SANParks.org Forums

Hi Siobain If you can wait till tonight, I'll try to add. Rushing off to work again.

In the interim, herewith the links as promised:

http://www.tierseiten.com/roehrenzaehner/aardvark.pdf

http://www.aardvark-consulting.co.uk/aardvarks.shtml

If you google: Aardvarks are good swimmers, you will find quite a couple of links. Some say they let air into their intestines to enable them to float.

Siobain, apologies to you and other quizz-participants, took longer than expected to get around...

(A) My source says interbreeding with the 'common' impala... haphazard translocations of the common impala into the habitat of the black-faced impala, resulting in interbreeding.

So my answer is - None of the above... or if all else fails, D....

http://www.onime.com/africa/herbivores/ ... palas.html

2.
A = false
B = false
C = horn length 6 cm; record horn length 10,1. False
D = false

3.
A = false
B = false
C = true
D = false




http://books.google.co.za/books?id=sdY_ ... t&resnum=2

1) d
2) d
3) c

1. The Black-faced Impala's (or Angolan Impala)'s existence it threatened by:
D. Goats - Seasonally they eat large quantities of pods of the acacias.
They compete with goats for available food and their existence is
threatened by the increasing competition with these problem animals.

2. The Suni....
C. is the correct answer.
These antelope are only about 35cm at the shoulder, the male weighs
a maximum of 5-5 and a half kg, the female being slightly heavier.
The maximum horn length has been measured at 13cm. They habitually
wag their tails vigorously which often gives their presence away. The male
will bleat like a goat when pursuing the female.(bishop, wagging his tail
or bleating like a goat...not sure which one is worse)

3. The Eland......
C. is the correct answer.
The male and female both have horns.
The females will not tolerate strange calves, which are repelled with
considerable vigour by a sideways swiping of the horns.
Because of their docility and the quality of their meat and milk,
they are being increasingly domesticated.
They are the largest antelope in Africa.

Thanks Sheldogz, bishop and Elzet for all the participation

Bishop, you are IT

Hi Siobain

Good question!

Obviously different sources, different horn lengths... Mine comes from

Field Guide to Mammals of Southern Africa - Google Books Result
by Chris Stuart, Tilde Stuart - 2001 - Nature - 272 pages
... tail 11 cm; mass 14 kg; average horn length 6 cm; record horn length 10,1 ... white flecking of either Sharpe's Grysbok (page 218) or Suni (page 214). ...

But B3006 was IT from the beginning...

Thanks for the added info Elzet, it's always interesting to dig a bit deeper.

My main reference was from 'Southern Africa's Mammals' A field guide by
Robin Frandsen. (First impression 1992) I did cross reference it with about
6 other refrences. Their horns do grow throughout their lives and seem to
average between 6-14cm. I see Duco also has a Suni thread where he has
the same measurements, perhaps he could share his reference with us.

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=7797&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

Hi Siobain, indeed, I went to your suggested link.

Thing is, on the mammal thread I had communication up to a max of 10 km, and O 44 km... Now, 34 km is a huge difference, you will agree..

So many sources, so much to learn, so little time...

Elzet,

Interesting that Chris and Tilde Stuart will change their info from correct to wrong, or alternatively Google messed up. I will go with the latter.

I'm sitting with the Afrikaans version of that guide in front of me - the 1995 version, second edition, second printing, and there they state correctly that the record length is 13.34cm. And I say correctly, because I also have the 1990, 13th edition, of Rowland Ward's Sportsman's Handbook, subtitled (what a mouthful!) To collecting and preserving trophies & specimens and containing methods of measurement and other valuable information pertaining to trophy hunting & Rowland Ward's "Records of Big Game". In other words, The Book in which the trophy records are kept. I also checked on their website to make sure that it hasn't changed. And the figure is indeed 13.3cm, 5 1/4", taken in 1971 in Mozambique.

BUT the question is, which Suni are we talking about, because it seems as if one of them has got the scientific names mixed up, or there is a split that is only recognised by some, as often happens. There is the Suni, and the Livingstone's Suni. The number I gave here is for the one that is given as having its distribution in Southern Africa. The problem is, Stuart, Apps (editor for Smithers) and Mills & Hes gives that as Neotragus moschatus, while Rowland Ward gives the Latin name as Neotragus livingstonianus, with Neotragus moschatus being listed as appearing in East Africa. The East African antelope they give as maximum record horn length of 10.1cm. I've written Rowland Ward and will see what they respond. Since they classify based on where the animal was recorded, and with the places these are recorded at, I will still say that, whatever the scientific name turns out to be, the length will still be 13.3cm, from Mozambique, as the other one at 10.1cm is from Kenya.

Now, being IT, I'd better give an easy one with no funnies, as from Wednesday lunch I'm gone until either Sunday night or Monday. Will come up with something.

One thing about the Rowland Ward record books. Yes, it is mainly for hunters, so some people will absolutely scorn them and everything, but the aim with them has been, right from inception back in the late 1800's, to be a scientific collection of scientific value. Thus it is not only a trophy that was shot /*, but anybody can list any pick-up in the veldt as well. And that's the difference between it and any other that I know of. Those are only those shot by the person who lists them. Thus, RW tries to really make it a scientific book, and a couple of the top entries are actually listed as pickups. I've got the Handbook which lists only the top two entries for every species worldwide, while the full book lists every single entry that has qualified since inception. And interestingly, contrary to some people's insistence that trophy hunting is killing off all the big males, there many species where most of the top ten are recent, because there's economic value, and people take care of them.

/* I don't use the word hunted as unfortunately, when "glory" goes with it, some people will go to any length to get their names in the book, no matter how unethical. Thus, unfortunately, not all are hunted, but I do believe that most are ethically hunted, while the bad apples are not all that many.

Have to make it quick and easy...

1) Which of the following is the smallest antelope that will tolerate oxpeckers:
a. Impala
b. Kudu
c. Eland

2) Which of the following will not tolerate oxpeckers at all:
a. Impala
b. Buffalo
c. Elephant

3) Which if the following is true about oxpeckers:
a. They do only good by removing external parasite and keeping wounds clean of them.
b. They can be a nuisance, as they keep the wounds open to get to the blood and raw flesh, and as such doesn't allow them to heal.
c. The red billed oxpecker prefers animals with a finer coat.

B,C,A?

1/3

A,C,B?

A C A

A C B indeed Siobain!

1) The impala is the smallest antelope that will tolerate oxpeckers, and one often sees photos of them with a number of oxpeckers in attendance.

2) Elephant do not tolerate oxpeckers, or any other birds for that matter, to hitch a ride, and will actively chase them off with ears and trunk.

3) Here I was a bit spiteful (not quite the word I'm looking for, but just can't think of the English for "moedswillig"/"aspris")

a. They do only good by removing external parasite and keeping wounds clean of them.
b. They can be a nuisance, as they keep the wounds open to get to the blood and raw flesh, and as such doesn't allow them to heal.
c. The red billed oxpecker prefers animals with a finer coat

a) Is wrong for the highlighted reason, which is why b) is correct. They will even open up their own little wounds to get to blood and flesh! And c) is wrong, because that describes the Yellow-billed oxpecker.

So, now this monkey's off my back! Siobain, you're IT