Mammals of Africa facts

Hippos. Hippopotamuses are by nature very aggressive and tend to be very territorial. They commonly attack humans (as well as other animals) whether in boats or on land with no apparent provocation. Zulu warriors preferred to be as brave as a hippopotamus, since even lions were not considered as brave and deadly.

African wild dog. The African wild dog is not a dog, it does not even belong to Canis genus (where dogs, wolves and foxes belong), having fewer toes and different dentition. It was once widespread across Africa, but today the species is endangered. The name "painted dog" is being promoted by some conservationists as a way of "re-branding" the species, to avoid negative connotations of "wild dog".

Lion. The footprint was left by a big cat. Of these, only lions are native to Africa.

Hyenas are behaviourally and morphologically similar to canines, but genetically are non related. In fact, phylogenetically they are closer to felines and viverrids, than to canines.