15 Animals to see on a Botswana River Safari
TIck off your wildlife bucket list
The Zambezi Queen Collection of properties is situated in the heart of the Chobe region with access to river frontage of the Chobe National Park. Our water-based safaris allow you to experience the enormous diversity and concentration of wildlife the area has to offer.
Here are 15 animals you’ll most likely spot on a Botswana river safari:
1. The giraffe is the tallest mammal in the world, with even new-born babies born taller than most humans.
2. Lechwe are strong swimmers and will often out swim predators to get away and can easily bound through water.
3. Lions and leopards are the warthog’s chief enemies. Warthogs protect themselves from predators by fleeing or sliding backwards into a hole, thus being in a position to use their formidable tusks in an attack.
4. The giant kingfisher is the largest kingfisher in Africa, where it is a resident breeding bird over most of the continent south of the Sahara Desert.
5. African fish eagles are very efficient hunters and only hunt for about 10 minutes each day. Besides fish, they also eat young birds, monkeys, baby crocodiles and frogs. They have special growths on their toes that help them to grip slippery prey.
6. The Chobe National Park is home to the largest concentration of African elephant in the world.
7. The adage an elephant never forgets would be matched by a buffalo never forgives. They have been known to attack people that have harmed them even years after the event.
8. An adult hippo needs to resurface every 3 – 5 minutes to breathe. The process of surfacing and breathing is automatic, and even a hippo sleeping underwater will rise and breathe without waking.
9. The gemsbok is one of the most perfectly desert-adapted large mammals. It is capable of subsisting in waterless landscapes where few other ungulates can survive. This allows the gemsbok to utilize habitat that other grazers can only use during the rainy season.
10. Where most reptiles lay their eggs and move on, mother and father crocodiles ferociously guard their nests until the eggs hatch, and they will often roll the eggs gently in their mouths to help hatching babies emerge.
11. Lions thrive in prides as the only cats to live in groups. With females as the primary hunters, males defend a territory that can stretch for miles.
12. Leopards are astoundingly strong. They are pound for pound the strongest of the big cats.
13. Contrary to the picture below, zebras are actually highly social, and will only go to sleep if they are close to neighbours so that they can be warned if a predator approaches.
14. The impala is rarely seen on its own. Females and young animals form herds of up to 100 individuals, while males live in a bachelor group of about 60 animals. They occupy a large range and make seasonal migrations from high to lower ground according to the availability of suitable food.
15. Monitor lizzards are fearsome predators, hunting on and under the ground, in trees and in the water.
Before your game viewing excursion, remember to apply sunscreen and wear a hat, as temperatures can reach over 40 degrees centigrade. You should also bring along a jacket for the chillier temperatures in the early mornings and evenings.
Enjoy the ultimate in game viewing safari decadence with the Zambezi Queen Collection as you drift along the Chobe river in one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet.
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