6 Unusual Animals of Tarzan’s African Jungle

 

Although Africa is well known for the Sahara Desert, nearly a quarter of the African continent is covered by rainforests. These jungles are not as well know or protected as the Amazon, but what we do know is fascinating

The largest jungle in Africa is the Congo Basin, which is the second-largest rainforest in the world and is thought to be the setting for Tarzan. Africa also has many other, smaller rainforests. Altogether, Africa’s rainforests cover as much land as the Amazon Jungle

Forest Elephant

When you think of an elephant you probably picture the huge African bush elephant, but there is another type of elephant that lives in Africa, the forest elephant. They are much smaller, with a shoulder height of 6 to 10 feet tall, compared to the shoulder height of 8.5 to 13 feet of the larger bush elephant. Another difference is in the tusks, which are actually incisors. Forest elephant’s tusks grow straighter toward the ground, instead of curving outward like other elephant species.

Tusks have many important functions. Forest elephants use them to dig for roots, water, and minerals, mark trees, fight, and protect. They are also used to push through the dense undergrowth of the jungle they live in, which is important because forest elephants form trails and clearings for many other animals.

Forest elephants have short black hairs all over, which grow longer at their tail. So, if he was stealthy enough, Tarzan really could have pulled out a hair from an elephant’s tail!

Big Eastern Bongo Antelope

 

These striped antelope are interesting for many reasons. The color of their fur rubs off very easily, especially when wet. Males and females both have two hollow horns, although the male’s horns are usually longer and thicker. They are easily frightened though and will run away instead of fighting most of the time. Luckily for the bongo, people native to its habitat did not hunt them, because they believed that if they touched or ate a bongo, they would have seizure-like spasms.

Bongo antelope are herbivores and will eat a wide variety of plants. They also need salt which they get from natural salt licks and even eat charcoal from trees that have been burnt by lightning to get salts and minerals

Mountain Gorilla

The mountain gorilla is one of the largest living primates. Although huge, strong, and easily able to defend their group, gorillas tend to be peaceful and try to frighten off intruders without physical violence. They are herbivores and one of their favorite foods is celery. Strong molars are necessary to grind up bamboo, bark, twigs, and other tough plant material. Their sharp pointy canines are mostly for show when threatening a predator or rival.

As you can see, their fur is very thick. This is because they live high in the mountains, between 8,000 to 13,000 feet above sea level, and need the extra thick fur to stay warm. The largest dominant male of each group is called a silverback because the fur on their back looks more silver than the rest.

Although mountain gorillas look like the gorillas in Tarzan, they are not. The man who wrote the original Tarzan books made up an imaginary species of gorilla, which act much more human than real gorillas do

Okapi

Okapis look like a cross between a zebra and a deer but are actually most closely related to a giraffe! They almost disappear into the jungle because of the unique pattern of their fur. Like giraffes, they are herbivores and also have two horn-like protuberances, called ossicones, on their heads.

They eat over 100 kinds of plants and use their 18-inch-long tongue to browse for plants. This very long tongue is also used to groom their eyes and ears!

Leopard

Leopards can live in many types of habitats. Leopards that live in jungles tend to have a more golden coat, for better camouflage. They are similar to the jaguar found in the Amazon jungle but are smaller and do not have spots in the middle of their black rosettes. A leopard is possessive of its kill and will drag its food as high as 20 feet up into a tree’s branches to hide it. Powerful jaws and sharp teeth allow it to drag an animal three times its body weight to the chosen hiding place

African Grey Parrot

 

African Grey Parrots may not be as brightly colored as many other jungle birds, but they are believed to be the most intelligent species of bird. A domesticated African grey parrot named Alex could understand over 100 words and correctly identify some colors and shapes and understand concepts that the average toddler could understand. He was also the first non-human to ask a question. In case you wonder what a bird’s first question would be, he asked “What color?” when looking at a mirror. Amazingly, if he was tired of being tested, he would say, “Wanna go back,” and if a human seemed irritated with him, he would say, “I’m sorry.” Imagine having a pet like that

In the wild, they eat seeds, nuts, fruits, flowers, bark, and the occasional insect and snail. Like the Macaw in the Amazon, African grey parrots regularly eat clay and soil. They also like to use their beak and feet to climb when they can, rather than flying. An African grey parrot mates for life, and each pair owns its own tree. Highly social birds, flocks can include 1,000 birds and are often extremely noisy