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RECORDS HELD BY AFRICAN MAMMALS:      

 

 

Animal
  
Feature
  
Record
African savanna Elephant (Loxodonta africana) elephant_record   Largest living land mammal on earth,
Mammal with the longest teeth and nose, and also the largest ears and legs.		   Largest recorded (bull shot in 1974 in Angola):
Mass: 12 tons;
Shoulder height: ± 4 m.

Gorilla
(Gorilla gorilla)

Mountain gorilla
(Gorilla gorilla beringei)

 gorilla_record  

Worlds largest primate (and Tarzan's animal family).


Tallest recorded wild gorilla.

  

Height: up to 1,88 m
Mass: up to 180 kg.

Height: 1,88 m (DRC 1920).
Chimpanzee
(Pan troglodytes)		 chimpansee_record   Primate which is genetically closest to humans (Homo sapiens).   98% genetic similarity.
Giraffe
(Giraffa camelopardalis)		 giraffe_record   Tallest living land mammal on earth,
Mammal with the highest blood pressure and largest neck vertebrae on earth.		   Total height: up to 6 m.
Giant/Lord Derby's Eland
(Tragelaphus (Taurotragus) derbianus)		 giant_eland_record   Largest antelope in Africa.   Shoulder height: up to 1,8 m;
Adult mass: 900+ kg.
Impala
(Aepyceros melampus)		 impala_record   Africa's champion long jumping antelope; and
the only antelope in the world with a black tuft of hair above the hoof of each hind leg.		   Leaps up to ± 10 m.
Springbok
(Antidorcas marsupialis)		 springbok_record   Africa's champion high jumping antelope.   Up to ± 3 m high.
Blue Wildebeest
(Connochaetes taurinus)		 blue_wildebeest_record  

Africa's most abundant antelope; and responsible for the

largest migration of land mammals on earth

- Serengeti/Maasai/Ngorongoro system in Africa.

   Presently ± 1,5 million animals (numbers decreased by more than 80% in past 30 years).
Lion
(Panthera leo)		 lion_records   Largest carnivore in Africa.   Shoulder height: up to 1,2 m;
Adult mass: up to 240 kg.
Cheetah
(Acinonyx jubatus)		 cheetah_records   Fastest running land mammal on earth,
only cat species without fully retractile claws in the adult.		   Max. speed: ± 112 km/h.
Black-footed/Small Spotted Cat
(Felis nigripes)		 blackfooted_cat_record   Smallest wildcat species in Africa and second smallest in the world.   Adult mass: 1 - 2,4 kg.
Serval
(Felis serval)		 serval_record   Wildcat species which has in relation to its body, the longest legs of all wildcat species on earth.   Length of legs more than 50% of total shoulder height.
Ethiopian wolf
(Canis simensis)		 wolf_record  

World's rarest wild dog species and also rarest carnivore species in Africa.
Africa's only true wolf species (also known as Abyssinian/

Simien wolf; Ethiopian, Simien or Red jackal & Simien/Red fox).

   World's most endangered wolf species (± 350-500 surviving).
Giant Pangolin
(Manis gigantea)		 pangolin_record   African mammal with the longest tongue on earth.   Total tongue length: ± 70 cm.
Long-tailed Pangolin
(Manis tetradactyla)		 longtail_pangolin_record   Highest number of tail vertebrae of all living mammals on earth.   46/47 tail vertebrae.
Fennec
(Fennecus zerda)		 fennec_record   World's smallest fox.   Shoulder height: 19-21 cm;
Adult mass: 1-1,5 kg.
African Wilddog
(Lycaon pictus)		 wilddog_records   World's only predator that allows its young to eat before the adults do;
Highest overall hunting success rate of all the large terrestrial carnivores on earth.		   Hunting success rate of 70%
Spotted hyaena
(Crocuta crocuta)		 spotted_hyaena_record   World's only predator whose young are born with open eyes and teeth in the mouth.    
Brown hyaena
(Hyaena brunnea)		 brown_hyaena_record   World's only predator with strong enough jaws to break an ostrich egg.   Bite pressure: 460+ kg.