Eland

Species: Eland
Habitat: Savanna
Status: Least Concerned
DAK Locale: Kilimanjaro Safari

The common eland is a species located in the open plains and savanna of southern Africa extending north into Ethiopia. They occupy a wide variety of habitats but prefer the semi-arid areas of their range. However, they do avoid dense forests. Their preferred diet is grasses, leaves and shrubs.

The common eland, found at Disney's Animal Kingdom, is the second largest species of antelope in the world, only behind its cousin the giant eland. It is sexually dimorphic, with males being significantly larger than females. Both males and females have horns.

Elands congregate in herds, with sometimes as many as 500 animals living together. The herd includes for the most part females and their young. Males are included as well but will wander off individually or in small bachelor herds. Often they can be found amongst other animals such as zebra and other species of antelope. They often use barks to communicate, but also use a variety of postures, as well. For example, if a predator is spotted the males will bark and pace back and forth attracting attention to himself as a warning to the rest of the herd.

Predators include lions, spotted hyenas, and wild dogs. The young are also vulnerable to cheetahs. Humans also hunt the animal for food and leather.

Common elands are not endangered. However, population numbers are decreasing due to habitat loss and poaching. Furthermore, locally populations are in bigger danger. For example, the animal is no longer found in Burundi or Angola. Elands are docile and are being domesticated for meat and milk in South Africa and Russia.

West African Crowned Crane

Species: West African Crowned Crane
Habitat: Wetlands of the Savanna
Status: Endangered
DAK Locale: Animal Kingdom Lodge, Flights of Wonder

The West African Crowned Crane is considered by many as the most beautiful of all cranes, mostly due to his coloration and the plumage on top of its head which give it its name. This bird is also called the Black Crowned Crane and is closely related and similar in appearance to the East African Crowned Crane, also called the Grey Crowned Crane. The biggest difference is the Eastern species prefers wetter areas, while the Western bird is more at home in the drier savanna habitat.

These two species are the only cranes that nest in trees. All other cranes are ground nesters. Compared to other cranes, they are relatively small. They weigh only about 8 pounds and have a wingspan of approximately 6 feet. They eat a wide range of things from grasses to insects to small reptiles and mammals.

The West African Crowned is endangered. This has been due to habitat loss, pesticide use and overgrazing by domesticated animals. Also, it is not unheard of for the animal to be hunted for its signature plumage. The feathers are mostly dark on the body while the wing is predominately white. However, its head contains beautiful golden stiff feathers.

The bird is also well known for its breeding display. The ritual contains an elaborate display of dancing, bowing, and jumping. This ritual has been seen in pairs that do not mate. It is unclear as to the reason for this. Also, for those staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, you may occassionally hear its booming call which involves inflation of a neck sac. After eggs hatch, both parents tend to the young.

Banteng

Species: Banteng
Habitat: Forests of Indonesia and Java
Status: Endangered
DAK Locale: Maharajah Jungle Trek

Banteng are wild cattle. In fact, they are believed to be the ancestors of domesticated cattle of Southeast Asia. Like many cattle, there is sexual dimorphism. That is, the boys look different from the gals. The differences are readily apparent when you see the animals in their exhibit at the Maharajah Jungle Trek. The female's fur is a light chestnut color, while males have a dark brown coloration. The males are also huge weighing up to 1750 pounds, with horns up to 2.5 feet long. A formidable obstacle for a tiger looking for a meal.

Banteng preferred the dry and open forests where there are a lot of grasses, their preferred meal. They tend to eat out in the open but retire into the thickets for protection when not feeding. They also feed on bamboo. They are active both during the day and night, but where there is a heavy human population they have a mainly nocturnal lifestyle.

Its population has dropped precipitously in the last few decades. It is thought there are less than 8000 left in the wild. Over hunting is the biggest issue, as poachers kill the animal for its meat and horns. Banteng are also dangerously susceptible to diseases from local domestic cattle. The populations are the animal are also fragmented leading to genetic problems. Science is doing its best, however, to save the species. The Banteng is the second endangered species that has been successfully cloned. DNA is currently being kept in San Diego's "frozen zoo" which was used in the cloning process.

Great Green Macaw

Species: Great Green Macaw
Habitat: Rainforest of Central and South America
Status: Endangered
DAK Locale Oasis

The great green macaw is sometimes referred to as the military macaw. These birds are located in Central America as well as the northern parts of South America specifically Colombia and Ecuador. They are one of the largest species of parrots. They are mostly green with some blue and red in the wings and face. The face has small dark feathers.

The macaws prefer the lowlands and humid forests. It is also loud filling the jungles with various calls which are all part of the social lives of the flock. They typically mate for life, with pairs sharing food and mutually grooming each other. Besides the brilliant coloration, one usually notices the large beak of the macaw. These are powerful tools that crack nuts and seeds.

This bird is highly endangered. It is estimated that less than 4,000 birds can be found throughout its range. The reasons for this decline are many. Parrots as a whole are threatened by the pet industries. Up to a 100 birds may die so that one can make it to a pet shop. Another issue is habitat destruction. Bird nesting areas are repeatedly destroyed for logging or to make may for banana plantations and other farming industries. For these reasons, groups like the Ara project are working diligently to help save the species and reintroduce birds into the wild.

Grevy's Zebra

Species: Grevy's Zebra
Habitat: Semi Arid Grasslands of Africa
Status: Endangered
DAK Locale: Kilimanjaro Safari

The Grevy's Zebra is the largest and most endangered of all zebra species. In fact, it is also the largest living wild horse. The species was named after the president of France by a French biologist in the 1880s. A specimen was given to Jules Grevy by the government of Abyssinia.

This species of zebra live in the dry grasslands of Kenya and Ethiopia. Its range is much more limited than the plains zebra who share they share space with at the Animal Kingdom's Kilimanjaro Safari. It was never over abundant as it historically has had a limited range in the wild.

The Grevy zebra is considered the most primitive of the zebra species. It is more mule-like in appearance with a larger head and longer nostrils. Its ears are larger and more conical in shape. Its neck is shorter and thicker than its zebra brethren. Like all zebra, the animal has black and white stripes, but in this type the stripes are narrow and close together. The simplest way to tell a Grevy's zebra from other zebras is the fact that is that the belly lacks stripes. If you see an all white stomach, you are looking at the Grevy's zebra.

Grevy's are used to no water and can last up to five days without drinking. They have hindgut fermentation that allows them to exist on low nutrition content than many other animals, another adaptation for living in dry grasslands. The births of foals generally take place during the brief rainy season in August and September. Females with young foals stick together. This allows the mothers to leave their young with one of the other mothers while searching for food and water.

Red River Hogs

Species: Red River Hogs
Habitat: African Jungle
Status: Least Concerned / Not Endangered
DAK Locale: Animal Kingdom Lodge - Kidani Village (Sunset Savannah)

image copyright Disney

The first thing one notices about Red River Hogs is the color. Their rusty red color is very distinctive especially for members of the pig family. The hogs themselves are sometimes referred to as bushpigs. The black and white markings stand out amongst the red. Unlike other wild pigs, the tusks are nearly invisible.

Red River Hogs have a varied diet, eating everything from grasses and berries to insects and mollusks. They will use their tusks to root out tubers. They will even eat carrion. The hogs live in the African rain forest, and particularly stick close to rivers and swamps and are good swimmers. They are generally nocturnal (although in the peaceful environment of Kidani Village, these things don't always hold true).

The hogs live in small groups led by a dominant boar. The boar is accompanied by a group of females and their piglets. In total, the groups rarely exceed twenty in number. The piglets are distinctive for their striped patterns. It is believed this coloring makes it difficult to spot the animals in the broken light of the jungle underbrush. If a predator is around, the piglets will hide and stay as motionless as possible no matter how close the hunter gets.

At Walt Disney World, the red river hogs are found at Kidani Village at the Sunset Savannah which is can be seen near the Maji pool bar. They are in the same exhibits as the okapi. The hogs are generally out early in the day. Recently, the hogs here have been using a new mud wallow (a preferred way to cool down in the florida heat) near where can guests can watch.

Malayan Flying Foxes

Species: Malayan Flying Foxes
Habitat: Jungle and Mangrove Forests
Status: Near Threatened
DAK Locale: Maharajah Jungle Trek

The Malayan flying fox is also known as the large fruit bat, and large is right, it is the largest of any known bat with a wingspan that can eclipse 6 feet. Also, as its names indicates, it eats fruit, not blood. They will also eat pollen and leaves, but figs, which are common in the area, are the big part of the diet. In fact, there are trees growing in the exhibit that were planted as a result of the fruit eaten by fruits when the exhibit first opened.

The fruit bats have been known to fly over 40 miles in search of food. Because they eat fruit, flying foxes do not possess echolocation like their insectivore brethren. Instead, the flying fox relies on scent and vision, which explains their large eyes. They are also more active by day, although they are generally nocturnal.

Bat pups spend the first few days of life on their mother's back. They live in colonies which in some instances can number in the thousands. These colonies are generally found high up in the trees of the Asian forests. They can be noisy places indeed, especially when feeding.

The Latin name of the animal is pteropus vampryus. Yes, that's vampire. Fans of the fictitious monster will recognize this bat as the model for the legend. However, this critter is nothing like the vampire bat of South America. It does not drink blood, just nectar. Dracula has little in common with the Malayan flying fox. In fact, while many people are spooked by bats in the states, over in Asia the animal is often considered good luck.

It make look "creepy" as they use their clawed wings to crawl along a branch, but they are quite gentle. Bats are the only mammals that actually fly. If you look closely at the wing, you will see the bone structure of a hand spread out.

Malayan flying foxes are not yet endangered but are considered near threatened. That is, the population has declined sharply in recent years. The major causes of this are loss of habitat and over hunting. The bat's fat is believed by some to cure rheumatism, and the meat is considered a cure for asthma. Farmers will sometimes kill them on site in fear of losing the orchard crops.

Plains Zebra

Species: Plains Zebra
Habitat: African Plains
Status: Low risk
DAK Locale: Kilimanjaro Safari

The Plains zebra, also known as the common zebra, are, well, the most common species of zebra. They are located in the savannas of eastern and southern Africa. There they eat mostly grasses but will consume any available vegetation. Generally, they are smaller than other zebra species, the Mountain and Grevy's.

When one sees a zebra, the first thing one notices is, of course, the stripes. No one is quite sure why the animal has stripes. The most widely accepted theory is confusion. When a herd of striped zebras are running across the savanna, it may be difficult for a lion or hyena to distinguish when one animal begins and the other ends, making it difficult for the predator to get a "bead on" the prey. Another theory is that the stripes help regulate body temperature of the animal.

In the wild, zebras will mix freely with other hoofed stock such as wildebeests. The more animals that are together the more likely a lion will be spotted. A herd consists mostly of one male and numerous breeding females and their young. Here, at the Animal Kingdom, the herd is all female. The mares, or females, have a social structure within the group, with an alpha female leading the group. When a new female enters the herd, they are usually met with aggression and need protection from the male. Other harem-less males will attempt to steal females from herds leading to fighting.

Generally, the plains zebra population is stable world wide, although in some areas there has been a significant decline. There are threats from hunting for the hide and meat. In other areas, farming has encroached on the habitat. Recent civil wars in countries such as Rwanda and the Sudan, have local decreases.

Reticulated Giraffe

Species: Reticulated Giraffe
Habitat: African Savannah
Status: Low Risk
DAK Location: Kilimanjaro Safari and Animal Kingdom Lodge

The giraffe is one of the most recognizable animals on the planet with its height, huge neck, big eyes, and color patterns. The neck, reaching 6 feet in length, has the same number of vertebrae that humans have, seven. Of course, a giraffe’s neck bones are much larger, stretching over 10 inches in length. At eighteen feet, the giraffe is the tallest of all land animals. The back legs only look smaller than the front giving the animal a odd gait. Still, it can run up to 45 mph. Also, look closely and you will see that both legs on the same side move together, a rarity in the animal kingdom.

Everything about the giraffe is super-sized. The tongue is over 20 inches to help with eating leaves in tall trees. An adult may eat up to 75 pounds of grass and leaves. Like cows, giraffes are ruminants. That is, they chew their food and then regurgitate the partially digested foliage to chew again as grass and leaves are nutrient poor and difficult to digest. The heart in an effort to pump blood far from it can be 2 feet wide and weigh 25 pounds. The lungs can hold 12 gallons of air. At about eight feet, it also has the largest tail of any land animal.

Giraffes have a gestation period of about 14 months, giving birth to a single calf. The calf drops six feet, head first, at birth. Within hours the calves can run but still are potential prey for lions, hyenas and wild dogs. Healthy adults, however, are generally not hunted by anything other than a particularly aggressive and/or desperate pride of lions as giraffes are huge and powerful. Giraffes are often seen necking, but its nothing like the human version. Instead, two necking giraffes are actually males in combat over females.

Giraffes are hunted for their pelts. It is believed that no two giraffes have the same color pattern. The distinctive coloration does provide camouflage particularly for calves hiding on the plains. They also suffer from habitat destruction. However, they are not considered endangered. There is an estimated 100,000 to 150,000 giraffes in Africa with the eastern and southern populations being the most stable.