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Did you know?
- The stomach of crocodile has a size of football ball, he eats little, but many times per day.
- Hippo weights 3,2 tones and is one of the heaviest land mammals.
- Giraffe is one of the rare animals that have horns at birth.
- The elephants walk on tiptoe, because under their heel they have thick layer of fat.
- The biggest snakes of the world can eat a human in one time and a meal lasts for one year.
- Flamingos get the color of their feathers because of their specific nutrition.
- African elephant can run faster then a human and can walk several hours without any rest.
- In first year of hippo’s life 45% of them die.
- Shark is swimming with average speed of 3km/h and maximum speed of 95 km/h.
- Giraffe has a same number of vertebrae like most of the mammals, but theirs are much longer.
- Bushbabies got a name because of their sounds that reminded first explorers of crying babies.
- Elephants communicate through vibrations that they make by hitting the ground with their feet.
- Most of the elephants sleep standing and only 2-3 hours per day.
- Hippo can stay 5 minutes under the water-surface and can even run on the bottom of the lake.
- The biggest known shark in the world was 13 meters long and had 15 tones
- Leopard likes to drink water everyday, but he can stay without it up to one month.
- Wild elephant can eat 230 kg of food and drink 125 liters of water per day sometimes at once.
- Near relative of African ostrich is South American nandu and Australian emus.
- Ostrich, zebra and giraffe can kill with their kick even the mighty lion.
- Turtles, birds and crocs like to rest on the backs of hippos.
- African tribes are hunting bushbabies by leaving a palm wine in the forest and collecting drunk animals from it.
- Warthog can run 50 km/h and they are very skillful to defend themselves.
- The head of the rhino weights 200 kg.
- Black leopard or Panther was first considered as different species, but in same family can be puppies of normal and black colour.
- The biggest turtle in the world is belonging to the species of leatherback and weights 752 kg.
- The grey rat is living everywhere in the world except polar countries. One couple can have up to 800 babies in just one year.
- Insect-eating bats produce ultrasound of very high frequency, with echoes that bounce back, they get all necessary information.
- One of the most shamefaced animals in area of high and low tide is octopus.
- The longest recorded jump of bushbaby from one branch to another was more then 7 meters.
- From 1830 on each year 10 to 30 thousand slaves were sold at slave market on Zanzibar.
- Coconut palm can live up to 100 years but can reproduce only 20 years.
- Warthog’s only enemies are lion and leopard.
- In darkness leopard can see 6 times and hear 2 times better then human.
- Monkey species of red colobus are living only in forest Jozani on Zanzibar Island.
- Cheetahs are running 120 km/h, but only 20 seconds. This is still enough for successful hunting.
- Insectivorous bats obtain most of the water they need from their prey, cave bats can lick up condensation.
Arusha National Park
You can start your Northern Adventure just some km northeast of Arusha city. This area still belongs to the Great Rift Valley, it covers only 137 km2 but it is so unique that it is protected as Arusha National Park. Areas around national park are densely populated, but its game viewing and natural environment are still impressive.
Origin of the name
Its name is coming from the tribe called Warusha, who long lived in this area, but today dominating tribe are Masaai with presence in the national park as well as in its surrounding. For that reason most of the names of the lakes, outlooks, and hills have their origin in Masaai language. At the beginning the name of the park was Ngurdoto Crater National Park, but since 1967 they changed its name and size. They included also the slopes of Mount Meru and official name became Arusha National Park.
Variety of landscape
The park features 3 different kind of landscapes as a result of strong volcanic activity in past. The remains of volcanic activities in now extinct volcano Ngurdoto, where you can find Ngurdoto crater.
The second landscape form is further in the north part of the park and it is a result of violent volcanic activity on Mount Meru. You will find several alkaline lakes known as Momela lakes that were created in a land hollow after violent eruption. The lakes are excellent place to see many birds, especially between October and April, when migratory birds pass through. The biggest animals you can find here are hippos, usually taking bath in one of the small lakes or rivers.
Totally different kind of landscape you will find in western part of Arusha National Park, where magnificent Mount Meru is located. The ash cone is a reminder of the volcanic disturbance that happened around 100 years ago and there are some traces still seen today like traces of lava on the northwest mountain slopes. In dense mountain forest you can find an excellent variety of birds and wildlife.
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