Alphabetical Africa (New Directions Books)

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Hippopotamus: Territorial and weighs up to 1,500kg, making it the third-largest animal after the elephant and rhino; 3,000 deaths.

Both pairs of tusks are extended teeth that protrude through the animal’s mouth. The larger upper tusks grow from the upper jaw and turn upwards. Walter Abish's remarkable, ludicrously programmatic novel Alphabetical Africa. (...) Fortunately, Mr. Abish's style, even when unhampered by artificial constraints, is rather chastened and elliptic, so his fettered progress is steadier than you might imagine. Uganda– It’s home to 365 mammal species, 1100 bird species, and Africa’s tallest mountain range. Tourists can also view the largest free-standing volcano in the world, the second-largest freshwater lake, and the headwaters of the world’s longest river. The fennec fox is the smallest member of the dog family, Canidae. It is found in the Sahara Desert and other dry regions of Africa. Pangolins are nocturnal and insectivorous (insect-eating). Their diet consists mainly of ants and termites, which they capture with their long, thin tongues.Honey Badger: The star of the hilarious viral video “Honey Badger Don’t Care,” this skunk-like, tough-as-nails animal fearlessly takes on dangerous animals like cobras and lions. While the honey badger is not endangered, it’s still a rare animal to witness on a safari. It inhabits dry areas, and one popular spot to view them is Etosha National Park in Namibia. Nearly everyone in the world can identify a zebra, but far fewer people know that there are actually three different species of zebra: the plains zebra, mountain zebra and Grévy’s zebra. The warthog’s tusks are used for fighting with other warthogs and as a means of as defense against predators. And most importantly, Abish achieves something unique: the sure knowledge that letters will become forbidden creates suspense unachievable in a conventional novel. A major character (introduced in the first Q chapter) is named Queen Quat. As the letters count down to Q in the second half of the book, her fate becomes precarious. Surely she's going to get killed off before the end of the second Q chapter? I mention this one because Abish pulls it off in a way that surprised me, but the same tension occurs again and again. What will happen to the villas and the jewels and the French consul? To Jacqueline? To the authorial I? Readers have noted that there are several places in the narrative where the constraint is violated. Most counts of these violations number them between four and six; however, up to 43 have been noted by astute readers. [ citation needed] One point of dispute is whether the failures to meet the constraint are intentional, and therefore potentially meaningful, or are simply editing mistakes. It is said [ by whom?] that when Abish was notified of the errors, he reacted with total surprise. Two of the errors were "I"'s found later in the book, situated next to the margins, most likely overlooked during editing. Similar mistakes of spelling and grammar occur in other Abish works, such as How German Is It (1980), where exact presentation is clearly a priority, and thus the mistakes come across as intentional.

Over 1.7 million blue wildebeest take part in the Great Migration of Serengeti and Masai Mara. This annual circular migration, which is also undertaken by hundreds of thousands of gazelles and zebras, is one of the world’s most impressive natural spectacles.

African Animals List

Nile Crocodile is a species of crocodile in Africa with the largest size and is considered an obsessive carnivore for all living things including humans in their habitat. Due to the threat to human life, they were both hated and revered by the people, especially in ancient Egypt when they were mummified and worshiped as gods. There are 91 species of antelope, most of which are native to Africa. Antelopes live in a range of habitats, including forests and grasslands. Antelopes are herbivores (plant eaters). Puff Adder: Not the most venomous snake but causes the most fatalities due to its wide habitat range, camouflage colors, and aggressiveness; 20 percent fatality rate from untreated bites; unknown. Congo River: The second longest river in Africa with a length of 2,900 miles. At measured depths of 219.5 meters, it’s also the world’s deepest recorded river. Nearly 800 fish species have been recorded inhabiting the Congo River Basin, and its tropical forests are home to mammals like the bonobo, Allen’s swamp monkey, the aquatic genet, okapi, the dryas monkey, and Congo peafowl. Goliath beetles are the world’s biggest insects in both their larval and adult form. All five species of Goliath beetle live in Africa’s tropical forests. The royal Goliath beetle is one of the largest Goliath beetles, reaching a length of up to 11 cm (4.3 in) and a weight of 60 g (2.1 oz.) in its adult form.