|
May Be'ati (exclosure)
May Be’ati is an exclosure located in the Dogu'a Tembien ''woreda'' of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. The area has been protected since 1968 by the local community. Timeline * 1968: established as exclosure by the community * 2017: support by the EthioTrees project Environmental characteristics * Area: 46 ha * Average slope gradient: 53% * Aspect: the exclosure is oriented towards the south * Minimum altitude: 2268 metres * Maximum altitude: 2428 metres * Lithology: Antalo Limestone, partly covered by non-calcareous sediments Management As a general rule, cattle ranging and wood harvesting are not allowed. The grasses are harvested once yearly and taken to the homesteads of the village to feed livestock. Physical soil and water conservation has been implemented to enhance infiltration, and vegetation growth. There are four guards to protect the exclosure. Field observations showed that however some illegal grazing occurred in the exclosure in 2018. Benefits for the communi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ayninbirkekin
Ayninbirkekin is a ''tabia'' or municipality in the Dogu'a Tembien district of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Literal meaning of Ayninbirkekin in Tigrinya is "We will not bend". The ''tabia'' centre is in Halah village, located approximately 8 km to the east of the ''woreda'' town Hagere Selam. Main town is Ala'isa, situated on the ridge overseeing the Giba valley. Geography The ''tabia'' is located astride a main water divide (that is followed by the main road) and stretches down towards May Zegzeg river at the south and upper Tsaliet River at the north. Three highest places (at around 2600 m a.s.l.) are Meri’a Ziban in the west, Imba Ra’isot in the centre and the escarpment to Arebay at the north. The lowest places are the confluence of May Zegzeg and May Be’ati Rivers (1970 m a.s.l.) in the south and in the north May Leiba River near Iyesus church (2240 m a.s.l.). Geology From the higher to the lower locations, the following geological form ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ocimum
''Ocimum'' is a genus of aromatic annual and perennial herbs and shrubs in the family Lamiaceae, native to the tropical and warm temperate regions of all 6 inhabited continents, with the greatest number of species in Africa. It is the genus of basil and the name is from the Ancient Greek word for basil, (). Its best known species are the cooking herb Ocimum basilicum, great basil, ''O. basilicum'', and the medicinal herb Ocimum tenuiflorum, ''tulsi'' (holy basil), ''O. tenuiflorum''. Ecology ''Ocimum'' species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including ''Endoclita, Endoclita malabaricus''. Taxonomy Species Known ''Ocimum'' species include: # ''Ocimum americanum'' L. (tropical Africa), Indian Subcontinent, China, Southeast Asia; naturalized in Queensland, Christmas Island, and parts of tropical America #''Ocimum amicorum'' A.J.Paton - Tanzania #''Ocimum angustifolium'' Benth. - southeastern Africa from Kenya to Tranasvaal # ''Ocimum basilic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crested Porcupine
The crested porcupine (''Hystrix cristata''), also known as the African crested porcupine, is a species of rodent in the family Hystricidae native to Italy, North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. Characteristics The adult crested porcupine has an average head and body length around long, discounting the tail, and weighs from . It is one of the largest rodents in the world. Almost the entire body is covered with bristles which are either dark brown or black and rather coarse. This mammal is recognizable by the quills that run along the head, nape, and back that can be raised into a crest, hence the name crested porcupine. Also, some sturdier quills which are about in length run along the sides and back half of the body. These sturdier quills are used, for the most part, for defense and are usually marked with light and dark bands which alternate; these are not firmly attached. This porcupine has a short tail which has rattle quills at the end. The rattle quills broaden at ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Large Grey Mongoose
The Egyptian mongoose (''Herpestes ichneumon''), also known as ichneumon (), is a mongoose species native to the coastal regions along the Mediterranean Sea between North Africa and Turkey, tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands in Africa. Whether it is introduced or native to the Iberian Peninsula is in some doubt. Because of its widespread occurrence, it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Characteristics The Egyptian mongoose's long, coarse fur is grey to reddish brown and ticked with brown and yellow flecks. Its snout is pointed, its ears are small. Its slender body is long with a long black tipped tail. Its hind feet and a small area around the eyes are furless. It has 35–40 teeth, with highly developed carnassials, used for shearing meat. It weighs . Sexually dimorphic Egyptian mongooses were observed in Portugal, where some females are smaller than males. Female Egyptian mongooses have 44 chromosomes, and males 43, as one Y chromo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
White-tailed Mongoose
The white-tailed mongoose (''Ichneumia albicauda'') is a species in the mongoose family Herpestidae. It is the only member of the genus ''Ichneumia''. Taxonomy ''Herpestes albicaudus'' was the scientific name proposed by Georges Cuvier in 1829 for a mongoose specimen with a white tail from Senegal. The genus name ''Ichneumia'' was coined by Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in 1837. Characteristics The white-tailed mongoose attains a weight range of , with an average of approximately , has a head-and-body length of and a tail length of .Egi, N. (2001). ''Body mass estimates in extinct mammals from limb bone dimensions: the case of North American hyaenodontids''. Palaeontology, 44(3), 497-528. On average it appears to be the longest and heaviest extant species of mongoose, although its linear and body mass parameters broadly overlap with other larger mongoose species, in particular, the marsh mongoose seems to most closely rival (and possibly match) in range of body masses repor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
African Civet
The African civet (''Civettictis civetta'') is a large viverrid native to sub-Saharan Africa, where it is considered common and widely distributed in woodlands and secondary forests. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2008. In some countries, it is threatened by hunting, and wild-caught individuals are kept for producing civetone for the perfume industry. The African civet is primarily nocturnal and spends the day sleeping in dense vegetation, but wakes up at sunset. It is a solitary mammal with a unique coloration: the black and white blotches covering its coarse pelage and rings on the tail are an effective cryptic pattern. The black bands surrounding its eyes closely resemble those of the raccoon. Other distinguishing features are its disproportionately large hindquarters and its erectile dorsal crest. It is an omnivorous generalist, preying on small vertebrates, invertebrates, eggs, carrion, and vegetable matter. It is one of the few carnivores cap ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
African Wildcat
The African wildcat (''Felis lybica'') is a small wildcat species native to Africa, West and Central Asia up to Rajasthan in India and Xinjiang in China. It has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List in 2022. In Cyprus, an African wildcat was found in a burial site next to a human skeleton in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B settlement Shillourokambos. The graves are estimated to have been established by Neolithic farmers about 9,500 years ago, and are the earliest known evidence for a close association between a cat and a human. Their proximity indicates that the cat may have been tamed or domesticated. Results of genetic research indicate that the African wildcat genetically diverged into three clades about 173,000 years ago, namely the Near Eastern wildcat, Southern African wildcat and Asiatic wildcat. African wildcats were first domesticated about 10,000 years ago in the Near East, and are the ancestors of the domestic cat (''F. catus''). Crossings between dom ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rock Hyrax
The rock hyrax (; ''Procavia capensis''), also called dassie, Cape hyrax, rock rabbit, and (in the King James Bible) coney, is a medium-sized terrestrial mammal native to Africa and the Middle East. Commonly referred to in South Africa as the dassie (; af, klipdassie), it is one of the five living species of the order Hyracoidea, and the only one in the genus ''Procavia''. Rock hyraxes weigh and have short ears and tails. Rock hyraxes are found at elevations up to above sea level in habitats with rock crevices, allowing them to escape from predators. They are the only extant terrestrial afrotherians in the Middle East. Hyraxes typically live in groups of 10–80 animals, and forage as a group. They have been reported to use sentries to warn of the approach of predators. Having incomplete thermoregulation, they are most active in the morning and evening, although their activity pattern varies substantially with season and climate. Over most of its range, the rock hyrax is no ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Golden Jackal
The golden jackal (''Canis aureus''), also called common jackal, is a wolf-like canid that is native to Southeast Europe, Southwest Asia, South Asia, and regions of Southeast Asia. The golden jackal's coat varies in color from a pale creamy yellow in summer to a dark tawny beige in winter. It is smaller and has shorter legs, a shorter tail, a more elongated torso, a less-prominent forehead, and a narrower and more pointed muzzle than the Arabian wolf. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List due to its widespread distribution and high density in areas with plenty of available food and optimum shelter. Despite its name, the golden jackal is not closely related to the African black-backed jackal or side-striped jackal, which are part of the genus ''Lupulella''. It is instead closer to wolves and coyotes. The ancestor of the golden jackal is believed to be the extinct Arno river dog that lived in southern Europe . It is described as having been a small, jackal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Black-backed Jackal
The black-backed jackal (''Lupulella mesomelas),'' also called the silver-backed jackal, is a medium-sized Caninae, canine native to East Africa, eastern and southern Africa. These regions are separated by roughly 900 kilometers. One region includes the southernmost tip of the continent, including South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. The other area is along the eastern coastline, including Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea, and Ethiopia. It is listed by the IUCN as least concern, due to its widespread range and adaptability, although it is still persecuted as a livestock predator and rabies Vector (epidemiology), vector. Compared to members of the genus ''Canis'', the black-backed jackal is a very ancient species, and has changed little since the Pleistocene,Kingdon, J. (1977), ''East African Mammals: An Atlas of Evolution in Africa'', Volume 3, Part A: Carnivores, University of Chicago Press, p. 31 being the most Basal (phylogenetics), basal wolf-like canine, alo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Unstriped Ground Squirrel
The unstriped ground squirrel (''Xerus rutilus'') is a species of rodent (order Rodentia) in the family Sciuridae. It is the only member of the genus ''Xerus'' . It is found in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are dry savanna and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. Description The unstriped ground squirrel is brownish or tawny in color with a lighter colored front. As the name suggests the ''X. rutilus'' differs from other species of African ground squirrel by not having dorsal-running longitudinal white stripes. The eye is ringed with white hair (all hair being coarse in observed specimens). Their small head and body measure on average long with an average tail length of . This tail is flat in appearance. Body weight varies across studies and habitats and ranges from . The length of the hind foot is 35–49 mm with a braincase measuring only 24–25 mm. The length of the mandible is variable in the ran ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caracal
The caracal (''Caracal caracal'') () is a medium-sized wild cat native to Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and arid areas of Pakistan and northwestern India. It is characterised by a robust build, long legs, a short face, long tufted ears, and long canine teeth. Its coat is uniformly reddish tan or sandy, while the ventral parts are lighter with small reddish markings. It reaches at the shoulder and weighs . It was first scientifically described by German naturalist Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber in 1776. Three subspecies are recognised. Typically nocturnal, the caracal is highly secretive and difficult to observe. It is territorial, and lives mainly alone or in pairs. The caracal is a carnivore that typically preys upon small mammals, birds, and rodents. It can leap higher than and catch birds in midair. It stalks its prey until it is within of it, after which it runs it down and kills its prey with a bite to the throat or to the back of the neck. Both sexe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
.jpg "Click for more on -> Ayninbirkekin")
_(1980)_Fig._129.png "Click for more on -> Large Grey Mongoose")
.jpg "Click for more on -> African Wildcat")
.jpg "Click for more on -> Golden Jackal")
