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Northern Acacia–Commiphora Bushlands And Thickets
The Northern ''Acacia''–''Commiphora'' bushlands and thickets are a tropical grasslands, savannas and shrublands ecoregion in eastern Africa. The ecoregion is mostly located in Kenya, extending north into southeastern South Sudan, northeastern Uganda and southwestern Ethiopia and south into Tanzania along the Kenya-Tanzania border."Northern Acacia-Commiphora bushlands and thickets". ''World Wildlife Fund'' ecoregion profile. Accessed 14 September 2019/ref> Setting The ecoregion occupies the middle and upper reaches of Kenya's Tana River (Kenya), Tana River watershed and the closed basins in the Kenyan portion of the East African Rift including those of lakes Magadi, Naivasha, Nakuru, Baringo and the uplands south and west of Turkana. Kenya's capital Nairobi is in the ecoregion. The Northern ''Acacia''–''Commiphora'' bushlands and thickets are bounded on the southeast by the humid coastal Northern Zanzibar–Inhambane coastal forest mosaic along the lower Tana River and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tsavo East National Park
Tsavo East National Park is a national park in Kenya with an area of . It was established in April 1948 and covers a semi-arid area previously known as the Taru Desert. Together with the Tsavo West National Park, it forms an area of about 22,000 square kilometers. The Tsavo River flows west to east through the national park, which is located in the Taita-Taveta County of the former Coast Province. Geography Tsavo East National Park is generally flat, with dry plains across which the Galana River flows. Other features include the Yatta Plateau and Lugard Falls. Inside Tsavo East National Park, the Athi and Tsavo rivers converge to form the Athi-Galana-Sabaki River. Most of the park consists of semi-arid grasslands and savanna. The Yatta Plateau, the world's longest lava flow, runs along the western boundary of the park above the Athi-Galana-Sabaki River. Its length was formed by lava from Ol Donyo Sabuk Mountain. The Mudanda Rock is a inselberg of stratified rock tha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lake Magadi
Lake Magadi is the southernmost lake in the Kenyan Rift Valley, lying in a catchment of faulted volcanic rocks, north of Tanzania's Lake Natron. During the dry season, it is 80% covered by soda and is known for its wading birds, including flamingos. Lake Magadi is a saline, alkaline lake, approximately 100 square kilometers in size, that lies in an endorheic basin formed by a graben. The lake is an example of a "saline pan". The lake water, which is a dense sodium carbonate brine, precipitates vast quantities of the mineral trona (sodium sesquicarbonate). In places, the salt is up to 40 m thick. The lake is recharged mainly by saline hot springs (temperatures up to 86 °C) that discharge into alkaline "lagoons" around the lake margins, leaving little surface runoff in this region. Most hot springs lie along the northwestern and southern shorelines of the lake. During the rainy season, a thin layer (less than 1 m) of brine covers much of the saline pan, but it ev ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lesser Kudu
The lesser kudu (''Tragelaphus imberbis'') is a medium-sized bushland antelope found in East Africa. The species is a part of the ungulate genus '' Tragelaphus'' (family Bovidae), along with several other related species of striped, spiral-horned African bovids, including the related greater kudu, the bongo, bushbuck, common and giant elands, nyala and sitatunga. It was first scientifically described by English zoologist Edward Blyth (1869). The lesser kudu’s nose-to-tail length is typically . Males reach about at the shoulder, while females reach . Males typically weigh and females . Horns are present only on males. The spiral horns are long, and have 2-2.5 complete twists. The lesser kudus have very distinctive physical markings; females and juveniles have a golden-brown coat, with white vertical stripes on their sides, while the males develop into a dark grey colour—after about two years—and grow a pronounced “streak” of shaggy hair down the centre of their ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gerenuk
The gerenuk (''Litocranius walleri''), also known as the giraffe gazelle, is a long-necked, medium-sized antelope found in parts of East Africa. The sole member of the genus ''Litocranius'', the gerenuk was first described by the naturalist Victor Brooke in 1879. It is characterised by its long, slender neck and limbs. The antelope is tall, and weighs between . Two types of colouration are clearly visible on the smooth coat: the reddish brown back or the "saddle", and the lighter flanks, fawn to buff. The horns, present only on males, are lyre-shaped. Curving backward then slightly forward, these measure . Taxonomy and phylogeny The gerenuk was first described by Victor Brooke in 1879 on the basis of three male specimens procured on "the mainland of Africa, north of the island of Zanzibar". Brooke used the scientific name ''Gazella walleri'', on the request of Gerald Waller (who provided the specimens) to name it after his deceased brother. The type locality was later co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beisa Oryx
The East African oryx (''Oryx beisa''), also known as the beisa, is a species of medium-sized antelope from East Africa. It has two subspecies: the common beisa oryx (''Oryx beisa beisa'') found in steppe and semidesert throughout the Horn of Africa and north of the Tana River, and the fringe-eared oryx (''Oryx beisa callotis'') south of the Tana River in southern Kenya and parts of Tanzania. The species is listed as Endangered by the IUCN. In the past, some taxonomists considered it a subspecies of the gemsbok (''Oryx gazella''), but they are genetically distinct; the diploid chromosome count is 56 for the beisa and 58 for the gemsbok. Description The East African oryx stands just over a metre at the shoulder and weighs around . It has a grey coat with a white underside, separated from the grey by a stripe of black, with black stripes where the head attaches to the neck, along the nose, and from the eye to the mouth and on the forehead. The mane is small and chestnut-colo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eastern Black Rhinoceros
The eastern black rhinoceros (''Diceros bicornis michaeli''), also known as the East African black rhinoceros, is a subspecies of the black rhinoceros. Its numbers are very low due to poaching for its horn, and it is listed as critically endangered. Description The eastern black rhino is distinguishable from the southern subspecies as it has a longer, leaner, and more curved horn. Its skin is also very grooved. ''Diceros bicornis michaeli'' is also reportedly more aggressive than the other three subspecies of black rhino. They are browsers and are usually found in highland forest and savanna habitat. Population and threats Once located in Ethiopia, Somalia, Tanzania and Kenya, as of 2017 they can only be found in Kenya (594 animals), Rwanda and in northern Tanzania (80 animals). A population of currently 60 animals is kept outside its natural range in South Africa ( Addo Elephant National Park). The population has declined 90% in the last three generations. In 2010 their to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
African Bush Elephant
The African bush elephant (''Loxodonta africana''), also known as the African savanna elephant, is a species of elephant native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of three extant elephant species and, along with the African forest elephant, one of two extant species of African elephant. It is the largest living terrestrial animal, with fully grown bulls reaching an average shoulder height of and a body mass of ; the largest recorded specimen had a shoulder height of and an estimated body mass of . The African bush elephant is characterised by its long prehensile trunk with two finger-like processes; a convex back; large ears which help reduce body heat; and sturdy tusks that are noticeably curved. The skin is grey with scanty hairs, and bending cracks which support thermoregulation by retaining water. The African bush elephant inhabits a variety of habitats such as forests, grasslands, woodlands, wetlands and agricultural land. It is a mixed herbivore feeding mostly on grasse ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Commiphora
''Commiphora'' is the most species-rich genus of flowering plants in the frankincense and myrrh family, Burseraceae. The genus contains approximately 190 species of shrubs and trees, which are distributed throughout the (sub-) tropical regions of Africa, the western Indian Ocean islands, the Arabian Peninsula, India, and South America.Weeks, A. and Simpson, B.B. 2007. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of ''Commiphora'' (Burseraceae) yields insight on the evolution and historical biogeography of an “impossible” genus. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 42:62–79. The genus is drought-tolerant and common throughout the xerophytic scrub, seasonally dry tropical forests, and woodlands of these regions. The common name myrrh refers to several species of the genus, from which aromatic resins are derived for various fragrance and medicinal uses by humans. A previously unknown species belonging to this genus has been grown from a single ancient seed and tentatively identified as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vachellia
''Vachellia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae, commonly known as thorn trees or acacias. It belongs to the subfamily Mimosoideae. Its species were considered members of genus '' Acacia'' until 2009. ''Vachellia'' can be distinguished from other acacias by its capitate inflorescences and spinescent stipules. Before discovery of the New World, Europeans in the Mediterranean region were familiar with several species of ''Vachellia'', which they knew as sources of medicine, and had names for them that they inherited from the Greeks and Romans. The wide-ranging genus occurs in a variety of open, tropical to subtropical habitats, and is locally dominant. In parts of Africa, ''Vachellia'' species are shaped progressively by grazing animals of increasing size and height, such as gazelle, gerenuk, and giraffe. The genus in Africa has thus developed thorns in defence against such herbivory . Nomenclature By 2005, taxonomists had decided that '' Acacia s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nairobi
Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper had a population of 4,397,073 in the 2019 census. Nairobi is home of the Parliament Buildings (Kenya), Kenyan Parliament Buildings and hosts thousands of Kenyan businesses and international companies and organisations, including the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) and the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON). Nairobi is an established hub for business and culture. The Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) is one of the largest stock exchanges in Africa and the second-oldest exchange on the continent. It is Africa's fourth-largest stock exchange in terms of trading volume, capable of making 10 million trades a day. It also contains the Nairobi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lake Turkana
Lake Turkana () is a saline lake in the Kenyan Rift Valley, in northern Kenya, with its far northern end crossing into Ethiopia. It is the world's largest permanent desert lake and the world's largest alkaline lake. By volume it is the world's fourth-largest salt lake after the Caspian Sea, Issyk-Kul, and Lake Van (passing the shrinking South Aral Sea), and among all lakes it ranks 24th. Lake Turkana is now threatened by the construction of the Gilgel Gibe III Dam in Ethiopia due to the damming of the Omo river which supplies most of the lake's water. Although the lake commonly has been—and to some degree still is—used for drinking water, its salinity (slightly brackish) and very high levels of fluoride (much higher than in fluoridated water) generally make it unsuitable for drinking directly, and it has also been a source of diseases spread by contaminated water. Increasingly, communities on the lake's shores rely on underground springs for drinking water. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
