African Animal Nicknames

[Ryan]

Not a nickname but my whole growing up life a wildebeest was always called a Gnu, but I haven't heard that name used in quite some time. Not sure when it fell out of favor.

When I took my blue wildebeest I happened to call it a blue gnu while my friend and I were at the skinning shed. Until that moment she didn't realize they were one and the same. I thought that was funny since I'm pretty sure she'd dealt with the scientific name of the black wildebeest (Connochaetes gnou) on paperwork she dealt with at work.

 

[CBH Australia]

Pumba,

On the safari ride in Pumba game reserve I had the other visitors cheering for Pumba every time we saw a Warthog.

 

[mdwest]

My absolute favorite is "Disco Donkey" for Zebra.

Also known as a pajama donkey

 

[steve white]

I would have preferred "non--de-fragged donkey" (de-fragged would have been half black, half white)

 

[TSIBINDI]

Croc-"Mobile Handbag"
Baboon-"Gudu"

 

[Wyfox]

Simba

 

[Jon Glajchen]

Baboon- “Sit bok”

 

[coreydb]

Red Hartebeest-Joe Cool......sorry...I couldn't resist the juvenile humor.

 

[Sh1kar]

Perhaps I’m being dense, but what animals are dassies and flatdogs? Is river horse a hippo?

Rock Hyrax and Crocs And yes, a hippo

S

 

[R.N.L]

Honey Badger: Natures hand-grenade

 

[steve white]

elephant: Tembo, Jumbo, Ndovu
leopard--chui
hippo--kiboko
rhino--Kifaru
cheetah--duma
hyena--fisi
(I cheated)

 

[UNTAMED KNIVES]

Nyathi for buff. The big old bulls are duggaboys.

My pa has always referred to crocs as mobile hand bags.

Kitty cat for any of the cats, especially one that’s nearby and potentially angry

And my wife loves referring to Jumbo as hephalumps, which was hilarious in December as we were charged by a young bull in the car and she said, and I quote, “watch out for that hephalump” whilst I’m reversing the car at about 60kph with an unhappy pachyderm bearing down on us!

 

[BJH00]

The "work Harder" bird but by late afternoon the same bird is saying "drink lager"

Camel leopard=giraffe

Hunting leopard=cheetah. In India cheetah were taught to hunt blackbuck. Here is a youtube video from 1939.

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

Is it eland that is also known as the “poor man’s elephant” and the blue wildebeest that’s known as the “poor man’s buffalo”?

 

[UNTAMED KNIVES]

Is it eland that is also known as the “poor man’s elephant” and the blue wildebeest that’s known as the “poor man’s buffalo”?

Never heard of a wildebeest called that, but I can 100% verify that a wildebeest is one of the toughest animals out there.

On my very first hunt as a child, my uncle took a wildebeest bull with a .375 H&H, but put the shot a little too far back (the animal was quartering on a bit as well). 6 hours later, 5 more solid hits from a .375, 2 from a .30-06 and finally a brain shot from the .30-06 to put the beest down.

And it was not a one off. On multiple occasions in my life here in Zim I've seen Wildebeest stay up for far longer than they should have. Its a VERY tough animal

 

[John Telford]

Impala: mc Donald’s of the Bushveld
Buff: debt collector.
Wildebeest : farm salesman or estate agent (realtor) if wounded he will gladly show you the whole farm when tracking him.
Elephant : men in grey suits.
Croc: Lacoste (after the French fashion brand- every tracker seems to have a cheap knockoff in his closet).
Any snake: train without windows!