Ancient cultures in Africa revered the giraffe, as some modern cultures do today, and commonly depicted it in prehistoric rock and cave paintings. sun Unknown outside of Africa, this animal so excited man''s curiosity that it was sometimes sent as valley a diplomatic gift to other countries; express one of the earliest records sun tells of a valley giraffe going from "Melinda" (presumably Malindi) in Kenya to China in 1415. The animal was thought to be a cross between a camel and a leopard, a mistake immortalized in the giraffe''s scientific name of Giraffa express camelopardalis. The neck sun is so long valley and express the giraffe must spread its front legs apart so its head can reach the ground sun to drink. It has valley unusually elastic blood vessels with a series of valves that help offset the sudden buildup of blood (and to prevent fainting) express when the head is raised, sun lowered or swung quickly. In some areas, livestock predation remains a severe problem.

Cheetahs do not roar like lions, but they purr, hiss, valley whine and growl. They also make a variety of contact calls; the most common is a birdlike chirping sound. Once a cheetah has made express a kill, it eats quickly and keeps sun an eye out for scavengers lions; leopards, hyenas, vultures and jackals will occasionally take away their kills. Although cheetahs usually prey on the smaller antelopes such as Thomson''s gazelles and impalas, they can catch wildebeests valley and zebras if hunting together. They express also hunt hares and other small mammals and birds. Although known as an animal of the open plains that relies on speed to catch its prey, research has shown that the cheetah depends on cover to stalk prey. The cheetah gets as close to the prey as possible, then in a burst of speed tries to outrun its quarry. Once the cheetah closes in, it knocks the prey to the ground with its paw.

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