Animals Of Africa (1978)

foreign foreign [Music] Africa might stand for animals this vast continent is the home of a greater number and variety of creatures than any other place on Earth a safari across Africa reveals what seems to be endless planes vast deserts mountains dark rainforests and assorted waterways [Music] including the grandest river of them all the Nile millions of animals drink from its Waters the open lands of central Africa offer the best Wildlife spectacle here there are animals from A to Z antelope to zebra king of these beasts is the African Lion the African Lion is the world's largest and strongest cat it lives in a group called a pride members of The Pride often hunt together as a team these females usually do most of the work on the hunt [Music] chores are not evenly divided in a pride not only do lionesses do most of the hunting but they raise the Cubs as well [Music] Cubs stay with their mother for a year the playful and curious Cubs are loving but may grab twitching ears and Tails full-grown female in the pride can help babysit in certain areas Lions rest in trees this 400 pound male rules the pride and wears a Mane as his crown he sleeps like a baby after a full meal Lions share Africa with other cats though no others are so large the 120 pound leopard usually sleeps in trees a buzzing Fly may disturb its slumber a twitch of the ear means a twitch of the tail it's a chain reaction cats clean and groom often with their sandpaper rough tongues but the leopard will never wash away Its rose-shaped Spots which it wears all the way down to its claws the cheetah also has spots but they're small and round [Music] your Cubs may be born in any month of the year when Barry young the Cubs are smoky gray but soon turn yellow and spotted like their mothers the Cubs also have long mains these Mains become shorter and less noticeable as they grow older the Cubs play is practice for the day when they'll be hunting and providing food for young of Their Own unlike lions that hunt together in teams cheetahs hunt alone on the planes they sneak as close as possible to their prey then make a sudden Dash after it no other animal can run as fast as the cheetah which may Sprint 70 miles per hour [Music] No One Is Safe in this free-for-all notice how the cheetah's fur blends with a grass this helps hide them as they stop prey when they charge for the kill cats usually try to attack the vital neck and shoulder areas which have little protection many people who love Wildlife are sad because the graceful golden colored cheetahs are disappearing from the African plains they become victims of illegal hunting at a people who have ruined their habitat other kids in the neighborhood include bat-eared foxes for their size they have the biggest ears around their ears are so sharp they can hear a beetle moving five inches under the ground at-eared foxes are gentle creatures they hunt insects rodents and fruits and berries once they're weaned Africa's animal alphabet lists over a thousand bird species included is the world's largest the ostrich others such as the flamingo gaily clad in pink and white are among the brightest the flamingo's Wetland habitat is home for other birds too such as skimmers skimmers feed in Flight by using their beaks to skim fish from the water's surface Africa's fishing Eagle closely resembles America's bald eagle in both appearance and fondness of fish [Music] with short legs and long Bill the hadida Ibis hunt salamanders insects and small mammals on shores and in shallows the blacksmith Plover patrols on shore the yellow build stork is a close relative of the Ibis the crowned crane is among the most majestic of birds even though its Crown looks like a worn shaving brush vultures may not be beautiful but they're important because they get rid of the remains of dead animals some African birds have strange names like the Lilac breasted ruler and Greenwood hoopoo [Music] the guinea fowl a bird common in many parts of the world originally came from Africa Africa has over twice as many bird species as North America Africa also has quite a collection of lizards among them is the app the African chameleon which seems to cover the same ground twice for every step it takes comedians are sometimes considered to be poisonous but they're really harmless to humans however they would make Stern's cool teachers with these peculiar eyes a comedian could look at the chalkboard and still watch the class without turning its head anyone fearing this reptile is Justified the Nile crocodile has some sharp protruding teeth that would be easy for a dentist to work on providing they didn't work on the dentist first Nile crocodiles are noted man-eaters they grow to 20 feet in length and a ton in weight their normal diet list fish and any mammal caught swimming or drinking crocodiles sometimes catch antelope no other continent can match the numbers variety and beauty of Africa's antelope with over 50 species they vividly display the continent's wildlife wealth Antelope are usually fleet-footed animals with horns they generally live in open areas and often travel in herds many species like these blue wildebeest number in the Millions sometimes as the wildebeest travel to find food and water the herds stretch for miles another common Antelope is the topi this medium-sized Antelope is about as large as a deer some Antelope are as big as a horse many are still hunted by people for food [Music] the water Buck is safe however its oily fur spreads a bad odor that carries for miles the black rhino is bad tempered this relative of the horse eats Thorn bushes Fierce hyenas hunt and Scavenging packs Africa has a variety of monkeys also including the baboon and Africa has the largest land animal in the world the African elephant big bulls weigh five tons stand higher than a basketball hoop at the shoulder and eat 500 pounds of food per day their big white ivory tusks May weigh over 200 pounds apiece while the elephant is the largest land animal it's not the tallest this honor belongs to the giraffe which may Tower 18 feet the giraffe eats quickly then later leisurely re-choes its food in Cut form the giraffe swallows with a neck that has only seven bones the same number as humans tick Birds may find the neck to be a handy perch the Cape buffalo is short and stout and considered to be dangerous by many hunters wounded Cape buffaloes sometimes turn the tables and hunt the hunter attempts have been made to tame these aggressive oxen but all have failed however cattle egrets find them good company they feed on insects the Buffalo disturb and perch on their backs without a bit of concern scientists know these as hippopotamus amphibious the second word of the hippo's name refers to its fondness of water [Music] though they come ashore to graze on grass these barrel-shaped beasts spend most of the day afloat just as well they'd never win a bathing beauty contest ending Africa's animal alphabet are zebras zebras are the subject of an endless argument are they white with black stripes or black with white stripes the coral of these two powerful stallions won't settle that question but it will help decide which zebra is dominant the winner or dominant animal will have greater rights within the herd the spectacular battle May command the attention of any passerby and the fight May end as quickly as it started without question among the continents Africa commands leadership in animal wealth her riches range from elephants to Antelope and from zebras to ostriches it's fitting that the a in Africa is capitalized because Africa is the animal capital of the world foreign