The national animal of Nigeria is the eagle. The eagle actually is the whole family of the very large bird of prey rather than a single species. There are around 60 species of the eagle known to man kind. An estimate suggests that more than 70% of the eagle’s population is found in Europe and Africa. There are many countries which have an eagle as the national animal for instance United States, Nigeria, Germany, Albania etc.
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Amazing Facts about Eagles:
- Around 60 species of eagles are discovered yet, out of which more than 70% are found in Eurasia.
- The smallest eagle species is South Nicobar serpent eagle weighing just about half a KG.
- The bulkiest eagle is the Harpy eagle 10-12 KG. The female Harpy eagles are much bigger compared to males.
- In terms of wingspan and length Philippine eagle is considered to be largest. Philippine eagles are also known as monkey-eating eagle.
- The majority of the eagle species lay two eggs while Golden eagle may lay up to 4. After been hatched the elder and more powerful chicks kill the younger and weaker ones while the parents even don’t intervene.
- Some eagles like the golden eagles eat turtles and tortoises. They break their hard outer shell by dropping them from thousands of feet.
- Eagles possess a very sharp eyesight they can see a tiny rabbit from a distance of 2-3 KMs. The astonishing thing about eagle’s vision is that they see 5 primary colors while humans can perceive just 3 primary colors.
- The beak of the eagle is made up of keratin that is the same protein found in human hairs and nails.
- Some eagles like Harpy and Philippine are even observed hunting a deer.
- Bald eagles are actually called bald because of their white head over a complete brown body.
Why is Eagle the national animal of Nigeria ?
There is no specific reason behind the eagle being referred as the national animal of Nigeria. The hefty population of eagles in Nigeria is the only reason they are the national animal of the country.
More National Animals of African Countries:
Springbok: The National Animal of South Africa
Fennec Fox: The National Animal of Algeria
Eagle: The National Animal of Nigeria
Sable Antelope: The National Animal of Zimbabwe