Africa Wildlife & Plants

Africa Wildlife 

Africa is best known for the enormous diversity and richness of its wildlife.

It has a greater variety of large ungulates, or hoofed mammals (some 90 species), and freshwater fish (2,000 species) than any other continent.

Mammals

The main group of herbivores are the African antelope.. 
i.e. African buffalo , twist-horned antelope (including the eland (the largest of all antelope), kudu, nyala, and bushbuck).
Horse antelope - sabre-horned sable, roan, and oryx antelope
Deer antelope - kongonis, hartebeest, topi, gnu (wildebeest), and blesbok
Marsh antelope - waterbuck, lechwe, kob, puku, and reedbuck.
Royal, dik-dik, klipspringer, oribi, steenbok, and grysbok 

Other well-known large African herbivores include the zebra, giraffe, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, and African elephant.

The Carnivora (the order of flesh-eating mammals), of which there are more than 60 species.

Predators and scavengers are vital in maintaining the ecological equilibrium of the areas that they inhabit.  In addition to the better-known big (or roaring) cats—the lion, leopard, and cheetah—are the wild dog, hyena, serval (a long-limbed cat), wildcat, jackal, fox, weasel, civet, and mongoose.

The primates include some 45 species of Old World monkeys, as well as two of the world's great apes: the chimpanzee and the world's largest ape, the gorilla.

Presimian primates—such as pottos (African lemurs) and galagos (bush babies, or small arboreal lemurs), as well as Lorisidae (a family of arboreal lemurs, moving with a slow, delicate crawl)—are mainly small and nocturnal, but in Madagascar, where there are no true monkeys, the world's most diverse assemblage of large and small diurnal and nocturnal presimian lemurs survives.

Marine mammals include one Mediterranean and one South African seal (the Cape fur seal) and two Sirenia (an order of aquatic herbivores)—the dugong and the manatee. In addition, whales, porpoises, and dolphins frequent Africa's coastal waters.

Africa's large number of endemic mammal species include several families of the ungulate order Artiodactyla (composed of mammals with an even number of toes), such as giraffes and hippopotamuses. Some families of Carnivora—such as civets (of the Viverridae family), their smaller relations the genets, and hyenas—are chiefly African. The rodent family of jumping hares (Pedetidae) is endemic, and one order, the aardvark (Tubulidentata)—a large nocturnal burrowing mammal, with one species—is exclusively African. Madagascar also has a remarkable insect-eating family, the tenrecs (animals with long pointed snouts, some of which are spiny and tailless).

Birds

South of the Sahara the bird life includes nearly 1,500 resident species.
Plus another 275 species that are either resident in northwestern Africa or else are Palaearctic winter migrants; the migrants once totaled perhaps 2 billion individuals, but their numbers have been reduced considerably by severe droughts and by human land use and predation.

Of those that are endemic the most noteworthy are perhaps the ostrich shoebill, hammerkop (a brown heronlike bird), the secretary bird (a large long-legged predatory bird) and the touracos (brightly coloured birds, some with helmetlike crests). 
Other families, such as bustards, sand grouse, honey guides (small dull-coloured birds) and larks are predominantly African.

There are many avian predators of land mammals, including eagles, hawks, and owls; more of fish, such as storks, waders, and a few species of kingfishers; and even more of insects, this latter group usually being of benefit to humans. Scavengers include vultures and the large marabou stork.

Reptiles and amphibians

Those most likely to be seen include lizards of the agamid family, skinks (a family of lizards characterized by smooth overlapping scales), crocodiles, and tortoises. 
Endemic reptiles include girdle-tailed and plated lizards. Within the African realm lizards of the iguana family and boa constrictors occur only in Madagascar. 
Large vipers are abundant and varied; certain species have extremely toxic venom, but they are seldom encountered. A wealth of both colubrine snakes (with fangs at the posterior end of the upper jaw) and elapine snakes (with fixed poison fangs at the front of the upper jaw) include such highly venomous elapine species as mambas.

Salamanders and hylid tree frogs (having teeth in the upper jaw) are confined to the Palaearctic northwest. Abundant commoner frogs and toads include such oddities as the so-called hairy frog of Cameroon, whose hairs are auxiliary respiratory organs. The frog subfamily Phrynomerinae is exclusively African.

Arthropods

Africa possesses an abundant and varied population of arthropods (which include insects and other segmented invertebrates).

For example, Large butterflies of the Charaxes (brush-footed) and Papilio (swallow-tailed) genera, stick insects, and mantises, grasshoppers, driver, or safari,ants (tropical ants that travel in vast, serried ranks), termites, and dung beetles.

Aquatic life

Among the ancient forms are lungfish (Protopterus), bichirs, or lobefins (Polypterus), and reedfish (Calamoichthys), all of which can breathe air—a property also possessed by certain catfish (Clariidae), which are able to travel overland for some distance in wet weather.

Approximately 200 species of fish found in Lake Nyasa, four-fifths of which occur only there.

The coelacanth, an archaic marine form believed extinct for more than 60 million years, was discovered to be alive off the east coast of South Africa in 1938, and since then many others have been found. 
A rich and varied invertebrate animal life on the east and west coasts includes marine organisms typical of the Indo-Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Coral reefs and associated organisms are mainly found in the warm waters of Africa's east coast, while the southwest and west coasts—washed, respectively, by the cold Benguela and Canary currents—abound in fish.

Ecology

In Africa, there are still large tracts of relatively unspoiled country in which animal life may be studied in its environment. 
The complementary roles of wild ungulates show that in any area inhabited by a wide variety of species, the grass is grazed in regular succession and at different stages of growth—for example, by zebra, gnu, hartebeest, and gazelle—while specific adaptations enable a still greater variety to survive. A much smaller variety of domestic stock cannot duplicate such effects. 

Overpopulation by domestic or wild species may upset the delicate natural balance, as may be seen by the example of elephant overpopulation in Murchison Falls (Kabalega) National Park, Uganda, and in Tsavo National Park, Kenya; whether the elephants survive or not, they have ineradicably altered the environment to the detriment of many other typical species.

Animal life of particular interest to humans includes four main groups :

(1) Species potentially or useful to humans as food (large ungulates), 

(2) Dangerous or pest species that may have to be controlled or eliminated (locusts, tsetse flies, Quelea finches or black-faced diochs—which do immense damage to grain crops—and some ungulates or carnivores), 

(3) Species that provide a spectacle and bring economic benefit (elephants, the larger plain ungulates, primates, or carnivores).

(4) Endangered, rare, or unique species.

Much of the study of African wildlife has been addressed to the first two groups described above. For example, after it was learned that the feeding habits of domesticated livestock and wild ungulates are complementary, it became possible to incorporate the ungulates into pastoral and mixed-farming systems. This has happened on limited scales with the oryx (which was domesticated by the ancient Egyptians), the springbok (which has been run with cattle for decades in southern Africa), and the African buffalo (see photograph) and eland. 

Similarly, much attention has been given to controlling pests. 

Much research has also been carried out on animals in the third and fourth groups. Studies of predators, such as the lion, for example, have shown that they do not generally control the numbers of ungulates to the same degree as do disease or starvation. It has also been established that the hyena is as much a potent predator as a scavenger. 

Intensive studies have been made of such primates as baboons, Ethiopian geladas, and especially chimpanzees and gorillas; of great interest has been learning what associations there are between human and other primate behaviour and psychology.

Conservation

Many African countries have now set aside large tracts as national parks, game reserves, or forest reserves. 
In addition, a number of countries are attempting to conserve wildlife by refusing export licenses for certain kinds of skins, especially those of the leopard, cheetah, and zebra.

The oldest and best-known national park is the Kruger National Park in South Africa,

The Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, which South Africa shares with Botswana, is another famous one, 

East and central African countries have large national parks,

Kenya's parks include Tsavo, one of the largest, with an area of more than 8,000 square miles, Lake Nakuru National Park for flamingos, several mountain parks, and a marine park.

Tanzania has the famous Serengeti National Park, with its unrivaled populations of plains ungulates, and the parks of Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara, Arusha, and others.

Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, All parks in these countries preserve representative woodland, thornbush, grassland, and succulent-desert habitats and species.

Congo now has seven major national parks, including the Virunga National Park (3,100 square miles).

Ethiopia has nine parks developed largely during the 1970s

Somalia has only a rudimentary system consisting mostly of game reserves and one area (Luc Badana) 

The “W” Park is shared between Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta), Niger, and Benin, but most West African countries have only small national parks if any at all.

Many large species are still plentiful in forest or game reserves or in controlled-hunting areas. Well-managed forest reserves in particular provide secure habitats for many smaller unprotected forms.

Africa Plants
Africa's vegetation had always been controlled by the interactions of climate; geology, soil, and groundwater conditions (edaphic factors); and the activities of animals (biological factors), plus the humans activities. .Nevertheless, in broad terms, climate remains the dominant control over vegetation. Zonal belts of precipitation, reflecting latitude and contrasting exposure to the Atlantic and Indian oceans and their currents, give some reality to related belts of vegetation.

Vegetational zones of Africa:

(A) Lowland rain forest

African lowland rain forests occur along the Guinea Coast of West Africa and in the Congo basin. virtually all tropical floristic diversity. 

 Composed of a ground story, from 6 to 10 feet tall, of shrubs, ferns, and mosses; a middle story of trees and palms 20 to 60 feet in height; and a dominant top canopy consisting of trees up to 150 feet high with straight un-branched trunks, buttressed roots, and spreading crowns of perennial leafage. No other part of the world sustains a greater biomass (total weight of organic matter in a given surface area) than these lowland tropical rain forests.

(B) Eastern African forest and bush

Lowland forests and evergreen bush land form a long belt of land some 125 miles broad along the Indian Ocean. These forests are much more limited in their structure (physical form), speciation, and robustness. 

On more favoured terrain—such as estuarine fringes, the seaward flanks of the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba, and hill masses athwart the rain-bearing southeast monsoon—forest and a close broad-leaved woodland are still dominant. Where land is in a rain shadow, in areas of unfavourable geology (e.g., raised coral reefs), and near cities and small ports, thorny bush, succulent shrubs, and scrawny grassland prevail. 
Nevertheless, the region now sustains a number of economically important domesticated trees—both indigenous and exotic—such as the coconut palm, cashew, mango, and (especially on Zanzibar and Pemba) clove.

(C) Mangrove

A variety of species of broad-leaved, shrubby trees (10–40 feet high) that fringe muddy creeks and tidal estuaries. distribution along tropical coastlines.

(D) Broad-leaved woodland and grassland

Two broad bands extend across the continent, one from about 7° to 12° N latitude and the other from about 8° to 22° S latitude. Including the woodlands of western Africa, south of the equator.

Common West African species include types of Isoberlinia (a spreading leguminous tree of the pea family), Daniellia (a leguminous tree with white bark), and Lophira (a tree with strap-shaped leaves that is said to yield the most durable timber in the region). Other hardwoods, forming distinct communities, are Combretum and Terminalia, which are better suited to the drier areas. Prevalent southern equivalents include Brachystegia (a leguminous hardwood, the bark of which formerly was used to make cloth) and Julbernardia (another plant of the pea family resembling Isoberlinia). Over much of the interior of Tanzania, in areas of reduced rainfall and poorer soils, a light-canopied, sustained woodland called Miombo forest rises above a rather scrawny ground layer. This is an excellent habitat for bees, and honey has long been gathered there.

(E) Thorn woodland, grassland, and semidesert vegetation

The southern margin of the Sahara—roughly between the latitudes of 15° and 20°—is called the Sahel (Arabic: Sahil; “shore,”or “edge”), the southern equivalent covers much of the Kalahari, which is often called a desert but is more properly a thirst land.

Thorn woodland displays a predominance of xerophytic, sometimes succulent or semisucculent trees, such as acacia, Commiphora (the myrrh tree), or Boscia (an evergreen hard-leaved tree). The occurrence of the bunched and thorny desert date (Balanites) seems to accompany land impoverishment. A relatively luxuriant shrub layer, often forming dense thickets, is found in conjunction with succulents, such as aloes, Sansevieria (a fibrous species), and Adenium, or desert rose (a succulent shrub with smooth grey bark, a huge water-storing base, and beautiful red or pink flowers), and smaller euphorbias.

(F) Afromontane vegetation

Altitudinal modifications of vegetation are clearly discernible on the high East African peaks near the equator (e.g., Kilimanjaro and Mounts Kenya and Elgon), and a rich forest belt—much reduced upslope by human activities, except where the land has been reserved—clothes the zone that receives the maximum rainfall and is free of frosts (up to about 5,000 to 6,000 feet). Such mountains have great human importance as watersheds and as repositories of native plants.
Vegetation strata typically are skewed with regard to slope orientation (aspect). This is mainly due to a contrast between exposure to rain-bearing winds and shadowing from them but may also reflect long-term history. 
If lower slopes rise abruptly from the base (as they often do in Africa), then a distinct boundary between vegetation formations may be clearly distinguished; if the rise is gentle, vegetations merge (as in the western Kenyan highlands). 

(G) Desert vegetation

The Sahara has one of the lowest species densities in the world, and a sustained vegetation cover occurs only in the massifs and oases. Elsewhere, the vegetation is discontinuous and consists of two main types: 
- Perennials with huge root systems and sparse aerial parts, often protected by waxy cuticles, thorns, and hairs.
- Ephemerals with slight root systems and little foliage but with the ability to flower profusely immediately after occasional storms and then to seed quickly and abundantly. 

The stony and rocky expanses give more hold for plants than do the vast areas of shifting sands. In some areas with slightly more rainfall, grass tufts may grow 50 yards apart. Aristida is the dominant grass, and for brief periods it can yield a nutritious forage called ashab.

The Namib is one of the world's driest deserts. The area along the coast, however, is almost always foggy, and succulent shrubs (such as aloes) manage to survive on this moisture. The Namib also contains the strange tumboa, or welwitschia (Welwitschia mirabilis), which may live 100 years or more.

(H) Karoo-Namib shrubland

In this drought-prone land, soils are often shallow, even saline. 
The low shrubs that grow there can be divided into two groups: woody plants, such as species of Acacia and Pentzia and the saltbush (Atriplex); and succulents, including aloes, euphorbias, and Mesembryantheum. Aristida and Themeda are characteristic grasses. 

Every year the blossoms of bulbous plants lay short-lived carpets of colour. Being both drought-resistant and high in minerals, many of the shrubs can provide useful grazing for goats and sheep.

(I) Highveld grassland

Since fires caused by lightning strikes are relatively frequent, these regions are covered with 10 percent or less woody plant only. 

Highveld vegetation, traditionally has been differentiated into sweet veld (dominated by Themeda) or sour veld (Andropogon and Eragrostis), the latter making poorer pasturage.

(J) Mediterranean vegetation

It is characterized by very dry summers and mild, rainy winters.

The large tracts have been degraded into maquis (macchie), garigue, or dry semidesert (steppe) vegetation. Maquis consists of dense scrub growths of xerophytic (drought-resistant) and sclerophyllous (leathery) shrubs and small trees, which are often fire-resistant. Garigue characteristically is found on limestone soils and has more woody growth, including evergreen and cork oaks (Quercus suber). The higher slopes of the Atlas Mountains once carried large stands of pine and cedar, but they have been much depleted. Typical grasses, progressing from the coast to the desert, are Ampelodesmos, Phalaris, and Stipa.

(K) Cape shrub, bush, and thicket

This region constitutes the southern counterpart of the Mediterranean zone, although (with the exception of the Atlas Mountains) it is richer in its vegetation potential. 

There were once considerable enclaves of true evergreen bushland, which have reverted to shrubland (fynbos). Sclerophyllous foliage and proteas abound. Although grassy tracts occur on the mountains, they are characteristically unusual lower down. Beyond the Cape Ranges, fynbos grades into karoo.

(L) Madagascar

Physically and biologically, Madagascar has long formed a separate entity.

In the eastern centre, about one-sixth of the plant genera and more than three-fourths of the thousands of species are regarded as endemic. 

The Madagascar rain forest has shorter trees and a somewhat drier climate than its equatorial counterpart and contains its own dwarf palms (Dypsis) and bamboos (Ochlandra). The western deciduous forest stands in the rain shadow; some of its trees resemble Mediterranean oaks. The southern thickets have prominent euphorbias and species of the Didiereaceae family. The island has much degraded secondary forest (locally called savoka) along the eastern and northern coasts.

(M) Sudd

A special vegetation called sudd (literally meaning “barrier”) occurs in the great Nile, Niger, and Zambezi drainage systems of the African interior plateau. 

Characteristic is the sudd along the White Nile River in The Sudan and Uganda. Sedges (especially papyrus), reeds, and other water plants—including the floating Nile cabbage (Pistia stratiotes)—form masses of waterlogged plant material that are largely unproductive and are a nuisance to fishing and navigation. Pistia has become an unwelcome invader of Lake Kariba, the body of water formed by the impounding (1959) of the Zambezi River in the Kariba Gorge.

Vegetational History 

Some ancient African plant families—such as the cycads, which evolved some 200 million years ago—still have living representatives. 

The past million years have been a time of unusually rapid changes, with major consequences for Africa's vegetation.

The vegetational history of Africa is of great scientific relevance. Studying the lichens growing in the high East African mountains, for example, may yield a better understanding of the continent's climatic trends, and a knowledge of past conditions in the Sahel might help explain what influence natural phenomena have had on the disastrous droughts of the region since the late 1960s.

Southern Africa Wildlife Expeditions: 

TG01 - Africa's Super Predators and Mammals Safari - South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana
With Specialist Guide - Paul de Bruyn