Africa Geographic March 2009 [antikvár]

founder's note CC Did you know that chimps practise oral hygiene? Well they do yy With the exception of an aura of hope and promise surrounding the entry of Mr Obama into America's highest office, the world remains a pretty gloomy place economically, socially and in respect of ongoing climate challenges. And there are no prizes for guessing that the conservation of wild animals and plants around the w/orld will suffer the knock-on effects of all of the above. But rather than labour these depressing things, I thought it might be fun for a change to reflect on a few lighter aspects of the animal world around us. Did you know that chimps practise oral hygiene? Well they do. Groups of these intelligent primates have been observed using splinters of wood to clean each other's teeth. The patient, apparently, sits still with its mouth open, while the attendant practitioner goes to work with a toothpick to remove food particles. And what about nursing in dolphin society? It does happen. When a dolphin is sick or injured, its cries of help summon the caregivers, who try to help it to the surface so it can breathe. The eland is the largest of all the African antelopes and it has horn weaponry formidable enough to skewer a lion. However, it has a design flaw that leaves it vulnerable to human hunters. The eland's knees make a loud clicking noise when it walks, and downwind this can be heard by a hunter up to a hundred metres away. Elephants don't appear to fear many things, apart from humans, but they are afraid of honeybees. And as much as they like stripping the bark off savanna trees, they won't go near one if it harbours a beehive. Aggressive swarms have been known to send elephants running for their lives. The elephant is, of course, is one of the longer-lived vertebrates, but one of the shortest lived also hails from Africa. The tiny fish Nothobranchius furzen was discovered in the 1960s by scientists working in what is now Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe. It goes through infancy, adolescence, adulthood, parenthood and old age in the space of Just six weeks. Lest you think this is some sort of evolutionary malfunction, far from it. You see, N. furzeri has found a niche in ephemeral pans where success means being able to be born and reproduce before the water dries up. One doesn't immediately associate romance with the love lives of most creatures - sex is generally perfunctory and rather quick (as I imagine it is with our humble fish above). Courtship rituals are of course plentiful in the animal world - entire television documentaries have been made around them. But true romance? Southern right whales seem to come close. In the run-up to mating, a male and female will caress one another, roll around and embrace with flippers interlocked and then will lie side by side, shooting water from their blowholes. Then, in a final flourish, their romantic ritual ends in a perfectly synched breach. The source of such titillating trivia? A delightful bedside companion by Augustus Brown, engagingly entitled Why Pandas Do Handstands and Other Curious Truths About Animals. I suggest you get a copy and use it as I do - as a welcome, if transient, respite from the global ill winds. About ouf magazine- --- Africa Ceoaraphic is editorially and financially independent. It enjoys the support and endorsement of several non-government organisations but it is not affiliated in any way to these bodies or to any other publishing, environmental or political interest group Africa Ceographic strives to foster an awareness of wildlife, conservation, ecotravel, indigenous cultures and the general environment It consistently advocates the wisest use of natural resources in a manner that involves and is oi real benefit to the people ol Africa. Africa Ceographic is published 11 times a year. 6 ATIUCA GE'OGRAI'MIC • MARCH 2009