#sub-Saharan

[meinradsocien]

Why family ties in Africa has not led to business development

The original title of the article, “Why Tight Family Connections in Sub-Saharan Africa Are Not Leading to Business Capital and Development,” highlights an interesting paradox. While tightly-knit extended families are a cultural norm in many African communities, this social fabric doesn’t always translate into a readily available pool of capital for financing family members’ business ideas. The…

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Say Hi to the Spotted Hyena

The spotted hyena is also known, perhaps most famously, as the laughing hyena (Crocuta crocuta). This species once ranged throughout Eurasia, but following the end of the Ice Age was restricted to sub-Saharan Africa. Today they can be found in many types of dry, open habitat, including savannah, semi-desert, and mountain forests. At times, the spotted hyena may also enter urban areas in search of food.

Unlike other hyenas, Crocuta crotuta is a predator, not a scavenger. They most commonly prey on wildebeast, but they may also hunt zebra, gazelles, Cape buffalo, and warthog. In addition, desperate times may cause packs to hunt on more dangerous prey such as young hippopotamus, giraffe, and rhinoceros. Spotted hyenas have incredible endurance, reaching speeds of 60 km/hr (37 mph); a single chase can last over 24 km (14 miles). When live prey is scarce, the laughing hyena can also turn to carrion, as well as snakes and ostrich eggs. In turn, this species may be killed by lions, though this may be motivated more by competition than prey drive.

Spotted hyena females are typically larger than males, weighing 44.5–67.6 kg (98–149 lb) to the males' 40.5–69.2 kg (89.3–153 lb). The height range for both sexes lies between 70–91.5 cm (27.6–36.0 in). In addition, female laughing hyena are somewhat famous for their masculinated genetalia; the clitoris is enlarged, resembling a penis, and is accompanied by sacs filled with fibrous tissue that resemble a scrotum. As the name implies, the coat is light brown with darker spots over most of the body. Because the species has such a wide diet, it has was is considered to be the strongest in relation to size of any mammal. The bite force is stronger than that of a brown bear, and can exert a force of 4,500 newtons-- enough to crush bone.

The laughing hyena is a highly social animal, and individuals live in communities up to 80 strong; size largely depends on prey availability and whether or not the group migrates. A clan territory can be anywhere from 40 km (24 mi) to 1000 (621mi) squared. Females dominate the males, and a pack is usually led by a matriarch. Hierarchies are strictly enforced, and positions are primarily inherited through birth and transferred through death. In addition, one's rank is maintained and recognized through social alliances and their contributions to the clan rather than size or dominance displays. The entirety of the clan comes together most often when defending a territory, gathering at the communal den, or at a kill; however, these kills are more commonly produced from smaller offshoots of the clan.

Crocuta crotuta can breed year-round, though mating is at its peak during the wet season from April to June. Members of both sexes pair indiscriminately with multiple mates, both within their clan and without. To offer himself, the male performs a mating ritual in which he lowers himself to the ground before the female, and retreats if any aggression is shown. Once impregnated, the female carries for about 110 days before giving birth to two cubs-- three is fairly rare. Weaning takes another 14 to 18 months, during which time cubs learn to hunt and defend the clan, as well as establish their place in the social hierarchy. Sootted hyenas reach maturity at about 3 years old, and can live an average of 12 years in the wild, though individuals as old as 25 have been recorded.

Conservation status: The spotted hyena has been determined Least Concern by the IUCN. However, outside protected areas the population is declining due to deforestation and hunting as a nuisance species.

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Photos

Augusto Bila

Elise Pianegonda

Evie Davidian

Art Wolfe

[tinyshe]

Bongo (antelope) - Wikipedia

Bongo (antelope) The bongo ( Tragelaphus eurycerus) is a large, mostly nocturnal, forest -dwelling antelope, native to sub-Saharan Africa. Bongos are characterised by a striking reddish-brown coat, black and white markings, white-yellow stripes, and long slightly spiralled horns

[lgbtqreads]

Fave Five: Queer Fiction with African MCs

For more fiction with Nigerian MCs, click here and here. Lighter by A. Aduma (Kenyan, YA) No One Dies Yet by Kobby Ben Ben (Ghanaian) The Longest Summer by Alexandrine Ogundimu,,And Then He Sang a Lullaby by Ani Kayode, and Blessings by Chukwuebuka Ibeh (Nigerian) These Letters End in Tears by Musih Tedji Xaviere (Cameroonian) The Good Boy by Iris Mwanza (Zambian) Bonus: These are all novels,…

[caprakinz]

Webkinz Hyena moodborad, based on appearance, PSI and PSF.

Webkinz Hyena, HM670. PSI = Fifteen minutes mic. PSF = Sub-Saharan sandwich.

[rahabs]

Lots of people complaining about The Mummy vs the new Cleopatra documentary but therein lies the issue: Cleopatra is claiming to be a historically accurate documentary, it is claiming to tell the “real” truth and even put out a statement on how Cleopatra’s ethnicity has been long debated (which, among scholars, no it really hasn’t, y’all just keep ignoring us when we say Cleopatra wasn’t black), but now they’re here to tell the real story that Cleopatra was really black and so was everyone in Egypt, especially the ruling class, at a time where they definitely were not as they were being ruled over by the Ptolemaic Greeks, while The Mummy was not claiming any historical accuracy or to be a documentary of real events, and that’s where a lot of the backlash is coming from.

[saxafimedianetwork]

The Political Economy Of Connectivity In The Somali Horn Of Africa

New insights into the political economy of connectivity in the #SomaliHoA! Discover how firms in #Somalia & #Somaliland are leveraging digital platforms to control logistics & shape digital capitalism, amidst protracted insecurity & state fragility.

Continue reading The Political Economy Of Connectivity In The Somali Horn Of Africa

[panvani]

I genuinely hate these people so much

[yurious-george]

posts that will get me hash tag cancelled (maybe) but these sorts of posts are really interesting to me bc i grew up in a heavily muslim country. i know what it means bc it was just part of the vernacular where i was. i am not immune to cultural appropriation, of course, but when does existing adjacent to a culture become part of your culture? I ask myself that question a lot and random little things like this niggle it.

[pokeparkservices]

so you might be wondering, what the heck is a water conservation district and what does it have to do with Castelia??

well strap in because I'm gonna tell you exactly what a water conservation district is AND what it has to do with Castelia AND why you YES YOU should care about it

SO. first of all. if you've ever looked at a map of Unova or been anywhere vaguely in the vicinity of Castelia City any time in the last, uhh, few centuries or so

you might have noticed the GIANT HECKING DESERT between it and the entire rest of the landmass. you know, the one that takes up like a full quarter of the peninsula?

yeah that one.

has it ever struck you as KINDA WEIRD that there's a big fuckoff desert right at the tip of an otherwise VERY GREEN peninsula? smack in between two rivers?

because it KINDA IS. and it's also kinda a problem!

because that desert is very very difficult to be in. or to get across. yeah, they managed to get some construction up along that route, and that definitely makes it easier... for humans

but what about pokemon?

now, don't get me wrong, the desert has been there for hundreds if not THOUSANDS of years and has become an important Pokemon habitat in its own right. nobody's gonna be summoning Kyogre about it or anything (and if anyone tries I will hit you with my rake do not fucking test me). but Castelia has grown dramatically in modern times, and eaten up a lot of what was historically lush seaside habitat for Pokemon that don't like living in deserts. so where did those Pokemon go?

unfortunately, a lot of them just... didn't. the descendants of those pokemon, at least the ones that couldn't make it upriver or across, are just making do with the fringes we've left them, their populations drastically decreased from historical levels. and it's getting worse: big modern cities like Castelia, with lots of pavement and tall buildings made of metal and glass, reflect a LOT of heat, and also take up a LOT of water and resources. if we're not careful, a city like Castelia can make everything around it - those last green fringes - into barren desert.

hey Lennox that's sad and all but what about the water conservation thing

I am SO GLAD YOU ASKED, inquisitive hypothetical reader

bare basics: a conservation district is a local government unit that carries out and oversees resource conservation activities in its jurisdiction. so, the Castelia Water Conservation District is basically the governing body that does stuff to conserve water in Castelia. simple.

as I've said, I work as a groundskeeper for the district. and my specific workplace is actually Extremely Cool and is a place I think everyone in or around Castelia should visit!

the official name is something like Castelia Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch or something like that, but we mostly just call it Castelia Riparian or the Preserve. and what it is, is a water treatment and groundwater recharge facility that doubles as manmade pokemon habitat!

basically, there's a series of lakes that we fill up periodically with reclaimed water. which, well, you wouldn't want to drink the stuff, but the tiny fish and aquatic bugs and plants? they can live in it just fine! and the plants purify it over time! and in turn those tiny plants and things serve as food for wild Pokemon, who also do just fine on this water. and the lakes make it possible for bigger plants, bushes and trees, to grow around them - and THAT makes homes for lots and lots of wild non-desert pokemon, baybeeee! and eventually the water in the lakes rejoins the water cycle by either evaporating into the air or percolating down into the groundwater, and either way that makes for a happier, healthier ecosystem - and once the lakes are empty, well, we've got plenty more to pump right back in!

since this park was established, population numbers for non-desert-adapted Pokemon in the Castelia area have been consistently rising. and it's not just the locals, either - since it gives migratory pokemon passing through the region an extra place to stop off and rest, we've been seeing those numbers rise as well. even better, we've seen a decrease in extreme high temperatures near the preserve, thanks to the natural cooling effect of the lakes and tree cover - even the desert areas immediately nearby the park have been starting to support more greenery and healthy Pokemon populations! if we keep this up, then over enough time, we might be able to significantly reduce the size of the Unovan desert, make the remaining desert area significantly more hospitable both for the Pokemon that live there and other species that have historically lived on the peninsula, and almost totally offset Castelia's adverse impact on the climate!

damn, that DOES sound cool, Lennox!

IT SURE DOES, DOESN'T IT

and you can even come visit and spend the day here! there's walking trails built right into the park and everything! and it's free! you can't beat free!

however, if you do come to visit, be warned: you are NOT allowed to capture or battle pokemon here. no, we don't care if they jumped out at you in the tall grass, you shouldn't have been in the tall grass in the first place. there are trails. you stay on them. enjoy the trees, enjoy the pokemon from afar, and everyone will have a nice chill time.

(okay, yes - we will make an exception if you were in fact minding your own business and a Swanna decided it didn't like your face or something. we can't hold you accountable for some pokemon just being assholes.)

[deepwastelandkoala]

@team-frustration-boss-zakuyamo

Do you got me a ticket to your region?

I got my shit packed and a very strong pygmy Spiritomb with me

Don't you worry! I'm sending them over right now. Expect these tickets to arrive in 30 minutes or less.

[snowbellecity]

"Is Asterius biracial because he's half bull" yes but also I like to think his mom is mixed. Modern day Iranian + Nigerian

[greaseonmymouth]

I have had a very busy few weeks and this week in particular has been wild, so I’ve not had time (or energy) to write any fic for like a month. so my current wip has been languishing while I’ve just been daydreaming about it every spare moment instead, as you do

well I woke up this morning from a dream that I was at London book fair (I was in fact at London book fair this week) and attending a seminar but actually I was running the seminar, and the seminar was just all of us watching Journal 64

[jamieandgeorgedashigz]

Thoughts...