Forgive me. This post is a bit self-indulgent. But I recently returned from a reporting trip to South Africa for a story on some extraordinary human fossils (more on that later), and while I was there I got to see some wildlife—exciting stuff for a city mouse like me. Going through my photos reminded me of the things I learned about the amazing animals there, and I thought I'd share some of them. I took these photos in two locations: the John Nash Nature Reserve, located 30 kilometers north of Johannesburg, and the Madikwe Game Reserve, which borders Botswana.
Giraffes Eat Bones--and Other Things I Learned on Safari [Slide Show]
The amazing things I learned about animals while on safari in South Africa
Giraffes Eat Bones--and Other Things I Learned on Safari [Slide Show]
- 1 The white-eared opossum has a longevity quotient of 0.3, making it unusually short-lived for its size. AbinoamJr/Wikimedia Commons
- 2 The Asian house shrew has a 0.4 longevity quotient, and like the white-eared opossum, has and unusually short life span relative to other mammals of its size. W. A. Djatmiko (Wie146)/Wikimedia Commons
- 4 The typical laboratory mouse, also known as the house mouse, has a short lifetime, reflected in its longevity quotient of 0.5. Rama//Wikimedia Commons
- 6 Like giraffes, the African lion lives about as long as would be expected for its size. Its longevity quotient is 1.1. Relic38/Wikimedia Commons
- 7 The vampire bat, with a longevity quotient of 3.5, also lives an unusually long time. WikedKentaur/Wikimedia Commons
- 7 The southern flying squirrel has a 2.7 longevity quotient, which means it is unusually long-lived. KenThomas.us/Wikimedia Commons
- 9 The naked mole-rat's longevity quotient is 5.3; it is a very long-lived small mammal. Ltshears—Trisha M Shears/Wikimedia Commons
- 10 The life span of Brandt's bat is exceptional; it has a longevity quotient of 9.8. ShvedAn/Wikimedia Commons
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