Maputo Things to Do

This is a proper working market frequented by local people to do their grocery shopping, so it's a great place to go people watching and get a sense of what the locals buy. If nothing else, you will be astounded by the sheer number of variations on a peri peri (VERY hot chilli sauce) theme are available!

It's a great place to buy food as souvenirs - peri peri (surprise!) and wonderful cashew nuts are obvious purchases, but if you're planning to take them back home with you, make sure you've checked out whether you'll be allowed to import them to your home country.

It is quite a crowded space, so it can feel quite claustrophobic and pickpockets are a potential problem.

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The Museu de História Natural -MHN- (The Natural History Museum) was founded in 1911 and since 1933 it has been located in this Manueline style building (see photos).

Due to its thousands of items on display, this Museum is definitely one of Maputo's most popular landmarks.

Tickets are 50 MT (about 1.5 euros) per person.

At the entrance of the MHN - Museu de História Natural (The Natural History Museum), the visitor finds the access to the Museum's second floor (see photo).

The visitor is now facing a pair of elephant's tusks and also two embalmed antelope heads positioned as "looking" to each other.

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The "Attack of the Lion" as described at the MHN - Museu de História Natural (The Natural History Museum):

To attack the animal that was chosen to be its prey, the Lion develops a short run, truly fulminate, followed by a jump on its victim.

If the prey is of small size, it will fall right there due to the weight of its aggressor and it will immediately turn dead due to the bites of the Lion.

However, if the prey is of a bigger size, the Lion's goal is to bring it down with a powerful stamping with its paw or with a bite on the prey's spinal column. By breaking the prey's spinal column, the Lion succeeds on immobilizing it and also on reducing the prey's defense capabilities.

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On this scene, a Buffalo fights against 3 Lions for its survival.

The Buffalo is generally a quite pacific animal when is among its herd but it might turn quite violent when, for being old and abandoned by the herd, is left alone or when it is wounded or also when it feels its life is in danger.

This scene depicts a fight for survival and the Buffalo, despite having killed already a Lion, will ended up by losing the battle.

The Lions, on the other hand, had had carefully chosen their prey. Maybe because they couldn't find a weaker prey, the Lions were smart enough to form an attacking group since they know that with combined efforts they are stronger that the lonely Buffalo.

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quote of the Info displayed on the Museum:

The Elephants collection

The Museum "elephants" collection has fourteen foetuses and clearly shows the anatomical transformation which takes place throughout the gestation period, which in this case is twenty two months.

This long period is justified for two main reasons: the animal is very large and it is an herbivore. [...]

The History of the Foetuses collection

The existence of this collection is due to the fact that, at the time of the First World War, the Agricultural of the colonial Government decided to "clean up" the area of south Maputo for agricultural projects. To put this into effect was established a team of hunters led supervisor Mr. Carreira.

During the "clean up" and being the most plentiful species in the area, around two thousand elephants were killed. Fortunately, the aforementioned Mr. Carreira had the happy inspiration to preserve in formaldehyde the foetuses he found. Nowadays it would be unthinkable to carry such a slaughter.

To make matter worse in this crime, that area in question never gained any form of agricultural approval.

It is from this sad event that there is today a unique collection in the world.

The Museu de História Natural -The Natural History Museum- has a Sawfish on display.

------ from wikipedia -----

Sawfishes are related to sharks and rays. These fish range from medium-sized to huge. Their most striking appearance is a long, toothy snout. [...]

Behavior

Sawfishes are nocturnal, usually sleeping during the day, hunting at night. Despite fearsome appearances, they are gentle fishes and will not attack humans unless provoked or surprised. The Smalltooth Sawfish is well known by fishermen as a prize game fish because of the fight it puts up once hooked. Capturing sawfishes is illegal in the United States and Australia.

Conservation

All species of sawfish are considered endangered, or critically endangered. As well as being accidentally caught in fishing nets sawfish are also hunted for their rostrum (which is prized as a curiosity by some), their fins (which are eaten as a delicacy), their liver oil and for use as medicine.

It is illegal to capture Sawfish in the United States and in Australia. The sale of smalltooth sawfish rostra is also prohibited in the United States under the Endangered Species Act (ESA); the sale of other sawfish rostra remains legal however due to the fact that most rostra on the American market are from the smalltooth sawfish. Very few laymen can differentiate the species from which the rostra originated and it is therefore generally advised not to purchase sawfish rostra at all.

Loss of habitat is another threat to sawfish conservation.

Sawfishes are difficult to conserve in aquaria because it appears they may require a blend of saltwater and freshwater to stay healthy. However, the amount and duration of exposure are uncertain.

[...]

Click here for more Sawfish Info at wikipedia.

The Museu de História Natural -The Natural History Museum- has also on display a sample of the Coelacanth, a fish that was thought to have been extinct since the Cretaceous Period but found in 1938 off the coast of southern Africa.

When first found, in 1938, the fish was referred to as a "living fossil".

I recommend this great website on the Coelacanth: www.dinofish.com and also Fishy Facts: The Coelacanth

Reproduction: [Click here to read more about the Coelacanth at the Wikipedia].
Coelacanths give birth to live young. Its reproductive behaviors are not well known, but it is believed that they are not sexually mature until after 20 years of age. Gestation time is 13 months, females give birth to between 5 and 25 babies, which are capable of surviving on their own immediately after birth. (Wikipedia).