MAMMAL SURVIVAL SKILLS IN AFRICAN WILDERNESS

African wilderness is an oasis of pure luxury with big swarms of different bird species, insects and herds of mammals in different categories, sizes, colors, behaviors each roaming about preoccupied by what to feed keep healthy and be able to survive harsh conditions of the wilderness. Taking an adventurous safari to national parks and wildlife reserves in Africa opens up your eyes to some rare phenomenon never experienced before.

Amongst the mobile wildlife are herbivores; the vegetation mowers with a body system designed to feed on grass, shrubs, trees and other plant species to nourish their bodies. Notable herbivores are buffalos, Elands, Waterbucks, Hartebeests, Kudus, Giraffes all antelopes and many more. These consume big amounts of leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, twigs, tree branches, tree barks, stems and roots and in a slow process their body systems convert these materials to flesh taking long hours when resting to digest it all. Most vegetation consuming mammals are equipped with either big ears top on the side of their head to detect any sudden unusual sounds, acute eyesight able to scan and estimate distance in between the threat, a high sense of smell to detect any suspicious body predator odor to be alerted of surprise attack and high sense of decision making when cornered. The option is either to flee at high speed and escape to safe zones and survive another day or fight back with available tools of defense in form of  horns,  pointed hooves with which they trample on the attacker and very stronger muscled legs whose kicks most times injure attackers or surprise them enabling disentanglement and escape. In a far more organized way they live, feed and move in herds to evenly spread the risks of attack. At rest most herbivores lay down in short vegetation where they can look farther and males form rings around the most vulnerable facing outwards.

Carnivores in the wilderness are species whose body system is designed to feed on flesh of other wildlife in this case herbivores and other moving species. Amongst carnivores worth talking about on African soil are Lions, leopards, cheetah, wild dogs, hyenas, serval cats and many more.  Each individual carnivore is well blessed with acute eyesight to help in scanning the most vulnerable prey out of the herd (the infants, sickly, injured, senile of herbivores), high sense of patience and calmness while stalking prey to minimize chances of detection and when very accurate with the target victim a high body agility and strength to surprise and overpower prey. In some cases where prey species is bigger or more tactful and elusive than the predator they hunt and chase collectively in packs aided by their spotted bodies to camouflage and lay deadly ambushes.

There also omnivores species; feeding on both vegetation and flesh of other species. Some of these species feed more on either plant or flesh life but in extreme cases like scarcity of main food or easy availability they scavenge to an alternative which gives them a variety of options to feed on for survival. Their body systems are made in such a way that they can digest both plants and flesh to get urgently needed body nutrients. Examples of some species known to scavenge are honey badgers, warthogs, baboons, wild pigs, squirrels and other small rodents some bird species.

Whatever the food type any species of animal feeds on the standing unwritten rule of the jungle is to have all body senses fully functional because survival is for the fittest. Each species must strive to be in outstanding form to survive in harsh wild conditions. It is not surprising therefore while on an wildlife safari in national parks to see those species suspected to be truly carnivore feed on some species of plants to obtain much needed nutrients to boost their immune system. Also some truly herbivore mammals have been spotted feeding on dead matter of other mammals especially skins and bones to obtain calcium and other important body nutrients needed for their own bone formations.

Life in African wilderness is so full of wonderful surprises and experiences at each and every turn in unimaginable dimensions and may not be written down or read about exhaustively. Get into the multitudes of travelers who explore it and discover the hidden treasures of adventure unique to each particular individual traveler. Life is always never the same again.