Pelican Great White

T he Great White pelican that lives in the shallow swamps in Africa is one of the largest flying birds in the world. It has the abilities to do long flights (thanks to their huge wings and having air sacs in their bones, to make up for their huge size) and also swim. But its most unique characteristic is the “gular pouch” inside its beak, which is not just used for catching fish: it can also cool the bird off when it is swung back and forth.

T he Masai giraffe is Tanzania’s national animal. With their long necks, giraffes are the tallest land-based mammals on Earth. The tallest species of giraffe can reach up to 20 feet tall. That is the equivalent of two basketball nets stacked on top of each other. Despite their tall stature, they’re great runners and can run at 35 mph for short distances, or cruise at 10 mph over longer distances. They are also social animals and tend to live in groups of 10-20 called “towers”.

Native to Africa, hippos are the third largest land mammals, after elephants and white rhinos, and can measure 6 to 16 feet long and eat, on average, 80 pounds of grass each day. Hippos can hold their breath for an average of 5 minutes. That’s long enough to take walks along lakebed & riverbed floors, giving them their nickname: the “river horse”!