YOU - Did You Know? Extreme Creatures

You South Africa

South Africa's best-selling English language magazine covering general interest topics.

You South Africa1 min read
From The Editor
WHAT makes an animal exceptional? That’s what we had to think about when we started working on this magazine. And the answer is: Anything that makes it stand out from the rest, whether it’s the ability to survive in extreme conditions or to outwit it
You South Africa1 min read
YOU - Did You Know? Extreme Creatures
YOU editorial director Charlene Rolls Creative director and print brand extensions editor Mari van der Berg Editor: Did you Know: Extreme Creatures! Suzaan Hall Copy editor Kim Arendse Designers Clint Visser, Carin Faure Infographics Clint Visser, Mi
You South Africa1 min read
Size And Speed
Cheetahs are not just lightning fast – they are also nimble, which means they can make sudden turns at high speeds. Go to page 18 for more on this speedy cat. A cheetah can sustain its top speed for only a short while. ■
You South Africa1 min read
Elephant
THE African elephant holds the title of biggest land mammal and lives until it’s about 70 years old. Even though Asian elephants look very similar to their African cousins, the African elephant is bigger, with larger ears and less hair on its body. T
You South Africa1 min read
Komodo Dragon
THESE giant reptiles are found only in Indonesia. They can grow up to 3m in length and weigh up to 200kg. They’re dragons are predators and at the top of the the largest lizards in the world. Komodo food chain on the islands where they occur. The Kom
You South Africa1 min read
Giant Weta
SIZE AND SPEED IF you’re squeamish about insects, New Zealand might not be the place for you. This country is home to the giant weta, one of the world’s largest and heaviest insects. The name weta comes from the local Maori word wetapunga, which mean
You South Africa1 min read
Anaconda
SNAKES are either venomous or non-venomous. Those with venom bite their prey to paralyse or kill them, but non-venomous ones, like the green anaconda, uses constriction. The anaconda wraps its huge body around its prey. It squeezes hard enough to kil
You South Africa1 min read
Ostrich
OSTRICHES are not just the largest and heaviest living bird in the world, they also lay the largest eggs. They might not be able to fly, but they can run very fast. Their long legs are well adapted to this, and they use their wings for balance. iPHON
You South Africa1 min read
Blue Whale
THIS deep-sea creature is an ocean giant – at 30m long and weighing 170 tons it’s much bigger than any dinosaur ever was and it can be as long as a Boeing 737! This ocean giant can grow up to 30m long! At birth a blue whale calf is about eight metres
You South Africa2 min read
Little Ones
As its name suggests, the bee hummingbird is tiny – although it’s at least bigger than a bee! The females grow to about 6cm long, and the males are smaller at about 5,5cm. Their little nests are about the size of a golf ball and the female lays two e
You South Africa1 min read
Cheetah
THIS tall and slender feline runs very fast in large, open areas -- and it’s such a good hunter, its prey does not stand a chance! The cheetah is speedier than any other land animal and can accelerate from zero to about 100km/h in just three seconds.
You South Africa2 min read
Peregrine Falcon
THE peregrine falcon is the fastest animal on the planet. To catch its prey, it makes a hunting stoop (high-speed dive) with its outstretched talons, reaching about 320km/h. They enjoy eating starlings, pigeons and doves. These birds of prey can be f
You South Africa2 min read
Slow Animals
The three-toed sloth is officially the world’s slowest-moving mammal. Sloths live in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America and spend their lives moving slowly through the canopies of trees – covering only about 40m a day! They’re most
You South Africa2 min read
Crocodile
THIS dangerous reptile’s entire body has been adapted to make it a ruthless hunter – and when it gets hold of their prey, the other animal has little chance of survival, because the crocodile has the strongest bite of any animal. It then drags the pr
You South Africa1 min read
Great White Shark
GREAT white sharks are found in coastal surface waters in all major oceans (especially around South Africa and Australia) and they are very good hunters. Besides their rows of teeth, they also have a great sense of smell, which helps them detect prey
You South Africa1 min read
Danger
A crocodile eats mainly fish, but it will attack almost anything that crosses its path, including blue wildebeest (above), zebras, birds and other crocodiles. Go to page 30 for more on this ferocious hunter. Crocodile attacks cause the deaths of 200
You South Africa1 min read
Hippopotamus
THE hippopotamus is one of the most dangerous animals in the world and the most dangerous mammal. It moves fast and will best almost anything that crosses paths with it. Hippos are the third biggest land animal after elephants and some rhinos. Every
You South Africa1 min read
Spider Wasp
THE tarantula hawk wasp is a spider wasp from the same family as bees, ants and other wasps. This wasp is ferocious and hunts spiders often larger than itself. It doesn’t eat the spiders (it eats nectar and plants) but uses them as incubators and foo
You South Africa2 min read
Mosquito
THIS insect might be tiny, but it can cause one of the deadliest diseases in the world. Most mosquito species are harmless, though; it’s the Anopheles mosquito that is especially dangerous because it carries malaria. Mosquitos caused 627 000 deaths a
You South Africa1 min read
Cape Cobra
THE Cape cobra is one of the world’s most dangerous snakes and it is found across South Africa. Its poison is neurotoxic which means it affects their prey’s nervous system, causing weakness and making it hard to breathe. If left untreated, a person c
You South Africa1 min read
Scorpion
NOT all scorpions are venomous, but the ones that are – like the brown scorpion shown here – packs a mean punch with their stingers! This one is a Transvaal fat-tailed scorpion, one of the biggest scorpions in the Buthi-dae family of scorpions, which
You South Africa2 min read
Venomous Animals
There are quite a few types of venomous spiders in the world, but this one holds the Guinness World Record as the most venomous to humans. While the females rarely leave their nests, the even more venomous males are a different story altogether! The
You South Africa1 min read
Survival
Polar bears have a white coat that camouflages them against the snow and ice. But under their fur they have black skin, which helps them to soak in the warmth of the sun. Go to page 48 for more on these Arctic predators. Polar bears have fur on the b
You South Africa1 min read
Camel
CAMELS are called “ships of the desert” because they can walk long distances and survive harsh desert conditions. They don’t pant and barely sweat because they can change their temperature to adapt to the heat, making them perfectly fit for desert li
You South Africa2 min read
Hot Stuff
This hardy antelope with its striking colours and stripes, impressive horns and exceptional ability to survive with little water, is Namibia’s national animal. Most of the continent’s 370 000 gemsbok occur in Namibia and South Africa. Breathing fast
You South Africa1 min read
Polar Bear
THE polar bear flourishes in the Arctic region (a polar region at the northernmost part of Earth) where winter temperatures often drop to -40ºC. Temperatures as low as -68ºC have been recorded there. This extreme weather prevents the snow and ice – w
You South Africa3 min read
Brrrrrr!
When you think of a cold habitat, a frog might not spring to mind – and it’s true that frogs usually don’t survive in cold climates. But the North American wood frog can do something no other frog can: it can freeze and stay alive! Chemicals such as
You South Africa2 min read
Alpine Ibex
THIS species of wild goat is adapted to live in the high mountains of the European Alps. Not only can it survive the extreme cold, it’s also an extremely agile mountaineer! Alpine ibexes live on rocky terrain, high up in the European Alps, above the
You South Africa2 min read
Anglerfish
OFTEN described as one of the ugliest creatures on Earth, the humpback anglerfish lives at depths of about 2km in the Atlantic and Antarctic Oceans. No sunlight reaches down there, and few plants and creatures can survive. But the anglerfish is uniqu
You South Africa1 min read
Special Skills
Some chameleons can snatch prey with their tongues in just 0,07 seconds – talk about fast food! Go to page 68 for more on these striking reptiles. There are over 150 species of chameleon. Some are as big as your thumbnail and others as big as a cat.
You South Africa2 min read
From Great Heights To Depths
THESE animals are specially adapted to survive in extreme conditions – on high mountain cliffs or deep in the ocean. These birds live and breed as high as 6 500m above sea level, including in the mountains of Nepal. Mountaineers have spotted some as
You South Africa2 min read
Bulldog Ant
THE bulldog ant is considered the most dangerous ant in the world because of its aggressive behaviour and powerful sting. It has a strong grip and is ferocious, much like a bulldog. It will bite and sting at the same time and more than once, curling
You South Africa2 min read
Praying Mantis
THIS insect might look peaceful but it is actually a notorious predator that feeds on other insects and animals. A mantis has excellent vision so it has no trouble catching prey even when they’re on the move. A mantis can see as far as 15m The reprod
You South Africa1 min read
Octopus
THE octopus is considered the most intelligent invertebrate (an animal without a skeleton) and has a few genius strategies to keep it safe from attackers. There are about 300 different octopus species The octopus uses several tricks to fool predators
You South Africa1 min read
Axolotl
THIS little salamander has a very special skill. When part of their body is injured or lost, whether it’s a leg, muscle or organ, they can simply regrow it! The cells at the injury spot divide quickly, creating a perfect copy of the missing body part
You South Africa1 min read
Kakapo Parrot
THE kakapo is the world’s heaviest parrot species, and the males have a unique special skill: a very, very loud voice which they use to attract the females’ attention during mating season. Because these birds can’t fly, they’re extremely vulnerable.
You South Africa1 min read
Pangolin
MANY people mistakenly think pangolins are reptiles, but they’re actually the only mammals on Earth that are completely covered in scales. The scales are made of keratin – the same as human fingernails – and are extremely hard, so that predators like
You South Africa2 min read
Chameleon
THESE reptiles have a few characteristics and skills that distinguish them from other animals: a long tongue to hunt with, eyes that are adapted to see 360° degrees around it and a skin that can change its colour to assist with camouflage. Its upper
You South Africa1 min read
Skunk
SKUNKS might seem cute and cuddly and aren’t much bigger than a cat – but you’ll regret getting into a scuffle with one of these! Skunks are known for the foul-smelling liquid they spray when they feel threatened – either to repel the attacker or bli
You South Africa2 min read
Mirror, Mirror On The Wall
WHILE some animals have been blessed with beauty in abundance, others got the short end of the stick in the looks department. Here are some of the strangest-looking and prettiest animals on the planet. The matamata turtle is native to South America a
You South Africa2 min read
Boing-boing!
Kangaroos belong to the family Macropodidae, which literally means “big feet”. It’s thanks to these big feet and their muscular back legs that the kangaroo can jump so far. Their short front legs and long, powerful tails help them balance when they’r
You South Africa2 min read
Did Youk Now?
1 The biggest giant squid ever encountered is a whopping 18m long! That’s longer than three minibus taxis! These squid are the largest invertebrates on Earth. 2 Some rhinoceros beetles can carry 100 times their own body weight. For a human to accompl

You South Africa

More Issues From You South Africa