“It’s a... Safari” African Plains canyons Africa is a land of varied climates. Canyons are carved by fast flowing rivers. Vegetation on the African Plains is mostly grass. These steep walls are composed of lava rock. Some drought resistant trees do grow there. The Orange River runs through the desert. What happens during a drought? How does erosion create gorges and canyons? Af • ri • can • Plains can • yons A f • r i • c an • P l ai n s c a n • y o n s African Plains canyons

Augrabies Desert mountain forest The Augrabies Desert is a semi-arid savannah. The mountain forest has subtropical weather. This land has very little rainfall. Water vapor condenses and falls as rain. Plant roots take what water they can from the soil. The cliffs are a habitat for many and How do plants adapt to the desert? reptiles. Au • gra • bies • De • sert Describe a “misty mountain top”. Au • g r a • b ie s • D e • s er t moun • tain • for • est Augrabies Desert m ou n • t ain • f or • e s t mountain forest Highveld Grasslands Grasses flourish on the Highveld grasslands. picking Acacia trees are plentiful on the plateaus. This baboon is picking fruit to eat. Africa has many freshwater and saltwater lakes. He forages for fruit, nuts, leaves, and insects. Which phrase means “high, cool, open He is omnivorous, so he will eat almost anything. grasslands”? What is an omnivore? High • veld • Grass • lands pick • ing H i gh • v e l d • G r a ss • l a n d s p i ck • i ng Highveld Grasslands picking desert kicking This is the Kalahari Desert. The baby elephant is kicking up dirt as she trots. The arid desert is a harsh habitat. She hurries to the waterhole for a mud bath. and people must adapt to the conditions. A newborn elephant weighs about 265 pounds. Which word means “lacking moisture”? What is a pachyderm? de • sert kick • ing d e • s er t k i ck • i ng desert kicking

© 2008 LocuTour Multimedia All Rights Reserved. For information call 800.777.3166 or 805.544.0775 “It’s a... Safari” taking off sleeping The bateleur is taking off. The gazelle fawn is sleeping. He is a jet black raptor, a . It may be left in a “nursery” with other fawns. His wingspan is six feet wide. Its mother watches from a distance. Measure six feet. Reach the distance with your A father is a buck, a mother is a _ _ _? arms. sleep • ing tak • ing • off s l ee p • i ng t a k • i ng • o ff sleeping taking off attending charging The male gazelle is attending to his surroundings. The two Cape buffalo are charging each other. He relies on his ability to see and hear predators. This aggressive behavior is called “rutting”. If alarmed, he will sprint away. A broadside stance shows dominance. If he doesn’t pay attention, what may happen? Which buffalo is more dominant this mating at • tend • ing season? a t • t e n d • i ng char • ging attending ch ar • g i ng charging eating The hartebeest is herbivorous. yawning It is eating the leaves, stems, and bark of the The lion cub is yawning. plant. She rests twenty of the twenty-four hours in a day. It grinds the plants with its large flat teeth. The other hours are spent hunting. What is an herbivore? How many hours a day do humans sleep? eat • ing yawn • ing ea t • i ng y aw n • i ng eating yawning stuffing drinking The rock hyrax is stuffing his cheeks with grass. The mother and her daughters are drinking water. If he senses danger, he will let out a squeak. The bond between them is lifelong. It is an alarm for all nearby animals. It lasts from 50 to 60 years. Do animals communicate? Is it possible for elephants to have caring feelings? stuff • ing drink • ing s t u f f • i ng d r i n k • i ng stuffing drinking

© 2008 LocuTour Multimedia All Rights Reserved. For information call 800.777.3166 or 805.544.0775 “It’s a... Safari” jumping sniffing The impala is jumping over the rock and brush. The mongoose is sniffing for food. An alarmed impala can broad jump 36 feet. It uses its long claws for digging. He can “pronk” 10 feet straight up in the air. It digs for eggs, millipedes, shellfish, and insects. Use your hands to demonstrate “pronking”. When a mongoose digs, its ears can close. Why? jump • ing sniff • ing j u m p • i ng s n i f f • i ng jumping sniffing panting flying The lionesses are resting and panting in the The vulture is flying over a recent kill. shade. This is a signal to many animals that food is It is common for these cats to hunt and rest nearby. together. The vulture must wait its turn for the food. Daytime temperatures can be over 100 degrees. Why would other animals notice a vulture flying? What is the daytime temperature today? Compare. fly • ing pant • ing f l y • i ng p a n t • i ng flying panting chewing sits This waterbuck is chewing cud. The sits and suns his underbelly. It is a “ruminant” . He does this for about an hour every morning. It swallows food, regurgitates, and chews it again. He will eat, play, rest, then eat again. Explain the saying, “He ruminates over stay in the burrows on rainy days. Why? problems.” sits chew • ing s i t s ch ew • i ng sits chewing crawls building The millipede crawls across the road. The lesser masked weaver is building a nest. This “myriopod” is named for its many legs. This small nest is for one family. “Milli” means thousand, and “pede” means foot. It differs from the sociable weaver’s huge nest. What would centipede mean? Find the sociable weaver’s nest. Compare the two. crawls build • ing c r aw l s b ui l d • i ng crawls building

© 2008 LocuTour Multimedia All Rights Reserved. For information call 800.777.3166 or 805.544.0775 “It’s a... Safari” flapping hut Elephants use their ears to cool their bodies. The thatched home is called a “behive hut”. There are many blood vessels close to the surface. This is a characteristic Zulu home. Flapping lowers the temperature by cooling blood. The Zulu people live in the countryside. How do other animals cool off? How do you think the beehive hut got its name? flap • ping hut f l a p • p i ng h u t flapping hut homestead fence This family’s homestead is in the countryside. This fence is built to keep the predatory animals Each family usually builds their own home. out. Many people live in cities. Domesticated animals are kept inside the fence. How are African homes alike/different? The ostrich is a common domestic animal. home • stead How are fences used in your area? h o me • s t ea d fence homestead f e n ce fence village An extended family lives in this farming village. girl They grow corn and other crops. This little girl lives in Africa. Their homes are made of mud bricks. She lives with her mother, father, and sister. How does cooperation affect the families’ lives? Zebra walk past her home. vil • lage What familiar animal looks like a zebra? v i l • l a ge girl village g ir l girl city Pretoria is like other large cities in the world. children Many people live in apartments and houses. These children walk a long way to school. They work in office buildings. They are dressed in their uniforms. What is the name of your city? It is a privilege to go to school, not everyone can. ci • ty How would you feel if you couldn’t go to school? c i • t y chil • dren city ch i l • d r e n children

© 2008 LocuTour Multimedia All Rights Reserved. For information call 800.777.3166 or 805.544.0775 “It’s a... Safari” selling container The people are selling their home-grown produce. The San make jewelry to sell to tourists. They sell guavas, mangoes, and bananas. They use porcupine quills, wooden beads and One woman balances a heavy load on her head. horns. Define the word, “burden”. The container is a tortoise shell, a carapace. sell • ing What does the word, “resourceful” mean? s e l l • i ng con • tain • er selling c o n • t ai n • er container thatching The men are thatching the roof. carves First, rafters are built and fastened. The young man carves bowls out of wood. Grass is then bundled and spread in layers on top. He uses a homemade adz. How would you make a thatched roof watertight? The adz has a wooden handle and metal blade. thatch • ing How is an ax different from an adz? th a tch • i ng carves thatching c ar ve s carves brickyard Clay bricks are made in the brickyard. herds The red soil gives the brick its red color. The boy herds the cow. Many houses are made of brick. He takes it from the grazing area to his home. How is the kiln used in making bricks? He walks barefoot on the dirt road. brick • yard What are calluses? b r i ck • y ar d herds brickyard h er d s herds nomadic The San people travel from place to place. tourists They are nomadic. Some tourists travel in buses to see the animals. This means they have no permanent home. Many national parks have been established. The San choose to be nomadic. Why do they These wilderness areas protect the animal move? habitats. no • ma • dic How does tourist money help protect the animals? n o • m a • d i c tour • ists nomadic t ou r • i s t s tourists

© 2008 LocuTour Multimedia All Rights Reserved. For information call 800.777.3166 or 805.544.0775 “It’s a... Safari” hot air balloon canoe A hot air balloon floats high above the savannah. The man carved the canoe from a log. It would be easy to see animals below. It took many weeks of hard work to make the Large herds of animals cross the grasslands. canoe. You are in the balloon. Describe your perspective. He goes up and down the river. hot • air • bal • loon Why does the canoe float? h o t • ai r • b a l • l oo n ca • noe hot air balloon c a • n oe canoe train The train is an important mode of transportation. habitat Trains run between cities and countryside. A habitat is an area of land or water. Many people use the train daily. It has everything an animal needs to live. How are “locomotion” and “locomotive” related? The giraffe’s habitat is the tree covered dry train savannah. t r ai n Why do you think the giraffe needs trees? train ha • bi • tat h a • b i • t a t rider habitat This rider travels the desert by horse. He must be sure to bring water along. lake The waterholes may be far apart. The many lakes are home to migrating birds. What does “hydrate” mean? Some lakes are deep and some are shallow. ri • der Shallow lakes evaporate in the dry season. r i • der What happens to the animals when the lake is dry? rider lake l a ke walking lake These people are walking to the marketplace. There, they will sell their goods. burrows Some carry heavy packages for long distances. Small mammals dig holes in the ground. Why would the people work so hard? Their burrows are deep. walk • ing The small animals must hide from predators. w al k • i ng Why would small animals need to hide? walking bur • rows b ur • r ow s burrows

© 2008 LocuTour Multimedia All Rights Reserved. For information call 800.777.3166 or 805.544.0775 “It’s a... Safari” waterhole nest The waterhole is a fresh water pond. About 200 sociable weavers live in this colony. It is critical to the survival of all African animals. One family lives in each chamber of the nest. The hippo is amphibious and herbivorous. On cold nights, many birds crowd into a chamber. Hippo hide is thin. Why does it need water? Why are the nests so high off the ground? wa • ter • hole nest w a • t er • h o le n e s t waterhole nest tree giraffe The leopard waits silently and rests in the tree. The giraffe is the world’s tallest land mammal. It may ambush its prey and attack from above. It can reach and eat leaves from the tops of trees. It will drag the kill back up to the tree to eat. Food is available that other animals cannot reach. How is the tree more advantageous than the How has the giraffe adapted to survive? ground? gir • affe tree g ir • a ffe t r ee giraffe tree gazelle brush A gazelle is a sociable animal that lives in herds. Smaller animals hide close to the ground. The baby stays with its mother for protection. The brush provides them with cover and shade. All mother gazelles will protect others’ offspring. They may also find bugs among the leaves. Do humans protect other people’s offspring? What is an insectivore? ga • zelle brush g a • z e lle b r u sh gazelle brush elephant mounds Elephant herds never go far from water. Termites build great mounds of spit and mud. Each day an elephant takes a mud bath. One colony has millions of termites. It provides protection from the sun and insects. A single large queen lays all the eggs. How could mud protect an elephant’s hide? Do you think termites have “jobs”? el • e • phant mounds e l • e • ph a n t m ou n d s elephant mounds

© 2008 LocuTour Multimedia All Rights Reserved. For information call 800.777.3166 or 805.544.0775 “It’s a... Safari” baboon meerkats The baboon lives in troops of different sizes. Meerkats are very social animals. Each troop has males, females, and the young. They often cuddle making soft murmuring They groom one another for several hours each sounds. day. They live in burrows and eat insects, fruit, and How does grooming form social bonds? roots. ba • boon Why would meerkats need to cooperate with b a • b oo n others? baboon meer • kats m ee r • k a t s cheetah meerkats A cheetah frequents the water hole in the evening. Other animals disappear when it is around. warthogs The cheetah is a carnivore. Warthogs live in a family group called a What do carnivores eat? “sounder”. chee • tah The sounders are sisters and their young piglets. ch ee • t ah One male attends to and defends the sounder. cheetah Do you think warthogs are swine? wart • hogs oryx w ar t • h o g s The long, curved horns are sickle-shaped. warthogs Oryx have brown necks and white coats. The horned oryx is extinct in the wild. wildebeest Their habitat was the desert edge. What The wildebeest travels in large herds for safety. happened? The herds move from one place to another. or • yx This is called “migration”. or • y x Why is it necessary to migrate? oryx wil • de • beest wil • de • beest lions wildebeest A “pride” of lions has one or two dominant males. There are four or more females and about six gorilla cubs. The gorilla eats fruits, leaves, and stems. A large pride may have up to 40 members. It rarely drinks water. Why are some prides larger than others? It gets most of the moisture it needs from leaves. li • ons Would the gorilla need to eat much? Why? l i • o n s gor • il • la lions g or • i l • l a gorilla

© 2008 LocuTour Multimedia All Rights Reserved. For information call 800.777.3166 or 805.544.0775 “It’s a... Safari” okapi secretary bird The okapi is part of the giraffe family. The secretary bird is exclusive to Africa. It has a prehensile tongue. It was named long ago for its black-tipped This means that the tongue can grasp small feathers. objects. Secretaries used to keep quill pens in their wigs. Why is it important to hold and grasp? Describe the color, size and shape of this bird. o • ka • pi sec • re • tar • y • bird o • k a • p i s e c • r e • t ar • y • b ir d okapi secretary bird hartebeest agama lizards The male hartebeest has strong, ringed horns. Camouflage is the way an animal disguises itself. He uses the horns to dig and plow the soil. Can you find both agama lizards on this tree? This is called, “soil-horning”. One has an enormous blue head and swollen How do you think a hartebeest marks its territory? cheeks. har • te • beest Compare the colors and patterns of the lizards. h ar • t e • b ee s t a • ga • ma • li • zards hartebeest a • g a • m a • l i • z ar d s agama lizards warthogs Warthogs have very short necks. giraffe They must get down on their knees to eat grass. The spotted pattern on the giraffe is for survival. They wallow in mud to keep cool. It helps to break up their outline on the horizon. Why might warthogs have calluses on their knees? Each giraffe has a different pattern of spots. wart • hogs Why would a giraffe need spots? w ar t • h o g s gir • affe warthogs g ir • a ffe giraffe vervet monkey The vervet monkey has silky yellow-brown fur. cheetah It weighs about 12 pounds and is 2-3 feet long. The cheetah is a predatory animal. It is often seen eating grass, herbs, seeds, and The spots and coloring help disguise the cheetah. fruit. It can hide in the grass without being seen by Describe the monkey’s face and eyebrows. prey. ver • vet • mon • key Is it necessary to have predators and prey? v er • v e t • m o n • k ey chee • tah vervet monkey ch ee • t ah cheetah

© 2008 LocuTour Multimedia All Rights Reserved. For information call 800.777.3166 or 805.544.0775 “It’s a... Safari” gazelle wildebeest The gazelle is cinnamon-colored with bold stripes. The wildebeest has a beard and a black face. Her eyes are on the side of her face. Its smooth, curved horns are used for defense. This allows 360 degree vision. It grazes on the grasses of the savannah. Where are predator’s eyes located? Why? Why do you think it has a black tail and black ga • zelle face? g a • z e lle wil • de • beest gazelle w i l • d e • b ee s t wildebeest Cape buffalo The Cape buffalo is a massive animal. zebra Its heavy horns curve out, down, then up to a point. Zebra are uniquely striped in black and white. The ridge of bone above the eyes is for protection. Predators only see in black and white. Is the Cape buffalo a bovine? As a zebra is chased through grass, the stripes Cape • buf • fa • lo blur. C a pe • b u f • f a • l o We can easily see zebra. Why can’t lions? Cape buffalo ze • bra z e • b r a white rhinoceros zebra The horn may grow to be over four feet long. Poachers kill the rhinoceros in order to sell the Nile crocodile horn. The Nile crocodile is a strong-jawed reptile. The white rhino is endangered and nearly extinct. Animals that come to the water to drink, beware! Does extinction of one species really affect It drags the animal underwater and drowns it. humans? A crocodile has teeth, but cannot chew. Why? white • rhi • no • cer • os Nile • cro • co • dile wh i te • rh i • n o • c er • o s N i le • c r o • c o • d i le white rhinoceros Nile crocodile cheetah The leopard tortoise has a hard, spotted shell. The cheetah is a carnivore. Protection is important. It stalks Thompson’s gazelle. It can tuck in its soft head and limbs. This fastest of land animals can sprint at 70 mph. Would very many animals be able to open the shell? Why does an animal stalk first, then chase? leo • pard • tor • toise chee • tah l eo • p ar d • t or • t oi se ch ee • t ah leopard tortoise cheetah

© 2008 LocuTour Multimedia All Rights Reserved. For information call 800.777.3166 or 805.544.0775 “It’s a... Safari” lioness brown hyena The lioness hunts for food at dusk. The brown hyena eats carrion. She hunts and kills only when she is hungry. Carrion is the remains of dead animals. When hunting alone, she is about 18% successful. It will also hunt and kill small animals. What would make it easier/harder to hunt? What other African animals eat carrion? li • on • ess brown • hy • e • na l i • o n • e ss b r ow n • h y • e • n a lioness brown hyena zebra herd wildebeest calf The stallion herds his family through the grasses. The wildebeest calf is hunted by lions and hyenas. Zebra are built for speed and endurance. Three minutes after birth, calves can stand and They are a favorite prey of lions and hyenas. run. Why have zebra developed the trait of endurance? Calves are born within three weeks of each other. ze • bra • herd Why would all the calves be born at the same z e • b r a • h er d time? zebra herd wil • de • beest • calf w i l • d e • b ee s t • c a lf jackal wildebeest calf The jackal waits his turn to scavenge lion kills. He also hunts insects and grass rats. pale chanting goshawk Leopards hunt adult jackals; eagles prey upon The pale chanting goshawk has pearl-gray pups. feathers. Can a predator also be prey? When a bird sits on a tree branch, it is on a ja • ckal “perch”. j a • ck al This perched goshawk looks for lizards. jackal Why is the goshawk perched in a bare tree? pale • chan • ting • gos • wild dog p a le • ch a n t • i ng • g o s • h aw k The carnivorous wild dog hunts in packs. pale chanting goshawk They catch about 85% of the animals they chase. They circle the prey and attack from all sides. squirrel Are animals being cruel when they hunt for food? Squirrels are diurnal -- active during the daylight. wild • dog A squirrel forages for seeds, insects, and leaves. w i l d • d o g It is eaten by many birds of prey. wild dog What does nocturnal mean? squir • rel s qu ir • r e l squirrel

© 2008 LocuTour Multimedia All Rights Reserved. For information call 800.777.3166 or 805.544.0775 “It’s a... Safari” topi crested hoopoe Large carnivores and jackal prey on newborn topi. The crested hoopoe has a long, thin bill. Adults, however, are not easy to catch. The feathers on top of his head are called a This topi is marking his territory. “crest”. How do humans mark their territories? The tufted rust-colored feathers are edged in to • pi black. t o • p i Describe the plumage of the crested hoopoe. topi cres • ted • hoo • poe c r e s • t e d • h oo • p oe yellow-billed stork crested hoopoe The yellow-billed stork has white plumage. Its long straight bill can probe for frogs and fish. yellow-billed hornbill It may keep its head under water for a long time. A nesting female climbs into a hole in a tree. What does the word plumage refer to? She seals the opening except for a tiny hole. yel • low • billed • stork The male hornbill brings her food for many y e l • l ow • b i ll ed • s t or k weeks. yellow-billed stork What is the purpose of the tiny hole? yel • low • billed • horn • bill dragonfly y e l • l ow • b i ll ed • h or n • b i ll This colorful insect is on the menu of many birds. yellow-billed hornbill It is also eaten by tortoise and jackals. The dragonfly pollinates flowers. eagle owl What habitat does the dragonfly need? The eagle owl does not build its own nest. dra • gon • fly It takes over another bird’s large nest. d r a • g o n • f l y This snake-eater nests atop a sociable weaver’s dragonfly nest. How do the eagle owl and weaver help each other? ea • gle • owl The powerful tawny eagle rests atop dead trees. ea • g le • ow l It’s a hunter of mongooses, rodents, and lizards. eagle owl The majestic bird even hunts flying termites. Hold your shoulders and head in the eagle position. flamingos taw • ny • ea • gle Flamingos feed in salty soda lakes. t aw • n y • ea • g le They eat the crustaceans that thrive in briny water. tawny eagle The water can be very hot in these lakes. Give an example of a crustacean. fla • min • gos f l a • m i n • g o s flamingos

© 2008 LocuTour Multimedia All Rights Reserved. For information call 800.777.3166 or 805.544.0775 “It’s a... Safari” Hadada ibis oxpecker The Hadada ibis probes the mud. The oxpecker sits on the backs of animals. It looks for insects and small reptiles. The animals tolerate this because it eats the ticks. It makes a loud haa, haa, haa, de dah call. The animals could not reach the pests otherwise. How do you think this bird got its name? This is a symbiotic relationship. Define symbiotic. Ha • da • da • i • bis ox • pec • ker H a • d a • d a • i • b i s o x • p e c k • er Hadada ibis oxpecker red-necked spurfowl Red-necked spurfowl are dirt-colored and speckled. This coloring helps them hide in the underbrush. They eat tubers, berries, termites, and ticks. How does this bird blend with the terrain? red • necked • spur • fowl r e d • n e ck ed • s p ur • f ow l red-necked spurfowl ground hornbill The ground hornbill has a prominent red crop. There are pebbles in the crop to help grind food. Hornbills walk seven miles a day looking for food. Can you think of another animal with a red crop? ground • horn • bill g r ou n d • h or n • b i ll ground hornbill ostrich The ostrich is the world’s largest bird. Ostriches do not really “bury their heads in the sand.” They peck at the ground and eat roots and insects. How do you think the old saying got started? os • trich o s • t r i ch ostrich

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