African Wildlife Name Origins
Wonder where some of our wildlife go their names from? Aardvark: Afrikaans word translation “earth pig” as ears and nose resemble those of a pig, also burrows a lot. Bat-eared Fox: Refers to the big ears resembling those of egyptian slit-faced bat Blesbok: Afrikaans word translation “bald buck” referring to the white blaze on the face Bushbaby: Lives in the “bush” and their call sounds like that of a crying baby Caracal: From the Turkish name “garah-gulak” meaning black ear, with reference to the black ear tufts Cheetah: Hindu word “chita” meaning “spotted one” Duiker: Afrikaans meaning “diver” from the action of the antelope when running away Eland: Dutch word for elk, thought to be related or similar Elephant: Greek word “elphas” and latin word “elephantus” for the species Gemsbok: Dutch word “gems” meaning chamois in reference to colour Genet: Name of area in Spain the species inhabited in the 18th century Giraffe: Arabic word “xirapha” meaning “one who walks swiftly” Har...