Wildlife

The greater flamingo or the Phoenicopterus ruber, as it is scientifically referred to, is a singular looking bird that can be easily identified by its brilliant pink plumage (sometimes with shades of crimson in it as well), pink legs, and down-turned bill. Although they are predominantly pink, greater flamingoes also have black on the tip of their bills and in their flight feathers. If you’ve wondered [...]

Southern Elephant Seals, also known as “sea elephants” locally, are found on the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands. These are the biggest among all the Antarctic seals and during the 19th and 20th century, they were hunted for their oil. Thankfully, active participation by wildlife enthusiasts ensured timely intervention and their numbers have been steadily growing since then. Today, one can [...]

HippopotamusIt is their love of water that earned these animals the name “hippopotamus,” which traces its origins to the Greek language. “Hippos,” mean horse, and “potamus” means river, combining to make the name “river horse.” Given that they can spend up to two thirds of the day submerged in lakes and rivers, the name suits them aptly. While a hippo might resemble [...]

The albatross has been immortalized in Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” For time immemorial, this bird has held a special place in maritime lore and superstition and no other bird has been romanticized as much as the Albatross. This bird belongs to the family of seabirds that is typified by their ‘tube-noses.’ Other members of this family are petrels and [...]

Zebras are a type of African animal that resembles a horse that is known for its black and white stripes. There are three types of zebras – the Plains zebra also known as the Burchell’s zebra, the Mountain zebra, and the Grevy’s zebra. The Plains zebra and the Grevy Zebra can be found in East Africa. The Mountain zebra is most commonly found in southern and southwestern Africa. All of these zebras [...]

African elephants are divided into two subspecies, savannah and forest. They are found in savannah zones south of the Sahara Desert in 37 different coutries and in the rain forests of central Africa. The male elephant stands as tall as 12 feet tall from shoulder to ground, weighing as much as 12,000 pounds, but not exceeding 15,000 pounds. The female stands as tall as 9.8 feet tall and weighs between [...]

Tigers (Panthera tigris) are the largest cats of the Panthera genus, which includes lions, jaguars, and leopards. Tigers can reach a length of 11 feet and weigh up to 660 pounds. Like other cats, tigers are carnivorous predators. While the coloring of tigers can vary slightly, most tigers have vertical black stripes over an orange coat with some white on the underside. The word Tiger is from the Greek [...]