Zoo Tycoon - Zoo Tycoon 2: African Adventure Animals

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Zoo Tycoon 2: African Adventure Animals

	Aardvark Orycteropus afer The aardvark (Afrikaans for “earth pig”) is found throughout much of Africa, from the southern part of Egypt to the Cape of Good Hope. It is a nocturnal animal that lives in burrows and feeds on ants, termites, and other insects. When it digs a burrow, the aardvark uses its fleshy tail to throw back earth. It has an arched back, a tubular snout, and large, upright ears. It uses its chisel-shaped claws to break open the hard clay of termite nests and then eats them with its sticky tongue.
	African Buffalo Syncerus caffer The African buffalo is a large, imposing wild ox that inhabits southern and central Africa. It lives in a herd and is a cud-chewing herbivore with permanent horns that form a massive helmet called a “boss” over its forehead. The African buffalo is considered the most dangerous of all African big game species.
	African Spurred Tortoise Geochelone sulcata The African spurred tortoise is the largest land tortoise on the African continent. It eats a high-fiber diet of grasses and depends on succulent plants for its water supply. Because the African spurred tortoise grows so large, it also needs foods that are high in calcium. The African spurred tortoise is very strong and aggressive, with males often attempting to flip each other over. When it’s hot, the African spurred tortoise burrows in mud to avoid dehydration, and after a cold night it sometimes basks in the morning sunshine to warm up.
	Barbary Ape Macaca sylvanus The Barbary ape is not an ape at all but instead a tail-less monkey. It is the only macaque that is native to regions outside Asia, and it is abundant in some parts of North Africa. In the wild, the Barbary ape lives in communities of up to 30 members among the high cedars and oak forests of the Atlas Mountains of Morocco and Algeria.
	Bongo Tragelaphus eurycerus The bongo is a chestnut-colored antelope that lives in the forests of central and western Africa. Like other antelope, the bongo has distinctive white vertical stripes down its shoulders, like dripped pastry icing. Both males and females have spiraling horns. The bongo lives on a diet of roots, sweet potatoes, branch tips, and shoots. Its tongue can wrap around food so it can easily feed from tall plants. The bongo is a private, shy animal that runs if it is the least bit frightened.
	Caracal Felis caracal The caracal (also known as the Persian lynx) is a predator that is native to the savannas and dry, rocky hills of Africa and Asia. It has a reddish-brown coat, white belly, and tufts of black hair on the tips of its ears. The name “caracal” means “black ears” in Turkish. Caracals are very quick hunters who prey on rodents, small antelope, and birds (even if they’re roosting at the tops of trees).
	Ethiopian Wolf Canis simensis The Ethiopian wolf is the only wolf found in Africa, and it exists in only a handful of mountain ranges in Ethiopia and Eritrea. It is a carnivore that generally feeds on rodents, either by digging them from their burrows or by chasing them down. On rare occasions, Ethiopian wolves hunt cooperatively to bring down a larger animal, such as a young antelope.
	Gelada Theropithecus gelada The gelada is closely related to the baboon, but its nostrils are farther from the tip of its mouth. The male gelada has a very distinctive cape of hair that covers its head and hangs down its back. The gelada lives in the mountain grasslands primarily in Ethiopia. It eats a diet of grass, roots, bulbs, and occasional insects. Because of this restricted diet, it spends much of the day grazing. Geladas have a complex social structure and communicate with a multitude of sounds, tactile communication, and facial expressions.
	Gerenuk Litocranius walleri The gerenuk (Somali for “giraffe-necked”) is a relative of the gazelle, but it has an elongated neck that allows it to eat trees and plants that are several feet tall. It sometimes stands on its hind legs to feed from trees and uses its forelegs to pull the branches down within reach. Gerenuks live in small groups and, because they are such adaptable eaters, they have no specific mating season during the year. Gerenuks are often prey for cheetahs, leopards, lions, and jackals.
	Mandrill Mandrillus sphinx The mandrill is a terrestrial baboon of tropical West Africa. The male mandrill is considered to be the most colorful mammal in the world. Its muzzle has large bony ridges that are covered with longitudinally ribbed naked skin in vivid colors of blue and red. The mandrill has a muscular, stout body with strong limbs and enormous canine teeth that add to its fierce appearance.
	Masai Giraffe Camelopardalis tippelskirchi The Masai giraffe is the tallest land animal. All giraffes have short, dense fur with an intricate pattern of dark patches that range from tannish-yellow to chestnut brown. This coloration helps giraffes blend in among trees and leaves and makes them harder for predators to spot. Although no two giraffe skin patterns are exactly the same, some regional patterns are so common and distinct that zoologists have identified a number of giraffe subspecies, including the Masai, based on the patterns. The Masai giraffe has patches with complex jagged outlines.
	Nile Monitor Varanus niloticus The Nile monitor is among the world’s largest lizards and lives near rivers and streams in sub-Saharan Africa. It has an aggressive temperament and great physical power in its jaws, legs, and tail (which it often uses as a slashing weapon). The Nile monitor is carnivorous and tends to swallow its prey whole. It eats grasshoppers, beetles, birds, fish, rodents, and even other lizards. While primarily dwelling on the ground near the water, Nile monitors have been known to climb trees to eat eggs from bird nests.
	Meerkat Suricata suricatta The meerkat is a small member of the mongoose family that inhabits the dry open areas and savannahs of southern Africa. Meerkats are known for their upright posture and highly sociable behavior, similar to prairie dogs. These social animals live in colonies (called a mob) and dig elaborate underground burrows. Meerkats typically stand up straight on their hind legs or even their toes to sniff the wind and search for attacking vultures. They have excellent vision and are capable of making at least ten types of sounds, including an alarm bark.
	Pygmy Hippopotamus Hexaprotodon liberiensis The pygmy hippopotamus is the smallest member of the hippo family, weighing only 350 to 550 lbs compared to the 8,000 lb river hippo. Due to habitat destruction, the pygmy hippo is found only in a small area in western Africa. They are nocturnal and solitary, so it is difficult to observe them in the wild. Like all hippos, pygmy hippos are herbivores and graze on grasses, succulent plants, fallen fruit, and other low-lying vegetation. Most pygmy hippos in American zoos today are descended from one that was given to President Calvin Coolidge in 1927.
	Ratel Mellivora capensis The ratel is a skunk-like mammal native to Africa and parts of Asia. It is also known as a honey badger because bee honey is one of its favorite foods. In parts of Africa, the ratel finds beehives with the help of a bird that eats bee larvae. The bird calls the ratel to tear open the hive with its strong claws, and then both animals feed on the contents. Ratels are extremely difficult to kill. Their skin is unusually tough and is attached loosely to the body, making it hard for other animals to grasp. Animal bites, bee stings, or porcupine quills usually do not penetrate the ratel’s tough hide. As an added deterrent to predators, the anal glands of ratels emit a foul-smelling liquid.
	Secretary Bird Sagittarius serpentarius The secretary bird is a large bird of prey found in Africa south of the Sahara. It has very long legs, a long tail, and a powerful, hooked beak. Many books derive the origin of the bird's name from a resemblance of its crest of long feathers to a group of quill pens placed behind the ear. But the name is actually a mispronunciation of the Arabic name for the species. The secretary bird feeds on small animals and reptiles, particularly snakes, generally by stalking them. Secretary birds rarely fly. These solitary birds build large, strong nests of twigs in trees or bushes.
	Striped Hyena Hyaena hyaena The striped hyena is a doglike carnivore and a renowned scavenger. Hyenas have powerful jaws capable of crushing large bones that other predators cannot eat. All hyenas share the characteristic of a distinctly sloping back, resulting from a size difference between their large, muscular front legs and smaller back legs.
	Warthog Phacochoerus africanus The warthog is a wild pig with a stocky body and two pairs of tusks and wart-like protuberances on its long, wide head. Widespread on the plains and open woodlands of Africa, their diet includes grass, berries, bark, roots, and carrion. They normally spend the night in a burrow, which they prefer to take over from other animals (especially aardvarks). The warthog's tusks are sharp weapons used against such predators as lions.
	White Rhinoceros Ceratotherium simum The white rhinoceros is the largest of the rhino species and also the most peaceful. The white rhino is not actually white. Its name comes from the Afrikaans word “weit,” meaning “wide” and describing the shape of its mouth. As with other rhinos, the two horns on the end of the white rhino’s nose are not made of bone but are actually hardened deposits of keratin fibers, which is the same protein in hair. The white rhino has very poor eyesight and relies on its sense of smell. In fact, its olfactory passages are larger than its brain. All rhinos are vegetarians, and the white rhino lives almost entirely on grass. It eats so much grass that it is one of the few animals classified as a “megaherbivore.”
	Wildebeest Connochaetes taurinus The wildebeest is a large African antelope that is native to the open woodlands and grasslands of southern Africa and is one of its fastest residents. Its large head and short neck support long horns, but its best defense is that it is a tireless runner. Although their bristly faces and massive shoulders make wildebeests appear menacing, they go into antics when approached, dashing off and wheeling about to gaze at intruders. Wildebeests roam the African savannah in large herds. More than 1 million forage for grasses on the Serengeti Plain alone.