Fauna of Africa and Australia. Photo Album – 2020. Romans Arzjancevs
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climb higher than 400 C, they will salivate and smear their forearms with the saliva to help cool down. They are most active during dusk and dawn and usually bask in the morning in order to raise the temperature of their body after the cold of the night.
WESTERN AFRICAN GREEN MAMBA
– This species is mostly diurnal, but may be active at night as well. It is an arboreal snake, but it does commonly go to the ground. In fact, it is equally at home hunting and feeding on prey on the ground or in trees.
– When it wants to sleep it seeks out tree branches that offer dense cover. It is a very quick, extremely agile, alert, and nervous snake.
– If cornered, the western green mamba is highly dangerous and will show a fearsome display of aggression, loudly hissing and striking repeatedly.
ANGOLA
ANGOLA RIVER FROG
– Like other frogs, this frog feeds on worms and insects, such as locust. It is a prey to crocodiles, shoebills, and snakes.
– These frogs are nocturnal and are more easily approached than other frogs. Instead of fleeing, river frogs will often play dead and go limp or secrete an unpleasant odor.
– Being a common species that is active all year round, these frogs consume large numbers of flying and crawling insects. In turn, they constitute an important prey item for otters, large birds and snakes.
TANDY’S SAND FROG
– Tandy’s sand frog occurs in dry savanna, bush land, and grassland at elevations below 1,800 m.
– The call rate is about 7—8 notes per second and the emphasized frequency about 2700—2800 Hz.
– This species is a tetraploid that probably originated as a hybrid between Tomopterna cryptotis and Tomopterna delalandii.
OWEN’S CHAMELEON
– It inhabits dense evergreen and semi-deciduous forests at altitudes lower than 800 m above sea level, usually living in large trees.
– The species is generally arboreal and will leap from branch to branch or to the ground in order to avoid predators; it tends to feed on insects.
– On average, adult Owen’s chameleons range from 25 to 28 cm in total length (including tail), while a typical weight is around 75. g.
PACHYDACTYLUS PUNCTATUS
– Geckos are mostly small, usually nocturnal reptiles with a soft skin. They also possess a short stout body, a large head, and typically well-developed limbs.
– Like snakes, most geckos have a clear protective covering over the eyes.
– A gecko’s tail may be long and tapering, short and blunt, or even globular. The tail serves in many species as a storehouse of fat upon which the animal can draw during unfavourable conditions.
GABON
WESTERN AFRICAN GABOON VIPER
– Because of their large, heavy body size, the adults have no trouble eating prey as large as fully grown rabbits. When prey happens by, they strike with very fast precision from any angle. Once they strike their prey, they hang on to it with their large fangs rather than letting it go and waiting for it to die. This behaviour is very different from the behaviour of other species of vipers.
– These snakes feed on a variety of birds and mammals, such as doves, guineafowl, many different species of rodents, including field mice and rats, as well as hares and rabbits.
– However, the venom glands are enormous and each bite produces the second largest quantities of venom of any venomous snake; this is partially due to the fact that, unlike many African vipers such as the puff adder, the Gaboon viper does not release after a bite, which enables it to inject larger amounts of venom.
ANOMALURUS DERBIANUS
– Lord Derby’s flying squirrels have long whiskers, big pouch-like ears, and large eyes. Their digits are well developed and they have strong claws. Anomalurus derbianus possess a hairy gliding membrane that extends between the forelimbs and the hind limbs and between the hind legs and the tail.
– They sleep during the day in nests constructed in the holes of trees.
– Lord Derby’s flying squirrels leave their retreats soon after sunset, gliding from a high level in one tree to a lower level in another. These «flying» rodents leap into the air with their arms, legs, and tail extended, which stretches their membrane, allowing the animal to glide a surprising distance.
FIRE FOOTED ROPE SQUIRREL
– Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, moist savanna, and plantations.
– Is a species of rodents in the family squirrels. It is found in the Afrotropics. It is a solitary, diurnal herbivore.
– Individuals can grow to 297 g.
MONGOOSE
– Mongooses can live for up to 20 years in captivity.
– They stay in one area for around a week, then move in a wave to another location, much like a flock of birds when they migrate.
– Mongooses are active during the day and sleep at night.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
AFRICAN BULLFROG
– The African bullfrog is a voracious carnivore, eating insects, small rodents, reptiles, small birds, and other amphibians. It is also a cannibalistic species.
– These frogs have a short active period depending on the rainy season. The majority of their lives are spent estivating underground to avoid desiccation (dehydration).
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