| gerbil |
a very small rodent that looks like a mouse with a furry tail. Gerbils live in burrows in the deserts of Africa and Asia. They are often kept as pets. |
| Ghana |
a country in western Africa on the Atlantic coast. Accra is the capital of Ghana. |
| giraffe |
a mammal with a very long neck, long legs, and hooves. Giraffes have short horns covered with fur. They live in Africa and eat the tops of trees. Male giraffes can be up to eighteen feet tall. They are the tallest animal that lives on land. |
| gnu |
a large mammal with a large head and long, curving horns. Gnus live in Africa and are a kind of antelope. They have a beard, a mane, and a long tail. |
| Guinea |
a country in western Africa on the Atlantic coast. Conakry is the capital of Guinea. |
| Guinea-Bissau |
a country on the Atlantic coast of Africa between Guinea and Senegal. The capital of Guinea-Bissau is the city of Bissau. |
| hamster |
a very small mammal with a round body, short tail, and large pouches in its cheeks. Hamsters are rodents that live in burrows and come out at night to find food. They are often kept as pets or used in scientific experiments. Different kinds of wild hamsters live in Europe, Africa, and Asia. |
| hare |
a small mammal with long ears. Hares are large rabbits with very strong back legs used for jumping. Various kinds of hares live in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North and Central America. |
| Hausa |
a language of parts of Nigeria and Niger in Africa. Hausa is also used in and near these countries as a means of communication between people who do not share the same native language but know Hausa to some degree. |
| hedgehog |
a very small animal with a pointed nose and a very short tail. Hedgehogs have brown and yellow fur with spines that stick out and protect them when they roll into a ball. They make tunnels in rows of bushes called hedges. Hedgehogs are insectivores; they are mammals that eat insects. Different kinds of hedgehogs live in Europe, Asia, and Africa. [1/2 definitions] |
| hippopotamus |
a very large, round mammal that has short legs with hooves and thick skin with almost no hair. Hippopotamuses live in or near rivers and lakes of tropical Africa. They eat plants. |
| hyena |
a mammal with very long front legs and shorter back legs. Hyenas look like dogs, but are more closely related to cats. They have a cry that sounds like strange human laughter. Most kinds of hyena are nocturnal and eat the remains of dead animals. Hyenas are found in Africa and Asia. |
| Indian Ocean |
an ocean south of Asia. It reaches from Africa to Australia. |
| Ivory Coast |
a country in western Africa on the Atlantic Ocean. Yamoussoukro is the capital of the Ivory Coast. The Ivory Coast is now more commonly called Côte d'Ivoire. |
| jackal |
a mammal that is closely related to wolves and dogs. Jackals eat the remains of dead animals and hunt for small or weak animals. Several kinds of jackals are found in Asia and Africa. |
| Kalahari Desert |
an arid and sandy region of southern Africa stretching over a large part of Botswana as well as parts of Namibia and South Africa. |
| Kenya |
a country in eastern Africa on the Indian Ocean. Nairobi is the capital of Kenya. |
| Lake Victoria |
a very large lake in Africa, located partly in Kenya and partly in Tanzania and Uganda. |
| lemur |
a small, furry mammal with large, round eyes and a long tail. They are active mainly at night. Lemurs are found in Madagascar, a large island country near the eastern coast of Africa, and in nearby islands. |
| leopard |
a large mammal with short yellow or gray fur and black spots. Leopards with very dark fur are called black leopards or panthers. They live in southern Asia and Africa but are threatened or endangered in all their habitats. Leopards are carnivores and are closely related to lions, tigers, and other big cats that roar. |
| Lesotho |
a country in southeastern Africa that is surrounded by the country of South Africa. The capital of Lesotho is Maseru. |