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African Jewellery - Animals
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| All Animal Jewellery | Animal Rings | Animal Cufflinks |
African Animal charms - buffalo charm, rhino charm, lion charm, leopard charm, elephant charm. Big 5 charm bracelets.
LEOPARD
(Panthera pardus)
INGWE (Zulu) - The leopard is feline beauty in action. It lives in forest or broken ground, using cover in a solitary and secretive way. It is nocturnally active. Males defend their territory, marking it with urine, droppings or by scratching tree trunks. Leopards have a wide diet including insects, reptiles, rodents, birds, small and large mammals. The leopard stalks its prey and strikes with a neck or throat bite resulting in suffocation or a severed jugular. Unfinished remains of a kill are often dragged up into tree branches to protect against scavengers.
BUFFALO
(Synceras caffer)
INYATHI (Zulu) - Buffalo have a reputation for savagery and cunning. Although vegetarians, they are responsible for many deaths in Africa. Buffalo are the only wild cattle in Africa. They are gregarious and can occur in herds of several thousand. Old and juvenile males live in bachelor groups. Solitary bulls are not uncommon but become prime targets for predatory lions. The horns of the buffalo meet in the middle of the head to form a large wrinkled bump called a "boss'. This structure can easily deflect a hunter's bullet.
RHINO
Extinction by greed
BHEJANE (Zulu)- Rhino species have been on the brink of extinction. In 1920 WHITE RHINO were reduced to perhaps one hundred. Strict conservation successfully reversed the situation in South Africa but these great animals are still under constant threat from poachers. The BLACK RHINO is the smaller of the two species. It used to browse on the slopes of Table Mountain but natural populations now occur only much further north. It is notoriously bad-tempered and has been known to charge vehicles. The WHITE RHINO was greatly endangered and attempts to rescue the species gained international support. Along with the BLACK RHINO it is still cruelly poached for its horn which brings immense sums of money in Yemen where it is used for making ceremonial knife handles. It is also eagerly sought in the Far East where it is used for its supposed aphrodisiac powers.
ELEPHANT
(Loxodonta africana)
World's largest mammal
NDLOVU (Zulu) - The Elephant is the largest land mammal in the World. It is generally placid but is extremely dangerous when threatened or in season (sexually aroused). The Elephant was hunted remorselessly in the past for its ivory and is still poached for profit. The African record for a pair of tusk is an unbelievable 200kg. The trunk, a most versatile organ, can perform a variety of operations - plucking food, sucking up water for drinking or spraying - with the double pointed end-tip it is able to manipulate tiny objects. The ears are very large and serve as radiators, cooling the blood. They also indicate mood, being held outward when charging. Tusks are used for digging, breaking branches for food and fighting. A family group comprises the female and her young with perhaps several other related females. Males live alone or in herds, joining family groups for breeding.
LION
King of the Jungle
(Panthera leo)
TAU (Tswana) - The so called "King of the Jungle" actually lives mainly on plains and is a rather lazy animal, leaving most of the hunting to the Lioness. Life tends to be made up of short bursts of intense activity followed by long periods of relaxation. Lions are distinctly sociable, living in prides of 3-30 members. Central to the pride is the Lioness but the Lion dominates. Territory is marked with urine and droppings and is vigorously defended against any take over bids - either from within or without. The roar of the Lion so characteristic of the African night, is part of territorial warning. Lions feed mainly on warm-blooded animals, small or very large. Small prey are dealt with by a single swipe of a powerful paw. Larger animals are brought down by having their necks twisted and broken by a powerful wrench. They may also be suffocated by the grip across the larynx. Prey may be adult buffalo or giraffe or unprotected young rhino, elephant or hippo. Even if he did not make the kill, the Lion will dominate at feeding. Any careless or over-enthusiastic cub may be maimed or killed if it gets in the way.
