Rock Hyrax - Tanzania

Both Tanganyika and Zanzibar achieved their independence from Great Britain in 1961 and 1963 respectively. In 1964, the former colonies merged to form Tanzania, a portmanteau of the original names. According to the Articles of Union, Zanzibar is allowed a semi-autonomous status within the union of the two nations.

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Procavia capensis - Rock hyraxes live in highly structured social colonies of up to 80 individuals and are divided further along family lines. They are cautious animals and rarely venture far from their burrows; they prefer foraging for grasses and broad-leaf plants near their dens in case of any threats. It has been observed they use “sentries” for extra protection. One or two individuals will take a prominent position to watch for lurking predators while the others feed. Rock hyraxes use vocal sounds as a means of communication.

African Elephant - Zimbabwe

Referred to as Rhodesia during British colonial rule, Zimbabwe derives its name from a complex of stone ruins near the present town of Nyanda. Parts of this fortress-settlement date back 1,300 years. This was the center of an inland empire ruled by the Karanga people.

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Loxondonta africana - The African elephant is the larger of the two recognized species, the other being the Indian elephant. Elephants are the largest terrestrial animals. Despite their great weight, 3 to 7 metric tonnes, elephants walk in a tiptoe fashion. The foot is supported from behind by a fibrous-fatty cushion and enclosed in a structure resembling a hoof. The legs are placed directly under the body for additional support as opposed towards the side. A mature bull elephant can weigh between 4,700 to 6,000 kilograms.

Caribbean Manatee - Florida

Florida has 2,170 kilometers of oceanic coastline, the most of any lower 48 state; it is the only state bordering the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. Florida is also one of the few regions having been controlled by at least 5 different sovereign nations: Spain, France, Great Britain, the Confederate States, and the United States.

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Trichechus manatus - The Caribbean manatee is one of two remaining species of manatees. Fresh water lakes and lagoons or wide sluggish rivers are their ideal habitats. Manatees feed primarily on aquatic plants, but they will also eat small fish and invertebrates. Manatees are polyphyodont. They have the ability to replace their teeth; elephants and kangaroos are included in this group. In a process similar to a conveyor belt, new teeth are formed in the back of the mouth and slowly move forward until they fall out from wear.

Columbian Mammoth - Nebraska

The Kansas-Nebraska Act created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska in 1854; Omaha served as the territorial capital of Nebraska. The capital was moved to the town of Lancaster when Nebraska became a state. Lancaster was then renamed to honor Abraham Lincoln, the recently assassinated president.

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Mammuthus columbi - Mammoth is the common term for several extinct species closely related to the modern elephant. The Columbian mammoth evolved from the steppe mammoth and roamed an area stretching from the United States to Nicaragua during the late Pleistocene epoch. The Columbian mammoth sustained itself on the grasses of the vast savannahs of the Americas. Fossil evidence has shown the mammoth as one of the last large mammals falling into extinction in the Americas; the mammoth disappeared 12,500 years ago.

Steppe Mammoth - Russia

Russia, stretching across Europe and Asia, is the largest country in the world. At over 17,000,000 square kilometers, Russia is nearly as big as the combined area of Canada and China, the 2nd and 3rd largest countries. The land area controlled by the former Soviet Union consisted of over 22,000,000 square kilometers.

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Mammuthus trogontherii - The steppe mammoth is an extinct member of the elephant family and once roamed throughout Northern Eurasia during the middle Pleistocene epoch. This mammoth was the ancestral link between two other mammoths, the southern and woolly mammoth. Standing 4 meters tall, the steppe mammoth was the largest member of the elephantidae family. The tusks of an mature bull could reach lengths of 5 meters, but they did not extend out far from the body; the tusks had a sharp upwards curve.

Asian Elephant - Thailand

The Thai alphabet is derived from the old Khmer script, an abugida script. Abugiba describes a segmental writing style to allow each consonant-vowel sequence to be written as one unit. The Thai alphabet contains 44 letters and shares a similar style with the Roman alphabet; the Thai alphabet is written from left to right. 

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Elephas maximas - The Asian elephant consists of three sub-species: the Indian, the Sumatran, and the Sri Lankan elephant. The trunk of the elephant is its single most important feature. Containing no bones or cartilage, the trunk is made up of over 100,000 individual muscles. This sensitive organ has the ability to lift heavy logs or small pieces of fruit. Its flexibility is extraordinary; the elephant could not survive without a trunk. Male Asian elephants have large tusks; female tusks are small, unnoticeable or completely missing.

African and Asian Elephant Comparison

Elephantidae is the only extant family in the Proboscidea order and contains the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. The forest elephant was considered a subspecies of the bush elephant, but DNA analysis has shown enough differences to support classifying them as separate species. Differences between the Asian and African elephant are broader in scope than those of the bush and forest elephant. The highest point on the Asian variety is the back; the African elephant is tallest at the shoulders. The stomach of the Asian elephant is straight or sags slightly in the middle; the African elephant’s stomach slopes down towards the hind legs. The ears of an Asian elephant are small and do not cover the neck area; the ears of an African elephant are large and cover the neck. The number ribs, toes, and trunk fingers are also different for each species.

Dugong - Tonga

James Cook was the first explorer to extensively chart the islands of Tonga. His first visit in 1773 was a success and the islands became widely known as the “Friendly Islands.” Tonga is the single Pacific island nation never to have fallen under the complete control of a foreign power; it has managed to remain independent.

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Dugong dugong - There are four living animals in the Serenia order; one species of dugong and three species of manatees. They are sometimes referred to as “sea cows” because of their habit of grazing on the thick clumps of sea grass such as those of the pondweed and tape grass family, both found along the bottom of warm river estuaries, mangrove channels, and shallow bays. An adult dugong can grow to a length of about 3 meters and rarely exceeds a weight of 425 kilos; females are larger than males.