Weird and Wonderful: Hairy Rhinos and Elephant Dummies

Natural Selection
November 28, 2018

Impress fellow safari-goers with our weird and wonderful facts about some of the characters to be found in the bush…

ELEPHANTS CAN’T JUMP

Yes, it’s true. Elephants are the only animals that can’t jump. Given their size though, they probably manage just fine without springing around.

FACIAL HAIR

It might look like some sort of bone, but that’s actually hair on a rhino’s face! More specifically, the horns are made out of keratin which is the same type of protein that comprises both hair and fingernails.

GROUP DECISION

Buffalo herds can actually demonstrate voting behaviour. Only the adult females vote, and they show their travel preference by standing, looking in a direction, and then lying down.

TAKE A DUMMY

As if they weren’t adorable enough already, did you know that baby elephants will actually suck on their trunks for comfort?

UNEXPECTED CONNECTION

They might look just like a little shrew, but elephant shrews are more closely related to elephants than they are to shrews. We hope they don’t get trodden on at family gatherings.

LESS PINK THAN YOU’D THINK

They’re famously a vivid pink, but flamingos are in fact naturally white in colour. It’s their diet of brine shrimp and algae that makes them turn pink.