Category: Animals
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Lion is called kìnìún in Yoruba and admired in the culture as the king of all animals because of its glossy skin and its mane, the impressive fringe of long hair that encircles the heads of their males. Lion is the most distinctive member of the Carnivora order. The scientific name, Panthera leo was given by…
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Lizard, the red-headedrock agama, Agama agama, is the most populous of the 60 or more species of lizards native to Africa and Eurasia. In sub Saharan Africa it is well suited to arid conditions. However, they need a basking spot of 90F and an ambient temperature of around 80F. Adults grow between 30cm – 35cm…
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Apiculture is a branch of Agriculture that is concerned with the keeping of honey bees, especially for commercial purposes. It dates back to ancient times when man learnt to drive bees away from their hives so as to harvest the combs in which the bees store honey. About two decades ago, agriculturalists began to sensitize…
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Long-tailed pangolin, Manis tetradactyla, have long prehensile tails that make up almost two-thirds of their total length, therefore having the longest tails and shortest bodies of the Pangolins, the only group of known mammals having keratin scales. They range in size from 30 to 40cm in length and 2 to 3 kg in weight. Their…
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Mangabey is an arboreal (also terrestrial), endothermic, frugivorous, insectivorous, omnivorous, bilaterally symmetrical, social primate found only within approximately 200 km of the Nigerian coast. They are also found in swamp, mangrove, and valley forests, from western Nigeria southward to the east Cameroon through the coast of Equatorial Guinea to Gabon. Of the 4-6 species of…
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Mona Monkey, scientific name, Cercopithecus mona, is an arboreal, diurnal, omnivorous, frugivorous, social African monkey (called Guenon) with a body length of 32 to 53 cm and a long tail of 67 to 90 cm. The dorsal fur is red-brown to brown-agouti. The ventral surface and buttocks are white. The upper half of the face…
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Mongoose, formerly included in the civet family because of its possession of anal scent glands, the mongoose, Herpestidae, called Eta or Kolokolo in Yoruba, is a family of small, predominantly diurnal carnivorous animals with a greyish or brown fur, long body and face, short legs, small rounded ears and tapered snouts. From one of the…
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African Clawless Otter, Aonyx capensis, called El??g??d?? in Yoruba is the most widely distributed otter species in Africa. The generic name, aonyx, which means “not-clawed”, refers to this otter species’ clawless forelimbs. They have thick, smooth fur with almost silky underbellies. Chestnut in color, they are characterized by white facial markings that extend downward towards…
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Mountain Reedbuck, a medium-sized, graceful and shy antelope species, Redunca fulvorufula, called Etu in Yoruba is characterized by short curved horns, which is seen only in males. Head and body length reaches 100-136cm, plus additional tail length of 18-20 cm. Shoulder height is within 65-89 cm. The Western Mountain Reedbuck R. f. adamauae has been…
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Multimammate Mouse, Rattus natalensis, is one of the commonest African rodents. It is so called because the female are multi breasted. Though widespread throughout Africa, the multimammate rat is relatively not common in Nigeria. Being fair climbers, they thrive in human habitats showing tolerance towards its own species and other rodents. Size is mouse-like, but…