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A lion’s paws are very similar to a pet cat’s but much bigger. They have five toes on the front paws and four on the back. Measurements taken from a lion’s paw print can help us guess how old it is and also if it is a male or female. Also like a pet cat, lions have retractable claws. They can grow up to 38 millimetres in length and are very strong and sharp. A fifth toe on the front paw has what is called a dewclaw, which acts like a thumb for holding down prey when eating. The claws are made of keratin, which is the same substance as our fingernails and toenails. They consist of lots of layers, which eventually break off to reveal an even sharper claw underneath. Lions sharpen their claws by scratching trees to keep them extra pointy.

23 July 2018Picture of the day, Wildlife

Prince

Cheetahs can not roar. Roaring is made possible by a special two-piece hyoid bone in the throat. All of the non-roaring cats like the cheetah have a one-piece hyoid bone. Only 4 cats can roar: the lion, tiger, leopard, and jaguar. The cheetah’s chirp can be heard a mile away! Other cheetah sounds include purrs, bleats, barks, growls, hisses and chirps. Many of their vocalisations are totally unlike those of any other cat. Some are described here:
Churring: staccato growl, high-pitched
Nyam-nyam: cubs’ sound when feeding
Ihn-ihn: mother’s call to her young
Purring: like a house cat
Staccato purr: the sound made by courting males
Bleating: like a meow – a distress call

19 July 2018Picture of the day, Wildlife

Grazer

Gemsbok (Oryx) are light brownish-grey to tan in colour, with lighter patches toward the bottom rear of the rump. Their tails are long and black in colour. A blackish stripe extends from the chin down the lower edge of the neck, through the juncture of the shoulder and leg along the lower flank of each side to the blackish section of the rear leg. They have muscular necks and shoulders, and their legs have white ‘socks’ with a black patch on the front of both the front legs and both genders have long, straight horns.
PS. Also known as the “Honda” antelope, due to the white markings on the face resembling the Honda logo 🙂

18 July 2018Picture of the day, Wildlife