HIPPOS IN NIGERIA....

You will be surprised to know that God has blessed Nigeria with her own wildlife but,the sad news is this, there are no good conservative measures put in place to take care of this wildlife.

Who would have thought we've got Hippopotamus in our rivers. According to research, hippos are widely distributed through out Nigeria, occurring in kainji Lake, Yobe, Adamawa State, Benue River and a number of game reserves.

In a report sometimes ago, there seems to be only 200 hippos in Nigeria with no more than 100 in Yankari Game Reserve and up to 56 in kanji Lake National Park under conservation. Which to some extent, it is satisfactory according to some conservationist, while to some, it is not!

FACTS ABOUT HIPPOS:
Although they are herbivores (feed on plants), they are extremely aggressive and unpredictable,fighting rival creatures and each other to defend their territories or offspring.

Male hippo can weigh three tons or more, and has been known to attack both in water (capsizing boats) and on land.

Can run incredibly fast despite its large size.

It has the largest and mightiest jaws and longest canines than any mammal.

It can cut an adult crocodile in halves. Imagine then what it can do to man!!!!!

THREAT:
Main threats to survival are meat poaching and of habitat.

KADUNA CROCODILES

Kaduna is the State Capital of Kaduna State in the northern-western Nigeria, on the Kaduna River. And it is no news that they State have got lots of Crocodiles living in its waters.

The State is even named after crocodile that is, KADA in the native Hausa language.

According to Crocodiles experts, Crocodiles are expert at hiding, that is why they have survived on earth for so long.

And why they are ultimate killers in water.

They know how to keep quite and go unnoticed, it is in their nature. Because of this nature of theirs, there has been cases of crocodiles creeping on people without them knowing.

Have you ever imagined waking up dreamily early in the morning, and the next thing you find under your bed is a Croc.??? As for me,jezzzz.... I will go haywire and cream out my life!!!!

Well, this happened to a man in Zimbabwe. If you think I am bluffing, check out this pix.

LIONS IN NIGERIAN BUSHES???

There has been  several questions about whether Lions are found in Nigeria and in Africa as a whole. And here is the truth according to TOTAL FACTS ABOUT NIGERIA, it says " Lions are scarcely seen roaming the bushes of Nigeria, however, there are some caged ones in different Nigerian Zoos. "

It also says that, lots of Lions can be found in Yankari Game Reserve in Bauchi State. Where Lions and other animals present there are kept save and allowed to roam free without the fear of been killed by poachers. You can visit just as I plan to do so someday!

 However, most of the Lions you may likely find in Nigeria are imported from other countries of the world.

DEADLIEST SNAKES IN NIGERIA

Nigeria is a blessed country with a lot of diverse landscapes, favourable climate conditions, coastal plains,vast savannah, biodiversity of flora etc. These natural features have permitted lots of wild beauties to dwell in it. Amongst them are the various species of snakes found here.

And all thanks to nature researchers whom have come up with the fact that, Nigeria has four types of snakes that can be classified as "The Most Deadliest." They include:

West African carpet viper
Gaboon viper
Puff adder
Black-necked spitting cobra

WEST AFRICAN CARPET VIPER

The West African carpet viper with the botanical name (Echis ocellatus) is 1 to 2 feet long with speckled light to dark brown dorsal scales and a light coloured belly. It ranges through out Nigeria in its natural habitat of forest edges and Savannah, up to 3,000 feet above sea level.
The carpet viper acount for the 90% of snakes bite in  Nigeria and 60% of  human sankebite fatalities- mostly famers and young children, according to the Medical Journal of Therapeutics. Its potent  hemotoxic venom makes it the most dengerous snake in  Africa and, in terms of morbidity, the most dangerous snake in the world. Victims experience blistering, hemorrhaging and tissue damage that may result in necrosis.

GABOON VIPER

The gaboon viper with the botanical name (Bitis gabonica) hunts rodents ,birds and frogs during the evening hours. It range through out the tropical rainforests and other moist regions of East and West central Africa.
It also ranges from 4 to 6 feet in length and it brown colour and leaf-shaped head provide excellent
camouflage under the leaves on the forest floor.
Infamous for having the longest fangs among snakes, up to 2 inches, the gaboon viper is known for the several snakesbites in Nigeria each year. Its venom is deadly to humans if not treated promptly.

PUFF ADDER

The puff adder (Bitis arietans) is distributed through North Africa. Non aggressive and sluggish, It is responsible for 60%  of reported snakes  bites, making it one of the most deadliest, Its potent venom is cytotoxic and injected by front-hinged fangs that folds out when the mouth opens and retracted when it closes.
Human victim of such bites dies if not treated within 26 hours or deep necrosis may set in, requiring amputation of affected body part....wow!!!!!!!!

3 feet long with dull yellow, orange, brown and beige markings providing excellent camouflage. Habitat- open grassland, savanna,open woodlands and rocky outcrops,they are prey upon rodents and birds.

BLACK-NECKED SPITTING COBRA
The black-necked spitting cobra (Naja nigricollis) spits when provoked. Highly venomous, responsible for many human bites every year, Its ranges from Nigeria and Namibia.
It has olive-brown colour with a black back and yellow to red underbelly, dark-coloured throat band.

It prey on toads,lizards, grasshoppers and rodents. 4 to 6 feet long.

Now you know few snakes you must run away from especially, if you don't wanna get a part of you amputated. But of them all, you can still pick the one you admire most. As for me, it is the COBRA, beautiful and intelligent.

GORILLAS, CLOSEST RELATIVES OF HUMANS

Gorillas are the closest relatives of humans. Gorillas are different from monkeys for a variety of reasons:
They are larger, walk up right for a larger period of time, dont have tails and have much larger, more developed brains.

There are four subspecies of gorillas:
The eastern low land gorilla
The mountain gorilla
The western low land gorilla
And the cross river gorilla

Gorilla have arms longer than than their legs and tend to walk on all their four limbs at certain times- a movement called "knuckle walking."
Adult males are known as SLIVER-BACK due to the distinctive silver coloured hair on their backs.

DIET
Gorillas are-herbivores and eat leaves,shoots,roots,vines and fruits.

BEHAVIOUR
Gorillas are ground dwelling and live in groups of 6-12 with the oldest and largest sliver-back  leading a family of females, their young and younger males called BLACK-BACKS.
The sliver-back makes the decision on when his groups wakes up, eats, moves  and rest for the night. because it his duty to protect his family all the time.
The sliver-back tends to be the most aggressive. In such situations, he beats his chest and charge at the perceive of threat.

An amazing fact about gorillas is that, they show great sense of emotion that is mind blowing!!!
check this out....

THE GIANT PANDA

The giant panda, which lives only in China outside of captivity, has captured the hearts of all ages of animal lovers across the globe. From the furry black and white bodies to their shy and docile mature. They are considered one of the world's most loved animals.

A characteristic of the giant panda that has mystified scientists is their movable, elongated wrist bone that acts like an opposable thumb. This human-like quality that helps give them even more of a cuddly-bear appearance enables the giant panda to pickup objects and even eat sitting up.

Giant pandas love bamboo! In fact, their diet is 99% bamboo. Along with bamboo, the eat other plants, small rodents, and occassionally fish. The mystery behinde their diet is they have the digestive system of a carnivore.

CAN YOU IMAGINE THESES INTEESTING FACTS ABOUT GIANT PANDA-

According to researchers :

Giant panda can stand erect on its hing legs but rarely walk...arrrwww wish it could.

Giant panda have very sensitive hearing and smell sense, but it has poor eyesights. And you will think it can see miles with those pretty, adorable dark eyes...lol.

A new born giant panda is blind and looks like a tiny,pink, hairless mouse...cute!!!!

DOLPHINS ARE MAMMALS AND NOT FISHES

HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT "NATURE" COULD BE ALL ABOUT???

Probably yes! From the perspective of scientists and Biologists whom have come up with different obtainable facts about what nature is all about.
To them, nature is an all encompassing word when it comes to describing the diversities in both plants and animals.
But to me as a individual, God is nature.The maker of heaven and earth which makes up nature.
When you look around you everyday and you notice you can't capture the sunrise,even if you try. You can't stop the rain, when you feel the caressing of the mist on your skin. You look up and see the greatness of the sky and at the same time you hear the authentic call of nature.

Doesn't all these make you stop and think ? Make you wonder who is responsible for such amazing and fascinating things?
 I tell you, only a superior being can make all these happen.
All we need to do about nature since we can't stop its beauty,its rage,its authenticity,is to embrace it.
The wildlife, is the most beautiful and fascinating aspect of nature. I have come to appreciate and accept that they were created for a reason. They are meant to be free,in the wild where they belong,left untamed nor killed.

Finally, nature is meant to be loved, appreciated, conserved and embraced. Not just because the are beautiful, captivating and fascinating. But because they are Gods creations too.

10 FACTS ABOUT ELEPHANTS YOU MUST KNOW.

Elephants have keen sense of hearing
Elephants trunks contain an estimated 100,000 muscles and tendons in the trunk. Giving it extreme flexibility and strength.
Elephants are capable of locating water sources up to 19.2km(12miles) away. Very interesting!!!
Can determine the productive status of distant elephants...amazing!!!
Elephant trunks are very powerful capable of uprooting an entire tree and delivering of forceful blow in defence. Nice!
Each molar tooth of an elephant is about the size of a brick and weighs between 1.8 and 2.0kg.
Elephant molar teeth are replaced six times during its life time.
Similar to humans,elephants maybe left or right-handed. Meaning there is preference one tusk over the other. God is great.
They have the largest brain of a land mammal,weighing between 4.5 to 5.5kg.
Have excellent long term memory and are capable of remembering experiences for a long period of time. Research as even shown that elephants are able to recognize other herd members decades after they have last interacted...hmmmmm.
The heart of an elephant comprises about 0.5% of the animal total body weight.
Finally,found in Africa and Asia.

ULTIMATE ANIMAL COUNTDOWN: SMELLIEST

SPERM WHALE: world's largest carnivorous. It eats 1000 pounds of food everyday mostly Squid. It passes out a waste product called "Ambergris,"which something comes out from the Whale's butt-it doesn't smell that bad. Ambergris has a delicate fragrance which Is added to most perfume. So anytime you pick up a perfume, remember this fact!                                                   

SLOTH: this creature is  more famous for its speed than its stench. The sloth is the slowest mammal on the planet and it has some of the world's worst personal hygiene. A sloth pays so little attention to its grooming. Three different species of mites live happily inside a sloth's rectum. This is a dirty beast and it smells....                                                
RING TAILED LEMUR: in the ring tailed lemur society, females rule. On the other hand, the male are the smelliest that they fight rival males using smell as a weapon. The smelly scent glands on their wrist contain a message to rival males. Isn't that funny and weired?           

HYENAS(I am stinky and I know it): Hyenas live as a clan. They rely on smell to find their way, they use smell as a social networking site updating the clan about who is in the hood...interesting! Hyenas kick butt with hyena butter which is produced and stored  in a pouch near their anus.  The disgusting paste stinks like cheap soap, and can still smell for 30 days...Lol....                                   

FULMAR(NERVOUS PUKER): a scavenger that eats everything from dying fish to garbage. Sailors call them "stinkers." Their chicks have develop a disgusting defense mechanism. Fed on rubbish, the chick creates a seriously smelly stomach oil. If the chick thinks it is in danger, it hurls chunks of this oil, an evil smelling vomit.                  

Keep a date to discover which animal tops the table of the smelliest!!!              

THAT FACE!!!!

Still working on this!!!                             

But what do you  think and what can you see on that face???

CALL OF NATURE

    You can not stop the rising of the sun. You can not stop the rain when  it falls. You can not resist the caressing feel of the mist on your skin, neither can you take turns between two Lions fighting for kingship and territory!                                .

You look up and see the greatness of the sky. You hear the authentic call of nature all around you. To me, I see all these as beautiful, fascinating and amazing!                   

All  these made possible by God who is nature itself. No wonder nature is so lovable and irresistible to many all around the world.                    

What is nature to u?

Just about Nature!