Tanzania Wildlife - Fun Facts!

Pauwels Travel, posted on June 12, 2017
elephants sunset tanzania

A Giraffe's heart can weigh 25 kg. and pumps blood 6 meters to it's head. The Giraffe is the national symbol of Tanzania.

Wildebeest and Zebra migrate together because Zebra trample the higher grasses so the Wildebeest can graze on the low grasses. Zebra provide protection by using their hooves and also by standing in opposite directions to confuse predators. Zebras and Wildebeest find water miles away and can sense on-coming rain.

Elephants secrete a scent that they can recognize years later when they return to a place they have been. This could be the reason that they trample villages that have been constructed in the meantime. The Elephant population in Tanzania is down to 30,000 from 80,000 in 1980, mostly due to poaching.

The Waterbuck secretes a waterproofing liquid on it's coat that is so unpleasant that it deters predators.

A Hippo tooth can measure 45 cm. long. Hippos kill more humans than any other animal. Hippo babies are born underwater and are floated to the surface by the placenta. The hippo can open it's mouth 150 degrees.

Cheetahs do not kill humans.

The entry fee to Serengeti National Park is $60 per person and $200 per vehicle for a 24 hr. time cycle. Ngorongoro Crater is $50 and $200. A night's lodging, with meals, can cost between $200 and $325 per person per night in one of the lodges or camps. 

According to our guides, we were very fortunate to see such a wide assortment of animals and birds. As a group, we saw over 40 species of animals, although not everyone may have seen the same animals.