The fauna of our planet, despite all the efforts of man, is still very rich. Many species of animals live at all latitudes, starting from the North Pole and ending with Antarctica. And in a hot climate there are especially many of them. Take at least Africa and its "Big Five". So called the five inhabitants of this continent: buffalo, rhino, leopard, elephant and, of course, a lion. In our temperate climate, these animals from hot countries are found only in zoos. And Africa is their home for them and you can meet them there in the wild.
Everyone knows the “king of beasts” of the lion. Previously, these predators roamed the expanses of Eurasia, North America and throughout Africa. But people have exterminated many representatives of this "royal" species. And in our time, these animals of hot countries are found only south of the Sahara desert and in India, where only a small population of these predators has survived.
A lion, unlike other cats, has pronounced sexual characteristics. The male from the female is distinguished by the presence of a large mane. And the saying that the cat walks on its own does not apply to these representatives of the cat world. These animals of hot countries live by prides, that is, by peculiar social groups. At the head of the pride is the largest male. As the head of the clan, he only deals with the protection of his territory and, of course, the extension of the clan. This group also includes several females and young offspring.
And on the “shoulders” of the females lie the difficult duties of obtaining food and raising the younger generation. The lioness's gestation period lasts between 100-108 days. And each of them can bring 2-3 kittens. It happens, but rarely, that a lioness brings four or even five cubs. Immediately after lambing, she feeds the kids away from the pride, in some secluded place. But the lioness does not stop communicating with her group. Then, when the kittens get stronger, she brings them to the pride. And due to the fact that the lion cubs smell like their mother, they are freely admitted to the group.
Growing up, young males begin to "look closely" at the leader of the pride. Each of them wants to take this place. And when the young male is strong enough, he challenges the leader. There is a struggle for the "throne" and the winner receives everything, and the vanquished leaves the pride.
These wild animals of hot countries feed the ungulates of the African expanses. These are antelopes, zebras and gazelles. If an accident occurs, then the lion can drag away the pet. Also, these predators can cope with young hippos, rhinos and even elephants. The appetite of lions is very good. During a sitting, he can overcome up to 30 kg of meat, and then sleep almost a day. But the average daily diet of this predator is about 5 kg of meat.
There are also other animals of hot countries that are quite noticeable on the African continent. These are the largest animals that live on the surface of the earth - elephants. The weight of the females of these herbivores is within 2.8 tons. Males weigh about five tons. But there are champions among them. The weight of the largest African elephant was 12.2 tons.
But not only by weight can a female elephant be distinguished from a male. The size of their tusks is also significantly different. In some males, they can reach four meters in length. And this is the curse of the whole "elephant family." Some poachers find a lucrative pursuit in the ivory hunt. Animals from hot countries, such as elephants, were on the verge of extinction because of this. And now they occupy not the last page in the International Red Book.
There are many more interesting features that African elephants possess. For example, the huge ears of these animals. And during the African heat, these body parts replace the elephants with a fan.
The diet of African elephants consists only of plant foods. And three quarters of their lives, they do what they constantly chew. But these giants sleep relatively little. They spend only 15% of their time on vacation. And this is two times less than that of people. And they only sleep while standing, leaning on each other. Also, African elephants have one feature that no one can explain. They feel the approach of their death and they themselves go to the "cemetery", which is not very easy to find. There are also many more animal species in Africa that make this continent so colorful and unique.
