Vervet Monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus)

Another photo of Vervet Monkey: inside a green African tree.

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Them and us 2

Another image in the series "Them and us".
No, it is not my reflection :-)

Them and us

Them and us: in the Berlin zoo.

Alpacas and elephants in Berlin zoo

Alpacas and elephants in Berlin zoo with nice autumn background colours.

African wild dog (Lycaon pictus)

It's also known as the African Hunting Dog or Painted Wolf (I like the last name). They are endangered due to hunting and habitat loss with only about 3,000 wild animals left in Africa.
This one could be seen in Berlin zoo.

Cuties: Cape Hyrax, or Rock Hyrax

Aren't they cuties?

Rock Hyrax: the smallest elephant?

Can't you see many similarities with elephants? :-) The fact is that this is the closest living relative to elephant. They are very funny and pretty animals.

Rock Hyrax (Procavia capensis)

This cute creature is called Cape Hyrax, or Rock Hyrax (Procavia capensis). It looks a little bit like a guinea pig with short ears and tail. They are also known as dassies in South Africa.

This animal has a bigger relative in the fauna kingdom. Who do you think? Well... an elephant. Yes, ELEPHANT!!! Hyraxes are stated to be the closest living relatives of elephants. These small animals (most measure between about 30 and 70 cm long and weigh between 2 and 5 kg) share numerous features with elephants, such as toenails, excellent hearing, sensitive pads on their feet, small tusks-like teeth, good memory, high brain functions and others. I have to say, I really like this theory.


Hyraxes retain a number of early mammal characteristics. In particular they have poorly developed internal temperature regulation. They deal with this "inconvenience" by huddling together for warmth, and by basking in the sun like this fellow on the rocks of Hermanus in South Africa.