Five Amazing but Bizarre Facts on African Wildlife That Needs to be Out There

The majesty of wildlife and nature in Africa are sights to behold, but Tatiana Regan believes that there are at least five unknown facts that make this environment truly unique:

1. Dung Beetles on center stage. While large predators may be the fancy of some, the rock star of African wildlife has to be dung beetles. These little helpers can roll dung up on steep hills for up to 50 times their own body weight, and has been discovered to use the stars as a compass.

2. Elephants never forget? The classic adage that elephants never forget is believed to have some kernel of truth in it. It is evidenced that these large animals can recognize and memorize up to 30 of their kind by sight and smell alone. Meanwhile, they are also known to recognize themselves in the mirror.

3. Biggest and fastest bird. Ostriches are known to be the largest birds in the world, with their eggs enough to feed at least 12 men. What’s more incredible is that they are also known to be the fastest, as ostriches can sprint for over 40 miles an hour.

4. Zebra migration is a sight to behold. While wildebeest migration is the more popular one, the movement of thousands of zebras during migration season is also a majestic sight. In Kalahari Desert in Botswana, the annual migration of these animals easily go into the thousands, with as much as 25,000-strong herds moving across the landscape in the early parts of the year.

Whale Sharks in Africa? Although the continent is often associated with land wildlife like gorillas and other primates or elephants and rhinos, there is also an abundance of water animals near the African coast. In Tanzania, whale shark sightings are becoming popular, particularly in the ending seasons of November to March.

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