1.
IUCN
–
The International Union for Conservation of Nature is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. It is involved in gathering and analysis, research, field projects, advocacy, lobbying. IUCNs mission is to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve nature and to ensure that any use of resources is equitable. Over the past decades, IUCN has widened its focus beyond conservation ecology and now incorporates issues related to equality, poverty alleviation. Unlike other international NGOs, IUCN does not itself aim to mobilize the public in support of nature conservation and it tries to influence the actions of governments, business and other stakeholders by providing information and advice, and through lobbying and partnerships. The organization is best known to the public for compiling and publishing the IUCN Red List. IUCN has a membership of over 1200 governmental and non-governmental organizations, some 11,000 scientists and experts participate in the work of IUCN commissions on a voluntary basis. It employs approximately 1000 full-time staff in more than 60 countries and its headquarters are in Gland, Switzerland. IUCN has observer and consultative status at the United Nations, and plays a role in the implementation of several conventions on nature conservation. It was involved in establishing the World Wide Fund for Nature, in the past, IUCN has been criticized for placing the interests of nature over those of indigenous peoples. In recent years, its relations with the business sector have caused controversy. It was previously called the International Union for Protection of Nature, establishment In 1947, the Swiss League for the Protection of Nature organised an international conference on the protection of nature in Brunnen. It is considered to be the first government-organized non-governmental organization, the initiative to set up the new organisation came from UNESCO and especially from its first Director General, the British biologist Julian Huxley. At the time of its founding IUPN was the international organisation focusing on the entire spectrum of nature conservation Early years. Its secretariat was located in Brussels and its first work program focused on saving species and habitats, increasing and applying knowledge, advancing education, promoting international agreements and promoting conservation. Providing a solid base for conservation action was the heart of all activities. IUPN and UNESCO were closely associated and they jointly organized the 1949 Conference on Protection of Nature. In preparation for this conference a list of endangered species was drawn up for the first time
IUCN
–
Julian Huxley, the first Director General of UNESCO, took the initiative to set up IUCN
IUCN
IUCN
–
Africa was the first regional focus of IUCN conservation action
IUCN
–
Stopping illegal trade of wildlife is one of IUCN's priorities
2.
National park
–
A national park is a park in use for conservation purposes. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns, although individual nations designate their own national parks differently, there is a common idea, the conservation of wild nature for posterity and as a symbol of national pride. An international organization, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, although Yellowstone was not officially termed a national park in its establishing law, it was always termed such in practice and is widely held to be the first and oldest national park in the world. The first area to use national park in its legislation was the USs Mackinac Island. Australias Royal National Park, established in 1879, was the third official national park. In 1895 ownership of Mackinac Island was transferred to the State of Michigan as a state park, as a result, Australias Royal National Park is by some considerations the second oldest national park now in existence. The largest national park in the meeting the IUCN definition is the Northeast Greenland National Park. According to the IUCN,6,555 national parks worldwide met its criteria in 2006, IUCN is still discussing the parameters of defining a national park. National parks are almost always open to visitors, in 1971, these criteria were further expanded upon leading to more clear and defined benchmarks to evaluate a national park. In 1810, the English poet William Wordsworth described the Lake District as a sort of property, in which every man has a right and interest who has an eye to perceive. It was known as Hot Springs Reservation, but no authority was established. Federal control of the area was not clearly established until 1877, John Muir is today referred to as the Father of the National Parks due to his work in Yosemite. He published two articles in The Century Magazine, which formed the base for the subsequent legislation. President Abraham Lincoln signed an Act of Congress on July 1,1864, ceding the Yosemite Valley, according to this bill, private ownership of the land in this area was no longer possible. The state of California was designated to manage the park for use, resort. Leases were permitted for up to ten years and the proceeds were to be used for conservation, a public discussion followed this first legislation of its kind and there was a heated debate over whether the government had the right to create parks. The perceived mismanagement of Yosemite by the Californian state was the reason why Yellowstone at its establishment six years later was put under national control, in 1872, Yellowstone National Park was established as the United States first national park, being also the worlds first national park. In some European countries, however, national protection and nature reserves already existed, such as Drachenfels, Yellowstone was part of a federally governed territory
National park
–
An elephant safari through the
Jaldapara National Park in
West Bengal,
India
National park
–
The
Teide National Park in
Tenerife,
Spain
National park
–
Manuel Antonio National Park in
Costa Rica was listed by
Forbes as one of the world's 12 most beautiful national parks.
National park
–
A
salt marsh in
Schiermonnikoog National Park,
Netherlands
3.
Tanzania
–
Tanzania /ˌtænzəˈniːə/, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in Eastern Africa within the African Great Lakes region. Parts of the country are in Southern Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro, Africas highest mountain, is in northeastern Tanzania. Tanzanias population of 51.82 million is diverse, composed of ethnic, linguistic. Dar es Salaam, the capital, retains most government offices and is the countrys largest city, principal port. Tanzania is a one party dominant state with the Chama Cha Mapinduzi party in power, from its formation until 1992, it was the only legally permitted party in the country. Elections for president and all National Assembly seats were last held in October 2015, the CCM holds approximately 75% of the seats in the assembly. Prehistoric population migrations include Southern Cushitic speakers, who are ancestral to the Iraqw, Gorowa, and Burunge and who moved south from Ethiopia into Tanzania. Based on linguistic evidence, there may also have two movements into Tanzania of Eastern Cushitic people at about 4,000 and 2,000 years ago. These movements took place at about the time as the settlement of the iron-making Mashariki Bantu from West Africa in the Lake Victoria. They brought with them the west African planting tradition and the staple of yams. They subsequently migrated out of these regions across the rest of Tanzania, European colonialism began in mainland Tanzania during the late 19th century when Germany formed German East Africa, which gave way to British rule following World War I. The mainland was governed as Tanganyika, with the Zanzibar Archipelago remaining a separate colonial jurisdiction, following their respective independence in 1961 and 1963, the two entities merged in April 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. Tanzania is mountainous and densely forested in the northeast, where Mount Kilimanjaro is located, three of Africas Great Lakes are partly within Tanzania. To the north and west lie Lake Victoria, Africas largest lake, and Lake Tanganyika, the eastern shore is hot and humid, with the Zanzibar Archipelago just offshore. The Menai Bay Conservation Area is Zanzibars largest marine protected area, over 100 different languages are spoken in Tanzania, making it the most linguistically diverse country in East Africa. Among the languages spoken in Tanzania are all four of Africas language families, Bantu, Cushitic, Nilotic, Swahili and English are Tanzanias official languages. In connection with his Ujamaa social policies, President Nyerere encouraged the use of Swahili, approximately 10% of Tanzanians speak Swahili as a first language, and up to 90% speak it as a second language. Most Tanzanians thus speak both Swahili and a language, many educated Tanzanians are trilingual, also speaking English
Tanzania
–
An ancient stone chopping tool discovered at
Olduvai Gorge and currently on display at the
British Museum
Tanzania
–
Flag
Tanzania
–
General
Lettow-Vorbeck in
Dar es Salaam with a British Officer (left) and German Officer (right), March 1919
Tanzania
–
Arusha Declaration Monument
4.
Geographic coordinate system
–
A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
Geographic coordinate system
–
Longitude lines are perpendicular and latitude lines are parallel to the equator.
5.
Tanzania National Parks Authority
–
The Tanzania National Parks Authority commonly known as TANAPA is responsible for the management of Tanzanias national parks. TANAPA is a corporation and all its income is reinvested into the organization. It is governed by a number of instruments including the National Parks Act, Chapter 282 of the 2002 and the Wildlife Conservation Act No.5 of 2009. TANAPA manages the nations 17 National parks which cover ~15% of the area and has the mandate to conserve and manage wildlife in Tanzania. It manages the biodiversity of the country, protecting and conserving the flora, currently TANAPA is governed by the National Parks Ordinance Chapter 282 of the 2002 and manages 17 national parks. TANAPA manages 17 national parks covering an area of 57,024 km2 approximately the area of Croatia. TANAPA is responsible for the parks, TANAPAs main source of revenue is sourced from tourist arrivals. TANAPA in collaboration with the Tanzania Tourist Board markets the national parks locally and internationally to attract visitors, TANAPA has also been mandated to promote domestic tourism. It is TANAPAs first and foremost goal to protect the wildlife and natural living in the park. The organization has received donations of vehicles and aircraft to help train rangers with modern technology. TANAPA also pays to maintain the facilities for tourists and conservation activities such as Roads, Gates, Boundaries. TANAPA currently manages 26 airstrips throughout its network of national parks, often forest fires break out in the parks and it is under TANAPAs mandate to put them out. List of protected areas of Tanzania Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute Official Website
Tanzania National Parks Authority
–
TANAPA vehicle
Tanzania National Parks Authority
–
TANAPA aircraft
6.
World Heritage Site
–
A World Heritage Site is a landmark which has been officially recognized by the United Nations, specifically by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Sites are selected on the basis of having cultural, historical, scientific or some form of significance. UNESCO regards these sites as being important to the interests of humanity. The programme catalogues, names, and conserves sites of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common culture, under certain conditions, listed sites can obtain funds from the World Heritage Fund. The program was founded with the Convention Concerning the Protection of the Worlds Cultural and Natural Heritage, since then,192 state parties have ratified the convention, making it one of the most adhered to international instruments. As of July 2016,1052 sites are listed,814 cultural,203 natural, in 1959, the governments of Egypt and Sudan requested UNESCO to assist their countries to protect and rescue the endangered monuments and sites. In 1960, the Director-General of UNESCO launched an appeal to the Member States for an International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia, the campaign, which ended in 1980, was considered a success. The project cost $80 million, about $40 million of which was collected from 50 countries, the projects success led to other safeguarding campaigns, saving Venice and its lagoon in Italy, the ruins of Mohenjo-daro in Pakistan, and the Borobodur Temple Compounds in Indonesia. UNESCO then initiated, with the International Council on Monuments and Sites, the United States initiated the idea of cultural conservation with nature conservation. The International Union for Conservation of Nature developed similar proposals in 1968, the Convention came into force on 17 December 1975. As of June 2016, it has been ratified by 192 states, including 188 UN member states plus the Cook Islands, the Holy See, Niue, a country must first list its significant cultural and natural sites, the result is called the Tentative List. A country may not nominate sites that have not been first included on the Tentative List, next, it can place sites selected from that list into a Nomination File. The Nomination File is evaluated by the International Council on Monuments and Sites and these bodies then make their recommendations to the World Heritage Committee. There are ten selection criteria – a site must meet at least one of them to be included on the list, up to 2004, there were six criteria for cultural heritage and four criteria for natural heritage. In 2005, this was modified so there is now only one set of ten criteria. Nominated sites must be of outstanding value and meet at least one of the ten criteria. Thus, the Geneva Convention treaty promulgates, Article 53, PROTECTION OF CULTURAL OBJECTS AND OF PLACES OF WORSHIP. There are 1,052 World Heritage Sites located in 165 States Party, of these,814 are cultural,203 are natural and 35 are mixed properties
World Heritage Site
–
Site #252:
Taj Mahal, an example of cultural heritage site
World Heritage Site
–
Logo of the
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
World Heritage Committee
World Heritage Site
–
Site #156:
Serengeti National Park, an example of natural heritage site
World Heritage Site
–
Site #274:
Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu, an example of mixed heritage site
7.
List of World Heritage Sites in Africa
–
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has designated 135 World Heritage Sites in Africa. These sites are located in 37 countries, Ethiopia and Morocco are home to the most with nine sites, followed by Tunisia and South Africa at eight sites, and Algeria, Egypt, Senegal, and Tanzania at seven. Eleven countries have only a site each. Four sites are shared between two countries, Maloti-Drakensberg Park, the Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve, the Stone Circles of Senegambia, one site is shared among three countries, Sangha Trinational. The first sites from the continent were inscribed in 1978, when the Island of Gorée of Senegal, as of September 2011, Somalia has no official World Heritage sites since the Somali government is not party to the 1972 World Heritage Convention. However, there are around an archaeological sites in the country that are believed to be potential future candidates for World Heritage status. Each year, UNESCOs World Heritage Committee may inscribe new sites on the list, selection is based on ten criteria, six for cultural heritage and four for natural heritage. Some sites, designated mixed sites, represent both cultural and natural heritage, in Africa, there are 85 cultural,45 natural, and 5 mixed sites. Grants were also destined to help the and management of properties in general. The drive was funded by South Africa with US$3.5 million. UNESCO has also attempted to increase awareness of African human origin sites in Ethiopia, the World Heritage Committee may also specify that a site is endangered, citing conditions which threaten the very characteristics for which a property was inscribed on the World Heritage List. Along with other World Heritage Sites, sites in danger are subject to re-evaluation by the every year at their ordinary sessions. Africa has 17 sites on the danger list, accounting for 13% of all African sites and 35% of the 48 endangered sites worldwide. The Democratic Republic of Congo has 5 sites on the danger list, three sites were formerly declared as being in danger, but have since lost the status, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the Rwenzori Mountains National Park, and Tipasa. The Garamba National Park and Timbuktu have also lost their statuses in 1992 and 2005, respectively, despite its large number of endangered sites and the circumstances surrounding them, African World Heritage Sites have never been stripped of their title, something that has only occurred twice. The list below ignores UNESCOs geopolitical definition of Africa and includes what it describes as sites in the Arab States, Egypt is included as part of North Africa. Site – named after the World Heritage Committees official designation Location – sorted by country, in the case of multinational or multi-regional sites, the names are sorted alphabetically
List of World Heritage Sites in Africa
–
Aapravasi Ghat
List of World Heritage Sites in Africa
–
A map of World Heritage Sites in Africa as of 2010, each designated by a dot no sites 1-2 sites 3-4 sites 5-6 sites 7+ sites
List of World Heritage Sites in Africa
–
Abu Mena
List of World Heritage Sites in Africa
–
Air and Ténéré Natural Reserves
8.
Tanzanian
–
Tanzania /ˌtænzəˈniːə/, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in Eastern Africa within the African Great Lakes region. Parts of the country are in Southern Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro, Africas highest mountain, is in northeastern Tanzania. Tanzanias population of 51.82 million is diverse, composed of ethnic, linguistic. Dar es Salaam, the capital, retains most government offices and is the countrys largest city, principal port. Tanzania is a one party dominant state with the Chama Cha Mapinduzi party in power, from its formation until 1992, it was the only legally permitted party in the country. Elections for president and all National Assembly seats were last held in October 2015, the CCM holds approximately 75% of the seats in the assembly. Prehistoric population migrations include Southern Cushitic speakers, who are ancestral to the Iraqw, Gorowa, and Burunge and who moved south from Ethiopia into Tanzania. Based on linguistic evidence, there may also have two movements into Tanzania of Eastern Cushitic people at about 4,000 and 2,000 years ago. These movements took place at about the time as the settlement of the iron-making Mashariki Bantu from West Africa in the Lake Victoria. They brought with them the west African planting tradition and the staple of yams. They subsequently migrated out of these regions across the rest of Tanzania, European colonialism began in mainland Tanzania during the late 19th century when Germany formed German East Africa, which gave way to British rule following World War I. The mainland was governed as Tanganyika, with the Zanzibar Archipelago remaining a separate colonial jurisdiction, following their respective independence in 1961 and 1963, the two entities merged in April 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. Tanzania is mountainous and densely forested in the northeast, where Mount Kilimanjaro is located, three of Africas Great Lakes are partly within Tanzania. To the north and west lie Lake Victoria, Africas largest lake, and Lake Tanganyika, the eastern shore is hot and humid, with the Zanzibar Archipelago just offshore. The Menai Bay Conservation Area is Zanzibars largest marine protected area, over 100 different languages are spoken in Tanzania, making it the most linguistically diverse country in East Africa. Among the languages spoken in Tanzania are all four of Africas language families, Bantu, Cushitic, Nilotic, Swahili and English are Tanzanias official languages. In connection with his Ujamaa social policies, President Nyerere encouraged the use of Swahili, approximately 10% of Tanzanians speak Swahili as a first language, and up to 90% speak it as a second language. Most Tanzanians thus speak both Swahili and a language, many educated Tanzanians are trilingual, also speaking English
Tanzanian
–
An ancient stone chopping tool discovered at
Olduvai Gorge and currently on display at the
British Museum
Tanzanian
–
Flag
Tanzanian
–
General
Lettow-Vorbeck in
Dar es Salaam with a British Officer (left) and German Officer (right), March 1919
Tanzanian
–
Arusha Declaration Monument
9.
Serengeti
–
The Serengeti ecosystem is a geographical region in Africa. It is located mainly in northern Tanzania and extends into south-western Kenya between 1 and 3 degrees south and between 34 and 36 degrees east, the Kenyan part of the Serengeti is known as Maasai Mara. The Serengeti hosts the largest terrestrial mammal migration in the world, the Serengeti is also renowned for its large lion population and is one of the best places to observe prides in their natural environment. The region contains the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania and several game reserves, approximately 70 large mammal and 500 bird species are found there. This high diversity is a function of diverse habitats, including forests, swamps, kopjes, grasslands. Blue wildebeests, gazelles, zebras, and buffalos are some of the commonly found large mammals in the region, there has been controversy about a proposed road to be built through the Serengeti. Serengeti is derived from the Maasai language, Maa, specifically, much of the Serengeti was known to outsiders as Maasailand. The Maasai are known as warriors and live alongside most wild animals with an aversion to eating game and birds. Historically, their strength and reputation kept the newly arrived Europeans from exploiting the animals, a rinderpest epidemic and drought during the 1890s greatly reduced the numbers of both Maasai and animal populations. The Tanzanian government later in the 20th century re-settled the Maasai around the Ngorongoro Crater, poaching and the absence of fires, which had been the result of human activity, set the stage for the development of dense woodlands and thickets over the next 30–50 years. Tsetse fly populations now prevented any significant human settlement in the area, by the mid-1970s, wildebeest and the Cape buffalo populations had recovered and were increasingly cropping the grass, reducing the amount of fuel available for fires. The reduced intensity of fires has allowed acacia to once again become established and this migration is a natural phenomenon determined by the availability of grazing. Few calves are born ahead of time and of these, hardly any survive, the main reason is that very young calves are more noticeable to predators when mixed with older calves from the previous year. As the rains end in May, the start moving northwest into the areas around the Grumeti River. The crossings of the Grumeti and Mara rivers beginning in July are a popular attraction because crocodiles are lying in wait. The herds arrive in Kenya in late July / August, where they stay for the remainder of the dry season, except that the Thomsons and Grants gazelles move only east/west. About 250,000 wildebeest die during the journey from Tanzania to the Maasai Mara National Reserve in southwestern Kenya, death is usually from thirst, hunger, exhaustion, or predation. The Serengeti has some of East Africas finest game areas, besides being known for the great migration, the Serengeti is also famous for its abundant large predators
Serengeti
–
Migrating wildebeests
Serengeti
–
Map of Tanzania showing national parks—and regions of the Serengeti at northern Tanzania and south-western Kenya
Serengeti
–
Wildebeests crossing the river during the Serengeti migration
Serengeti
–
Lioness on a kopje, or rock outcropping
10.
Mara Region
–
Mara Region is one of Tanzanias 30 administrative regions. The regional capital is the municipality of Musoma, according to the 2012 national census, the region had a population of 1,743,830, which was lower than the pre-census projection of 1,963,460. For 2002-2012, the regions 2.5 percent average annual growth rate was the thirteenth highest in the country. It was also the twelfth most densely populated region with 80 people per square kilometer, the neighboring regions are Mwanza Region and Simiyu Region, Arusha Region, and Kagera Region. To the northeast, the Mara Region borders Narok County and Migori County in Kenya, the Mara Region is the home of Tanzanias first president, Julius Nyerere. The Mara Region was also the birthplace of Benga music, the Mara Region is home to the Serengeti National Park, one of the worlds most famous national parks. Listed as a World Heritage Site, the park occupies a large area of grasslands and woodlands and is home to a diverse range of wildlife. It attracts close to 150,000 tourists every year, the sanctuary is home to more than a million wildebeest,200,000 zebras, and 300,000 Thomsons gazelles. Apart from conventional tourism in the park, there is also a range of opportunities available in the Mara Region. As of the 2010 elections the Mara Region had seven constituencies, Bunda Constituency and Mwibara Constituency in Bunda District
Mara Region
–
Balloon safari in the
Serengeti National Park
Mara Region
–
Serengeti-Sign
11.
Wildebeest
–
The wildebeests, also called gnus, are a genus of antelopes, scientific name Connochaetes. They belong to the family Bovidae, which includes antelopes, cattle, goats, sheep, Connochaetes includes two species, both native to Africa, the black wildebeest, or white-tailed gnu, and the blue wildebeest, or brindled gnu. Fossil records suggest these two species diverged about one years ago, resulting in a northern and a southern species. The most obvious way of telling the two species apart are the differences in their colouring and in the way their horns are oriented. In East Africa, the blue wildebeest is the most abundant big game species, some populations perform an annual migration to new grazing grounds, but the black wildebeest is merely nomadic. Breeding in both takes place over a period of time at the end of the rainy season. Nevertheless, some fall prey to large carnivores, Wildebeest often graze in mixed herds with zebra which gives heightened awareness of potential predators. They are also alert to the signals emitted by other animals such as baboons. Wildebeest are a tourist attraction but compete with domesticated livestock for pasture and are blamed by farmers for transferring diseases and parasites to their cattle. Some illegal hunting goes on but the trend is fairly stable. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists both as least-concern species, the wildebeest, also called the gnu is an antelope of the genus Connochaetes. Wildebeest is Dutch for wild beast or wild cattle in Afrikaans, while Connochaetes derives from the Greek words κόννος, kónnos, beard, some sources claim the name gnu originates from the Khoikhoi name for these animals, tgnu. Others contend the name and its pronunciation in English go back to the word. nu, the name Connochaetes was given by German zoologist Hinrich Lichtenstein in 1814. Wildebeest were first discovered about 1700 by Dutch settlers on their way to the interior of South Africa, due to their resemblance to wild cattle, these people called them wild ox or wildebeest. The black wildebeest was first known to westerners in the part of South Africa a century later. In the early century, one species of the wildebeest. In 1914, two races of the wildebeest were introduced, namely Gorgon a. albojubatus and G. a. mearnsi. However, in 1939, the two were again merged into a single race, Connochaetes taurinus albojubatus
Wildebeest
Wildebeest
–
Blue wildebeest
Wildebeest
–
Black wildebeest
Wildebeest
–
Wildebeest herding and following zebra in the Serengeti National Park
12.
Zebra
–
Zebras are several species of African equids united by their distinctive black and white striped coats. Their stripes come in different patterns, unique to each individual and they are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds. Unlike their closest relatives, horses and donkeys, zebras have never truly domesticated. There are three species of zebras, the zebra, the Grévys zebra and the mountain zebra. The plains zebra and the mountain zebra belong to the subgenus Hippotigris, the latter resembles an ass, to which it is closely related, while the former two are more horse-like. All three belong to the genus Equus, along with other living equids, the unique stripes of zebras make them one of the animals most familiar to people. They occur in a variety of habitats, such as grasslands, savannas, woodlands, thorny scrublands, mountains, however, various anthropogenic factors have had a severe impact on zebra populations, in particular hunting for skins and habitat destruction. Grévys zebra and the mountain zebra are endangered, the name zebra in English dates back to c. 1600, from Italian zebra, perhaps from Portuguese, which in turn is said to be Congolese, the Encarta Dictionary says its ultimate origin is uncertain, but perhaps it may come from Latin equiferus meaning wild horse, from equus and ferus. The pronunciation with an initial vowel remains standard in the United States. Zebras evolved among the Old World horses within the last 4 million years and it has been suggested that zebras are polyphyletic and that striped equids evolved more than once. Extensive stripes are posited to have been of use to equids that live in low densities in deserts or ones that live in colder climates with shaggy coats. However, molecular evidence supports zebras as a monophyletic lineage, collectively, two of the species have eight subspecies. Zebra populations are diverse, and the relationships between, and the status of, several of the subspecies are not well known. It, or particular subspecies of it, have also known as the common zebra, the dauw, Burchells zebra, Chapmans zebra, Wahlbergs zebra, Selous zebra, Grants zebra, Boehms zebra. The mountain zebra of southwest Africa tends to have a coat with a white belly. It has two subspecies and is classified as vulnerable, Grévys zebra is the largest type, with a long, narrow head, making it appear rather mule-like. It is an inhabitant of the grasslands of Ethiopia and northern Kenya
Zebra
–
Zebra
Zebra
–
Zebras
Zebra
Zebra
–
A
cream zebra in captivity
13.
Crocodile
–
Crocodiles or true crocodiles are large aquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. Crocodylinae, all of whose members are considered true crocodiles, is classified as a biological subfamily, a broader sense of the term crocodile, Crocodylidae that includes Tomistoma, is not used in this article. The term crocodile here applies only to the species within the subfamily of Crocodylinae, although they appear to be similar to the untrained eye, crocodiles, alligators and the gharial belong to separate biological families. The gharial having a narrow snout is easier to distinguish, while morphological differences are more difficult to spot in crocodiles and alligators. The most obvious differences are visible in the head with crocodiles having narrower and longer heads, with a more V-shaped than a U-shaped snout compared to alligators. Also, when the mouth is closed, the large fourth tooth in the lower jaw fits into a constriction in the upper jaw. For hard-to-distinguish specimens, the tooth is the most reliable feature to define the family that the species belongs to. Crocodiles have more webbing on the toes of the feet and can better tolerate saltwater due to specialized salt glands for filtering out salt. Another trait that separates crocodiles from other crocodilians is their higher levels of aggression. Crocodile size, morphology, behaviour and ecology somewhat differs between species, however, they have many similarities in these areas as well. All crocodiles are semiaquatic and tend to congregate in freshwater such as rivers, lakes, wetlands. They are carnivorous animals, feeding mostly on such as fish, reptiles, birds and mammals. All crocodiles are tropical species that, unlike alligators, are sensitive to cold. They separated from other crocodilians during the Eocene epoch, about 55 million years ago, many species are at the risk of extinction, some being classified as critically endangered. The word crocodile comes from the Ancient Greek κροκόδιλος, lizard, used in the phrase ho krokódilos tou potamoú, there are several variant Greek forms of the word attested, including the later form κροκόδειλος found cited in many English reference works. In the Koine Greek of Roman times, crocodilos and crocodeilos would have been pronounced identically, crocodilos or crocodeilos is a compound of krokè, and drilos/dreilos, although drilos is only attested as a colloquial term for penis. It is ascribed to Herodotus, and supposedly describes the habits of the Egyptian crocodile. The form crocodrillus is attested in Medieval Latin and it is not clear whether this is a medieval corruption or derives from alternative Greco-Latin forms
Crocodile
Crocodile
Crocodile
–
American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus)
Crocodile
–
Slender-snouted crocodile (Crocodylus cataphractus)
14.
Honey badger
–
The honey badger, also known as the ratel, is the only species in the mustelid subfamily Mellivorinae and its only genus Mellivora. It is native to Africa, Southwest Asia, and the Indian subcontinent, despite its name, the honey badger does not closely resemble other badger species, instead, it bears more anatomical similarities to weasels. It is classed as Least Concern by the IUCN owing to its extensive range and it is primarily a carnivorous species and has few natural predators because of its thick skin and ferocious defensive abilities. Ratel is an Afrikaans word, possibly derived from the Middle Dutch word raat for honeycomb, the honey badger is the only species of the genus Mellivora. Although in the 1860s it was assigned to the badger subfamily and it is much more closely related to the marten subfamily, Mustelinae, but furthermore is assigned its own subfamily, Mellivorinae. Differences between Mellivorinae and Melinae include differences in their dentition formulae, the species first appeared during the middle Pliocene in Asia. Its closest relation was the extinct genus Eomellivora, which is known from the upper Miocene, as of 2005,12 subspecies are recognised. Points taken into consideration in assigning different subspecies include size and the extent of whiteness or greyness on the back, the honey badger has a fairly long body, but is distinctly thick-set and broad across the back. Its skin is loose, and allows it to turn. The skin around the neck is 6 millimetres thick, an adaptation to fighting conspecifics, the head is small and flat, with a short muzzle. The eyes are small, and the ears are more than ridges on the skin. The honey badger has short and sturdy legs, with five toes on each foot, the feet are armed with very strong claws, which are short on the hind legs and remarkably long on the forelimbs. It is a partially plantigrade animal whose soles are thickly padded and naked up to the wrists, the tail is short and is covered in long hairs, save for below the base. Honey badgers are the largest terrestrial mustelids in Africa, adults measure 23 to 28 cm in shoulder height and 55–77 cm in body length, with the tail adding another 12–30 cm. Males weigh 9 to 16 kg while females weigh 5 to 10 kg on average, skull length is 13. 9–14.5 cm in males and 13 cm for females. There are two pairs of mammae, the honey badger possesses an anal pouch which, unusual among mustelids, is eversible, a trait shared with hyenas and mongooses. The smell of the pouch is reportedly suffocating, and may assist in calming bees when raiding beehives, the skull bears little similarity to that of the European badger, and greatly resembles a larger version of that of a marbled polecat. The skull is solidly built, with that of adults having no trace of an independent bone structure
Honey badger
–
Honey badger Temporal range: middle
Pliocene – Recent
Honey badger
–
Skeleton from the
Muséum national d'histoire naturelle
Honey badger
–
Cape ratel Mellivora capensis capensis
Honey badger
–
Indian ratel Mellivora capensis indica
15.
Maasai people
–
The Maasai are a Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. They are among the best known local populations due to their residence near the game parks of the African Great Lakes. The Maasai speak the Maa language, a member of the Nilo-Saharan family that is related to Dinka and they are also educated in the official languages of Kenya and Tanzania, Swahili and English. The Maasai population has been reported as numbering 841,622 in Kenya in the 2009 census, the Tanzanian and Kenyan governments have instituted programs to encourage the Maasai to abandon their traditional semi-nomadic lifestyle, but the people have continued their age-old customs. Recently, Oxfam has claimed that the lifestyle of the Maasai should be embraced as a response to change because of their ability to produce food in deserts. Many Maasai tribes throughout Tanzania and Kenya welcome visits to their villages to experience their culture, traditions, the Maasai speak a Nilo-Saharan language. They inhabit the African Great Lakes region and arrived via the South Sudan, most Nilotic speakers in the area, including the Maasai, the Samburu and the Kalenjin, are pastoralists, and are famous for their fearsome reputations as warriors and cattle-rustlers. The Nilotic ancestors of the Kalenjin and Samburu likewise absorbed some early Cushitic populations, the Maasai territory reached its largest size in the mid-19th century, and covered almost all of the Great Rift Valley and adjacent lands from Mount Marsabit in the north to Dodoma in the south. At this time the Maasai, as well as the larger Nilotic group they were part of, raiders used spears and shields, but were most feared for throwing clubs which could be accurately thrown from up to 70 paces. In 1852, there was a report of a concentration of 800 Maasai warriors on the move in what is now Kenya, in 1857, after having depopulated the Wakuafi wilderness in what is now southeastern Kenya, Maasai warriors threatened Mombasa on the Kenyan coast. Because of this migration, the Maasai are the southernmost Nilotic speakers, the period of expansion was followed by the Maasai Emutai of 1883–1902. This period was marked by epidemics of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, rinderpest, the estimate first put forward by a German lieutenant in what was then northwest Tanganyika, was that 90 percent of cattle and half of wild animals perished from rinderpest. German doctors in the area claimed that every second African had a pock-marked face as the result of smallpox. Rains failed completely in 1897 and 1898, warriors scarcely able to crawl on all fours, and apathetic, languishing elders. Swarms of vultures followed them from high, awaiting their certain victims, by one estimate two-thirds of the Maasai died during this period. Maasai in Tanganyika were displaced from the lands between Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro, and most of the fertile highlands near Ngorongoro in the 1940s. Maasai are pastoralist and have resisted the urging of the Tanzanian and Kenyan governments to adopt a sedentary lifestyle. They have demanded grazing rights to many of the parks in both countries
Maasai people
–
Maasai people jumping
Maasai people
–
Maasai
ethnic flag
Maasai people
–
Maasai man
Maasai people
–
Maasai warriors in
German East Africa, c. 1906–1918
16.
Oscar Baumann
–
Oscar Baumann was an Austrian explorer, cartographer and ethnographer. He attended classes on history and geography at the University of Vienna. However, because of illness, Baumann would be forced to leave the expedition prior to its conclusion. In 1886 he conducted research on the island of Fernando Po. When he returned to Europe, he received his PhD from the University of Leipzig, Baumann is best known for his exploration of the interior of German East Africa, and for producing maps of the region. In 1888, with geographer Hans Meyer, he explored the Usambara region, the two explorers progress was stopped, however, due to ramifications associated with the so-called Abushiri Revolt. Within a matter of days Baumann and Meyer were captured and held as prisoners, only after a large ransom was paid to rebel leader Abushiri ibn Salim al-Harthi were the two men released. Baumanns most celebrated mission was the 200-member Maasai Expedition of 1891-1893, on the expedition, he performed map-making duties, and was the first European to enter Rwanda. He was also the first European to visit Lake Eyasi, Lake Manyara, on the expedition, he explored the headwaters of the Kagera River, which he reasoned, was the true source of the Nile. As a result of the journey, he produced a book titled Durch Massailand zur Nilquelle, in 1896, Baumann was appointed consul to Zanzibar by the Austro-Hungarian government. However, he died a few years later of a disease at the age of 35. In 1902 the thoroughfare Baumannstraße, in the district of Landstraße, was named in his honor, beiträge zur Ethnologie des Congo,1887. Versuch einer Monographie von Fernando Póo,1888, in Deutsch-Ostafrika während des Aufstandes, Vienna. Die kartographischen Ergebnisse der Massai-Expedition, In, Petermanns Geographische Mitteilungen, Ergebnisheft 111, maps and Expedition Information on German East Africa Dr. Oscar Baumann
Oscar Baumann
–
Oscar Baumann.
17.
Stewart Edward White
–
Stewart Edward White was an American writer, novelist, and spiritualist. He was a brother of noted mural painter Gilbert White, born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, he attended Grand Rapids High School, and earned degrees from University of Michigan. From about 1900 until about 1922 he wrote fiction and non-fiction about adventure and travel, with an emphasis on natural history, starting in 1922 he and his wife Elizabeth Betty Grant White wrote numerous books they say were received through channelling with spirits. They also wrote of their travels around the state of California, whites books were popular at a time when America was losing its vanishing wilderness. He was an observer of the beauties of nature and human nature. Based on his own experience, whether writing camping journals or Westerns, he included pithy and fun details about cabin-building, canoeing, logging, gold-hunting, and guns and fishing and hunting. He also interviewed people who had involved in the fur trade. He salted in humor and sympathy for characters such as canny Indian guides. Theodore Roosevelt wrote that White was the best man with both pistol and rifle who ever shot at Roosevelts rifle range at Sagamore Hill and he encounters mountain man Joe Crane, who becomes his mentor in the ways of survival in the wild. The remainder of the saga follows Andy as he moves west, ultimately settling in California, the series incorporates actual events and characters from the time period in the narrative. This series was in ways a follow-up to Disneys much more successful Davy Crockett. In 1927 the Boy Scouts of America made White an Honorary Scout, the other eighteen who were awarded this distinction were, Roy Chapman Andrews, Robert Bartlett, Frederick Russell Burnham, Richard E. Byrd, George Kruck Cherrie, James L. Clark, Merian C. The Betty Book Across the Unknown The Unobstructed Universe, the Road I Know Anchors to Windward The Stars are Still There With Folded Wings The Gaelic Manuscripts Jane Roberts J. C. Underwood, Literature and Insurgency Staff report
Stewart Edward White
–
Stewart Edward White, 1912
Stewart Edward White
–
Advertising (1919) for a film based on The Westerners.
Stewart Edward White
–
From Rules of the Game by Stewart Edward White, illustrated by
Lejaren Hiller, Sr. (1880-1969)
18.
Bernhard Grzimek
–
Bernhard Klemens Maria Grzimek was a renowned German zoo director, zoologist, book author, editor, and animal conservationist in postwar West-Germany. Grzimek was born in Neisse, Prussian Silesia and his father Paul Franz Constantin Grzimek was a lawyer and civil law notary and his mother was Margarete Margot. After studying veterinary medicine in 1928, first at Leipzig and later in Berlin and he married Hildegard Prüfer on 17 May 1930 and had three sons, Rochus, Michael, and an adopted son, Thomas. During World War II he was a veterinarian in the Wehrmacht, in early 1945, the Gestapo raided Grzimeks Berlin apartment, because he had repeatedly supplied food to hidden Jews. Grzimek then fled from Berlin to Frankfurt, which was occupied by the U. S. Army, in April 1945 he was appointed police chief of Frankfurt by U. S. authorities, but he refused the job. In late 1947, Grzimek was accused of membership in the NSDAP by the U. S. military government and he was then removed from office in the Frankfurt Zoo, fined, and sent for denazification. On 23 March 1948, it was determined that he was innocent and had participated in the Resistance War and he was then reinstated at the Zoo by the U. S. government but his reputation was besmirched. The Zoo Director of Munich, Heinz Heck, led a private smear, Grzimek was acquitted of any wrongdoing in 1949. Grzimek became director of the Frankfurt Zoological Garden on 1 May 1945, the zoo then in ruins and all but 20 animals killed, he prevented the permanent closure of the Frankfurt Zoo and the relocation of the Center Zoo to the suburbs. The Zoo reopened on 1 July 1945, after all bomb craters were filled, with festivals, dances and actors, Grzimek attracted the Frankfurt population and received the assent of the Provisional Government and the U. S. military to continue the Frankfurt Zoo. Grzimek led the Frankfurt Zoo for 29 years, until his retirement on 30 April 1974 and he made it into one of the largest zoological gardens in Germany. At the same time he served as president of the Frankfurt Zoological Society for over forty years, in 1954 he founded the image agency Okapia, specialized in animals and nature. Today, the agency specializes in science and employs 650 photographers, the firm is led by Christian Bernhard Grzimek, the son of his son who died in the Serengeti. Grzimek is most famous for the work he undertook for the conservation of the Serengeti and he spent several years studying the wildlife there along with his son Michael Grzimek, especially on areal observation and counts of large scale annual migrations. The documentary film Serengeti Shall Not Die was written and directed by Bernard and Michael Grzimek, in the same year Michael was killed in an air crash while flying the Dornier Do 27 due to a collision with a griffon vulture. Grzimek wrote a book, Serengeti Shall Not Die, which first appeared in German in 1959. It appealed enormously to the public and was key in driving the creation of the Serengeti National Park and he prophesied in his book, Large cities continue to proliferate. Countries which have preserved such places will be envied by other nations, there is a difference between wild animals living a natural life and famous buildings
Bernhard Grzimek
–
Bernhard Grzimek
Bernhard Grzimek
–
The plaque for Bernhard Grzimek in Nysa
Bernhard Grzimek
–
The Tomb of Michael and Bernhard Grzimek on the top of the
Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
Bernhard Grzimek
–
Grzimekstatue in the Frankfurt Zoo
19.
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
–
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a protected area and a World Heritage Site located 180 km west of Arusha in the Crater Highlands area of Tanzania. The area is named after Ngorongoro Crater, a volcanic caldera within the area. It has been reported in 2009 that the government authority has proposed a reduction of the population of the area from 65,000 to 25,000. There are plans being considered for 14 more luxury tourist hotels, Ngorongoro was named by the Maasai as El-Nkoronkoro meaning Gift of Life. This was because they were migrating from Central Africa for a permanent settlement and that is why the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is mostly occupied by the Maasai. Based on fossil found at the Olduvai Gorge, various hominid species have occupied the area for 3 million years. Hunter-gatherers were replaced by pastoralists a few years ago. The Mbulu came to the area about 2,000 years ago and were joined by the Datooga around the year 1700, both groups were driven from the area by the Maasai in the 1800s. Massive fig trees in the northwest of the Lerai Forest are sacred to the Maasai, some of them may have been planted on the grave of a Datago leader who died in battle with the Maasai around 1840. No Europeans are known to have set foot in the Ngorongoro Crater until 1892, two German brothers farmed in the crater until the outbreak of World War I, after leasing the land from the administration of German East Africa. The brothers regularly organized shooting parties to entertain their German friends and they also attempted to drive the wildebeest herds out of the crater. In 1921, the first game preservation ordinance was passed, which restricted hunting to permit holders throughout Tanzania, in 1928, hunting was prohibited on all land within the crater rim, except the former Siedentopf farms. The National Park Ordinance of 1948 created the Serengeti National Park and this, however, caused problems with the Maasai and other tribes, resulting in the NCA Ordinance that separated the NCA from the SNP. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority was established by the Game Park Laws Act,1976 and owns the majority of NCA land, the area became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. Land in the area is multi-use and unique because it is the only conservation area in Tanzania that protects wildlife while allowing human habitation. Land use is controlled to prevent negative effects on the wildlife population, for example, cultivation is prohibited at all but subsistence levels. The area is part of the Serengeti ecosystem and, to the northwest and these plains also extend to the north into the unprotected Loliondo division and are kept open to wildlife through transhumance pastoralism practiced by the Maasai. The south and west of the area are volcanic highlands, including the famous Ngorongoro Crater, the southern and eastern boundaries are approximately defined by the rim of the East African Rift wall, which also prevents animal migration in these directions
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
–
View of the crater
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
–
Inside the crater
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
–
View of Ngorongoro from Inside the Crater
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
–
Lake Magadi
20.
Lake Manyara National Park
–
Lake Manyara National Park is a Tanzanian national park located both in Arusha Region and Manyara Region, Tanzania. The two administrative regions have no jurisdiction over the parks, the park is governed by the Tanzania National Parks Authority. The majority of the area of the park is a narrow strip running between the Gregory Rift wall to the west and Lake Manyara, an alkaline or soda-lake. The park consists of 330 km2 of arid land, forest, Lake Manyara National Park is known for the flamingos that inhabit the lake. During the wet season they inhabit the edges of the lake in flocks of thousands, more than 400 species of birds inhabit the park and many remain throughout the year. Because of this Lake Manyara National Park is a spot for bird watching. Visitors to the park can expect to see upwards of 100 different species of bird on any day, There is a hippo pond at one end of the park where visitors can get out of their cars and observe from a safe distance. The leopards and lions are known to lounge in the trees while not hunting for prey. Lake Manyara National Park is located 126 km south west of Arusha and can be reached by car in an hour, the park can also be reached easily from Babati the capital of Manyara Region. The park is very close to Tarangire National Park There is also an airport, Lake Manyara Airport
Lake Manyara National Park
–
Plains zebras in Lake Manyara National Park
Lake Manyara National Park
–
A Masai giraffe at Lake Manyara National Park.
Lake Manyara National Park
–
African bush elephants at Lake Manyara National Park
Lake Manyara National Park
–
Squirrel eating a fruit in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania
21.
Tarangire National Park
–
Tarangire National Park is the sixth largest national park in Tanzania, it is located in Manyara Region. The name of the park originates from the Tarangire River that crosses the park, the Tarangire River is the primary source of fresh water for wild animals in the Tarangire Ecosystem during the annual dry season. The Tarangire Ecosystem is defined by the migration of wildebeest. During the dry season thousands of animals concentrate in Tarangire National Park from the surrounding wet-season dispersal and it covers an area of approximately 2,850 square kilometers The landscape is composed of granitic ridges, river valley, and swamps. Vegetation is a mix of Acacia woodland, Commiphora-Combretum woodland, seasonally flooded grassland, the park is famous for its high density of elephants and baobab trees. Visitors to the park in the June to November dry season can expect to see large herds of thousands of zebra, wildebeest and cape buffalo. Other common resident animals include waterbuck, giraffe, dik dik, impala, eland, Grants gazelle, vervet monkey, banded mongoose, predators in Tarangire include African lion, leopard, cheetah, caracal, honey badger, and African wild dog. Home to more than 550 bird species, the park is a haven for bird enthusiasts, the park is also famous for the termite mounds that dot the landscape. Those that have been abandoned are often home to dwarf mongoose, in 2015, a giraffe that is white due to leucism was spotted in the park. Current wildlife research projects in the include the Tarangire Elephant Project, Tarangire Lion Project. Tarangire National Park can be reached via paved road south from Arusha in under two hours, lake Manyara National Park is only a 70 kilometer drive from Tarangire. Little Olivers Olivers Camp Sanctuary Swala Sopa Lodge Tarangire Safari Lodge Official website World Conservation Monitoring Centre
Tarangire National Park
–
Tarangire National Park
Tarangire National Park
–
Tree climbing
lion at Tarangire National Park
22.
Arusha National Park
–
Arusha National Park covers Mount Meru, a prominent volcano with an elevation of 4566 m, in the Arusha Region of north eastern Tanzania. The park is small but varied with landscapes in three distinct areas. In the west, the Meru Crater funnels the Jekukumia River, ngurdoto Crater in the south-east is grassland. The shallow alkaline Momella Lakes in the north-east have varying colours and are known for their wading birds. Mount Meru is the second highest peak in Tanzania after Mount Kilimanjaro, Arusha National Park lies on a 300-kilometre axis of Africas most famous national parks, running from Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater in the west to Kilimanjaro National Park in the east. The park is just a few kilometres north east of Arusha and it is also 58 km from Moshi and 35 km from Kilimanjaro International Airport. Arusha National Park has a variety of wildlife, but visitors shouldnt expect the same game-viewing experience they find in other national parks of Tanzanias northern circuit. Leopard populations are present, but rarely seen, Tanzania Parks Field guide to the amphibians and reptiles of Arusha National Park
Arusha National Park
–
Arusha National Park
Arusha National Park
–
Landscape
Arusha National Park
–
Jungle road
Arusha National Park
–
Flamingos
23.
Savanna
–
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland grassland ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support a herbaceous layer consisting primarily of grasses. Savannas maintain an open canopy despite a high tree density and it is often believed that savannas feature widely spaced, scattered trees. However, in savannas, tree densities are higher and trees are more regularly spaced than in forests. Savanna covers approximately 20% of the Earths land area, the word originally entered English in 1555 as the Latin Zauana, equivalent in the orthography of the times to zavana. Peter Martyr reported it as the name for the plain around Comagre. The accounts are inexact, but this is placed in present-day Madugandí or at points on the nearby Guna Yala coast opposite Ustupo or on Point Mosquitos. These areas are now given over to modern cropland or jungle. The common usage meaning to describe vegetation now conflicts with a simplified yet widespread climatic concept meaning, the divergence has sometimes caused areas such as extensive savannas north and south of the Congo and Amazon Rivers to be excluded from mapped savanna categories. Barrens has been used almost interchangeably with savanna in different parts of North America, sometimes midwestern savanna were described as grassland with trees. Different authors have defined the limits of savanna tree coverage as 5–10%. Two factors common to all environments are rainfall variations from year to year. In the Americas, e. g. in Belize, Central America, savanna vegetation is similar from Mexico to South America, savannas are subject to regular wildfires and the ecosystem appears to be the result of human use of fire. For example, Native Americans created the Pre-Columbian savannas of North America by periodically burning where fire-resistant plants were the dominant species, pine barrens in scattered locations from New Jersey to coastal New England are remnants of these savannas. Aboriginal burning appears to have responsible for the widespread occurrence of savanna in tropical Australia and New Guinea. The maquis shrub savannas of the Mediterranean region were created and maintained by anthropogenic fire. These fires are usually confined to the layer and do little long term damage to mature trees. However, these either kill or suppress tree seedlings, thus preventing the establishment of a continuous tree canopy which would prevent further grass growth
Savanna
–
Typical tropical savanna in Northern
Australia demonstrating the high tree density and regular spacing characteristic of many savannas.
Savanna
–
Prescribed burn; Wisconsin
bur oak savanna
Savanna
–
Oak savanna,
United States
Savanna
–
Acacia savanna,
Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary,
Kenya.
24.
Kenya
–
Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country in Africa and a founding member of the East African Community. Its capital and largest city is Nairobi and it is bordered by Tanzania to the south and southwest, Uganda to the west, South Sudan to the north-west, Ethiopia to the north and Somalia to the north-east. Kenya covers 581,309 km2, and had a population of approximately 48 million people in January 2017, Kenya has a warm and humid tropical climate on its Indian Ocean coastline. The climate is cooler in the grasslands around the capital city, Nairobi, and especially closer to Mount Kenya. Further inland are highlands in Central and Rift Valley regions where tea, in the West are Nyanza and Western regions, there is an equatorial, hot and dry climate which becomes humid around Lake Victoria, the largest tropical fresh-water lake in the world. This gives way to temperate and forested areas in the neighbouring western region. The north-eastern regions along the border with Somalia and Ethiopia are arid and semi-arid areas with near-desert landscapes, Kenya is known for its world class athletes in track and field and rugby. The African Great Lakes region, which Kenya is a part of, has been inhabited by humans since the Lower Paleolithic period, by the first millennium AD, the Bantu expansion had reached the area from West-Central Africa. Bantu and Nilotic populations together constitute around 97% of the nations residents, European and Arab presence in coastal Mombasa dates to the Early Modern period, European exploration of the interior began in the 19th century. The British Empire established the East Africa Protectorate in 1895, which starting in 1920 gave way to the Kenya Colony, Kenya obtained independence in December 1963. Following a referendum in August 2010 and adoption of a new constitution, Kenya is now divided into 47 semi-autonomous counties, the capital, Nairobi, is a regional commercial hub. The economy of Kenya is the largest by GDP in East, agriculture is a major employer, the country traditionally exports tea and coffee and has more recently begun to export fresh flowers to Europe. The service industry is also an economic driver. Additionally, Kenya is a member of the East African Community trading bloc, the Republic of Kenya is named after Mount Kenya. The origin of the name Kenya is not clear, but perhaps linked to the Kikuyu, Embu and Kamba words Kirinyaga, Kirenyaa, if so, then the British may not so much have mispronounced it, as misspelled it. In the 19th century, the German explorer Johann Ludwig Krapf was staying with the Bantu Kamba people when he first spotted the mountain. On asking for the name of the mountain, he was told Kĩ-Nyaa or Kĩĩma- Kĩĩnyaa probably because the pattern of black rock, the Agikuyu, who inhabit the slopes of Mt. Kenya, call it Kĩrĩma Kĩrĩnyaga in Kikuyu, which is quite similar to the Kamba name. Ludwig Krapf recorded the name as both Kenia and Kegnia believed by most to be a corruption of the Kamba version, others say that this was—on the contrary—a very precise notation of a correct African pronunciation /ˈkɛnjə/
Kenya
–
A giraffe at
Nairobi National Park, with Nairobi's skyline in background
Kenya
–
Flag
Kenya
–
The
Turkana boy, a 1.6-million-year-old
hominid fossil belonging to
Homo erectus.
Kenya
–
A traditional
Swahili carved wooden door in
Lamu.
25.
Maasai Mara
–
The Maasai Mara National Reserve is a large game reserve in Narok County, Kenya, contiguous with the Serengeti National Park in Mara Region, Tanzania. When it was established in 1961 as a wildlife sanctuary the Mara covered only 520 square kilometres of the current area. The area was extended to the east in 1961 to cover 1,821 km2, the Narok County Council took over management of the reserve at this time. Part of the reserve was given National Reserve status in 1974, an additional 162 km2 were removed from the reserve in 1976, and the park was reduced to 1,510 km2 in 1984. In 1994, the TransMara County Council was formed in the part of the reserve. In May 2001, the not-for-profit Mara Conservancy took over management of the Mara Triangle, the Maasai Mara National Reserve covers some 1,510 km2 in south-western Kenya. It is the northern-most section of the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem, which covers some 25,000 km2 in Tanzania and it is bounded by the Serengeti Park to the south, the Siria escarpment to the west, and Maasai pastoral ranches to the north, east and west. Rainfall in the ecosystem increases markedly along a southeast–northwest gradient, varies in space and time, the Sand, Talek River and Mara River are the major rivers draining the reserve. Shrubs and trees fringe most drainage lines and cover hillslopes and hilltops, the terrain of the reserve is primarily open grassland with seasonal riverlets. In the south-east region are clumps of the acacia tree. The western border is the Esoit Escarpment of the East African Rift, Wildlife tends to be most concentrated here, as the swampy ground means that access to water is always good, while tourist disruption is minimal. The easternmost border is 224 kilometres from Nairobi, and hence it is the regions which are most visited by tourists. Herds of all three species are resident in the reserve. All members of the Big Five are found in the Maasai Mara, the population of black rhinos was fairly numerous until 1960, but it was severely depleted by poaching in the 1970s and early 1980s, dropping to a low of 15 individuals. Numbers have been increasing, but the population was still only up to an estimated 23 in 1999. Hippopotami and crocodiles are found in groups in the Mara. Leopards, hyenas, cheetahs, jackals, and bat-eared foxes can also be found in the reserve, the plains between the Mara River and the Esoit Siria Escarpment are probably the best area for game viewing, in particular regarding lion and cheetah. As in the Serengeti, the wildebeest are the dominant inhabitants of the Maasai Mara, around July of each year, these animals migrate north from the Serengeti plains in search of fresh pasture, and return to the south around October
Maasai Mara
–
Typical "spotted" Maasai Mara scenery
Maasai Mara
–
Maasai Mara, "spotted" with bushes, animals, cloud shadows, and
umbrella acacia trees.
Maasai Mara
–
Giraffes on the open grassland
26.
Hartebeest
–
The hartebeest, also known as kongoni, is an African antelope, first described by the German zoologist Peter Simon Pallas in 1766. Eight subspecies have been described, including two considered to be independent species. A large antelope, the hartebeest stands just over 1 m at the shoulder, the weight ranges from 100 to 200 kg. It has a particularly elongated forehead and oddly shaped horns, short neck and its legs, which often have black markings, are unusually long. The coat is short and shiny. Coat colour varies by the subspecies, from the brown of the western hartebeest to the chocolate brown of the Swaynes hartebeest. Both sexes of all subspecies have horns, with those of females being more slender, horns can reach lengths of 45–70 cm. Apart from its face, the large chest and the sharply sloping back differentiate the hartebeest from other antelopes. Gregarious animals, hartebeest form herds of 20 to 300 individuals and they are very alert and non-aggressive. They are primarily grazers, with their diets consisting mainly of grasses, mating in hartebeest takes place throughout the year with one or two peaks, and depends upon the subspecies and local factors. Both males and females reach maturity at one to two years of age. Gestation is eight to nine months long, after which a single calf is born, births usually peak in the dry season. The lifespan is 12 to 15 years, inhabiting dry savannas and wooded grasslands, hartebeest often move to more arid places after rainfall. They have been reported from altitudes on Mount Kenya up to 4,000 m, the hartebeest was formerly widespread in Africa, but populations have undergone drastic decline due to habitat destruction, hunting, human settlement, and competition with livestock for food. Each of the eight subspecies of the hartebeest has a different conservation status, the Bubal hartebeest was declared extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 1994. While the populations of the red hartebeest are on the rise, the hartebeest is extinct in Algeria, Egypt, Lesotho, Libya, Morocco, Somalia, and Tunisia, but has been introduced into Swaziland and Zimbabwe. It is a game animal due to its highly regarded meat. The vernacular name hartebeest could have originated from the obsolete Afrikaans word hertebeest, the name was given by the Boers, based on the resemblance of the antelope to deer
Hartebeest
–
Hartebeest
Hartebeest
–
Jackson's Hartebeest, 1909
Hartebeest
–
Hartebeest subspecies: Bubal hartebeest (centre); (clockwise from top-left corner) red hartebeest, Lelwel hartebeest, Swayne's hartebeest, western hartebeest, Neumann's hartebeest, Lichtenstein's hartebeest, Coke's hartebeest and Tora hartebeest, from Great and Small Game of Africa
Hartebeest
–
A juvenile with its parent
27.
Topi
–
DNA topoisomerase 1 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the TOP1 gene. This gene encodes a DNA topoisomerase, an enzyme that controls and this enzyme catalyzes the transient breaking and rejoining of a single strand of DNA which lets the broken strand rotate around the intact strand, thus altering the topology of DNA. This gene is localized to chromosome 20 and has pseudogenes which reside on chromosomes 1 and 22, the eukaryotic topoisomerases I were found to nick the DNA with a preference for a sequence of nucleotides that extends from positions -4 to -1 from the nick. The preferred nucleotides in the strand to be cut are 5-T-3 with the enzyme covalently attached to the -1 T residue, the TOP1 protein of humans has been subdivided into four regions. The N-terminal domain is followed by a conserved,421 amino acid core domain containing all of the catalytic residues except the active site tyrosine. This is followed by a conserved linker domain of 77 amino acids. Finally there is a 53 amino acid C-terminal domain, the active site Tyr723 is found within the C-terminal domain. As further summarized by Pommier and by Seol et al, TOP1 breaks the DNA by a transesterification reaction using the active site tyrosine as the nucleophile that attacks the DNA phosphodiester backbone. After the TOP1 covalently attaches to the 3 end of the broken strand, then the 5 hydroxyl end of the broken DNA strand can reverse the phosphotyrosyl bond, enabling the release of TOP1 and religation of the DNA. The nicking and closing reactions are fast, and about 100 cycles can occur per second, the briefly attached, covalently bonded TOP1-DNA structure at the 3 end of a cleaved DNA single strand is called a TOP1-DNA cleavage complex, or TOP1cc. The TOP1cc is a target of TOP1 inhibitors. One of the first inhibitors shown to target TOP1 is irinotecan, irinotecan is an analogue of the cytotoxic natural alkaloid camptothecin, obtained from the Chinese tree Camptotheca acuminata. Irinotecan is especially effective through its metabolic product SN-38, irinotecan and SN-38 act by trapping a subset of TOP1-DNA cleavage complexes, those with a guanine +1 in the DNA sequence. One irinotecan or SN-38 molecule stacks against the base pairs flanking the topoisomerase-induced cleavage site, the article Camptothecin lists other analogues of camptothecin and the article Topoisomerase inhibitor lists other compounds which inhibit TOP1. Since 1985, TOP1 has been known as a target for the treatment of human cancers, Camptothecin analogues irinotecan and topotecan, which inhibit TOP1, are among the most effective FDA-approved anticancer chemotherapeutic agents used in clinical practice. Synthetic lethality arises when a combination of deficiencies in the expression of two or more leads to cell death, whereas a deficiency in only one of these genes does not. The deficiencies can arise through mutation, epigenetic alteration or by inhibition of a genes expression, irinotecan inactivation of TOP1 appears to be synthetically lethal in combination with deficiencies in expression of some specific DNA repair genes. Irinotecan inactivation of TOP1 was synthetically lethal with deficient expression of the DNA repair WRN gene in patients with colon cancer
Topi
Topi
Topi
Topi
28.
Waterbuck
–
The waterbuck is a large antelope found widely in sub-Saharan Africa. It is placed in the genus Kobus of the family Bovidae and it was first described by Irish naturalist William Ogilby in 1833. The thirteen subspecies are grouped under two varieties, the common or ellipsen waterbuck and the defassa waterbuck, the head-and-body length is typically between 177–235 cm and the average height is between 120 and 136 cm. A sexually dimorphic antelope, males are taller as well as heavier than females, males reach approximately 127 cm at the shoulder, while females reach 119 cm. Males typically weigh 198–262 kg and females 161–214 kg, the coat colour varies from brown to grey. The long, spiral horns, present only on males, curve backward, Waterbuck are rather sedentary in nature. A gregarious animal, the waterbuck may form herds consisting of six to 30 individuals and these groups are either nursery herds with females and their offspring or bachelor herds. Males start showing territorial behaviour from the age of five years, the waterbuck can not tolerate dehydration in hot weather, and thus inhabits areas close to sources of water. Predominantly a grazer, the waterbuck is found on grassland. In equatorial regions, breeding takes place throughout the year, the gestational period lasts for seven to eight months, followed by the birth of a single calf. Waterbuck inhabit scrub and savanna areas along rivers, lakes and valleys, due to their requirement for grasslands as well as water, the waterbuck have a sparse ecotone distribution. The IUCN lists the waterbuck as being of Least Concern, more specifically, the common waterbuck is listed as of Least Concern while the defassa waterbuck is Near Threatened. The scientific name of the waterbuck is Kobus ellipsiprymnus, the waterbuck is one of the six species of the genus Kobus and belongs to the family Bovidae. It was first described by Irish naturalist William Ogilby in 1833, the generic name Kobus is a New Latin word, originating from an African name, koba. The specific name refers to the white elliptical ring on the rump, from the Greek ellipes. The animal acquired the vernacular name waterbuck due to its dependence on water as compared to other antelopes. The type specimen of the waterbuck was collected by South African hunter-explorer Andrew Steedman in 1832 and this specimen was named Antilope ellipsiprymnus by Ogilby in 1833. This species was transferred to the genus Kobus in 1840, becoming K. ellipsiprymnus and it is usually known as the common waterbuck
Waterbuck
–
Waterbuck
Waterbuck
–
The white ellipse on the rump of the common waterbuck
Waterbuck
–
The white rump patch on the rump of the defassa waterbuck
Waterbuck
–
A female herd in the Samburu National Park (Kenya)
.jpg)
.jpg)
