left in the wild.
Hall of African Mammals
American Museum of Natural History, New York City, NY.