Sabi Sabi Game Reserve
South Africa
Once more, it’s time for the annual local orchid society show of which I am a member and on the Board of Directors. I will be quite busy all day on Wednesday and Thursday. Back on Friday!
I took this image of the baboon on roof of my dwelling.
Baboons are some of the world’s largest monkeys. There are five species of baboon—olive, yellow, Chacma, Guinea, and Hamadryas—scattered across various habitats in Africa and Arabia.
The baboon, like other Old-World monkeys, does not have a prehensile (gripping) tail, but it is still able to climb when necessary. All baboons have dog–like noses, powerful jaws, sharp canine teeth, and thick fur. The male baboon also has a ruff—a longer mane around its neck. The Chacma Baboon (Papio ursinus), also known as the Cape baboon, is, like all other baboons, from the Old-World monkey family.
The chacma baboon is omnivorous with a preference for fruits, while also eating insects, seeds, grass, smaller vertebrate animals, and fungi.
Located primarily in southern Africa, the chacma baboon has a wide variety of social behaviors, including a dominance hierarchy, collective foraging, adoption of young by females, and friendship pairings. Wikipedia
Tags: South Africa 2015 Sabi Sabi Game Reserve South Africa Chacma Baboon Papio ursinus Old World Monkey Longest Monkey Three Subspecies Omnivorous Variety Social Behaviors Sue Roehl Pentax K-3 On The Roof Of My Dwelling Cropped
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Londolozi Game Reserve
Near Kruger National Park
South Africa
Burchell's zebra (Equus quagga burchellii) is a southern subspecies of the plains zebra. It is named after the British explorer and naturalist William John Burchell. Common names include bontequagga, Burchell's zebra, Damara zebra, and Zululand zebra.
Formerly, the Burchell's zebra range was centered north of the Vaal/Orange river system, extending northwest via southern Botswana to Etosha and the Kaokoveld, and southeast to Swaziland and KwaZulu-Natal. Now extinct in the middle portion, it survives at the northwestern and southeastern ends of the distribution.
Burchell's zebra migrates the longest distance of any terrestrial animal in Africa, traveling 160 miles one way. They migrate from the Chobe River in Namibia to Nxai Pan National Park in Botswana. Their migration follows a straight north–south route almost entirely within the Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA). - Wikipedia
Tags: SouthAfrica 2015 Londolozzi Game Reserve Near Kruger National Park South Africa Burchell's Zebra Equus quagga burchellii Ungulate Herbivore Longest Migration 160 Miles One Way North-South Route KAZA Sue Roehl Pentax K-3
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Ol Pejeta
Kenya
East Africa
The white rhinoceros, white rhino or square-lipped rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) is the largest extant species of rhinoceros. It has a wide mouth used for grazing and is the most social of all rhino species. The white rhinoceros consists of two subspecies: the southern white rhinoceros, with an estimated 16803 wild-living animals, and the much rarer northern white rhinoceros.
The northern subspecies had very few remaining individuals, with only two confirmed rhinos left in 2018 (two females: Fatu, 18 and Najin, 29), both in captivity. Sudan, the world's last known male Northern white rhinoceros, died in Kenya on 19 March 2018 at age 45.
Northern white rhinos, like their close cousin the southern white rhino, feed exclusively on short grass, which their massive mouths hoover up with the efficiency of a living, breathing lawnmower. They occupy a much more open savannah habitat than black rhinos, which feed on shrubs and other foliage.
The northern white rhinoceros or northern square-lipped rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum cottoni) is considered critically endangered and possibly extinct in the wild. – Wikipedia
Tags: Ol Pejeta Nature Conservancy East Africa Northern White Rhino Northern Subspecies Square-lipped Rhino Ceratotherium simon Critically Endangered Now Extinct In The Wild Herbivore Very Social Sue Roehl Lumix DMC-GH4
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South Africa
Sabi Sabi Game Reserve
Near Kruger National Park
The yellow-billed stork (Mycteria ibis), sometimes also called the wood stork or wood ibis, is a large African wading stork species in the family Ciconiidae. The yellow-billed stork occurs primarily in Eastern Africa, but is widely distributed in areas extending from Senegal and Somalia down to South Africa and in some regions of western Madagascar.
The yellow-billed stork is closely related to 3 other species in the genus Mycteria: the American woodstork (Mycteria americana), the milky stork (Mycteria cinerea) and the painted stork (Mycteria leucocephala).
It is a medium-sized stork standing 90–105 cm (35–41 in) tall. Both sexes are similar in appearance, but the male is larger and has a slightly longer heavier bill. Males and females weigh approximately 2.3 kg (5.1 lb) and 1.9 kg (4.2 lb) respectively.
Colouration becomes more vivid during the breeding season. In the breeding season, the plumage is coloured pink on the upperwings and back; the ordinarily brown legs also turn bright pink; the bill becomes a deeper yellow and the face becomes a deeper red.
Their diet comprises mainly small, freshwater fish of about 60-100mm length and maximally 150g, which they swallow whole. They also feed on crustaceans, worms, aquatic insects, frogs and occasionally small mammals and birds. This species appears to rely mainly on sense of touch to detect and capture prey, rather than by vision.
Alongside human activities, natural enemies include cheetahs, leopards and lions, which all sometimes prey on this species. Eggs may be also at risk of predation by African fish eagles. IUCN Least Concern. - Wikipedia
Tags: South Africa Trip 2011 Sabi Sabi Game Reserve South Africa Near Kruger National Park Yellow-billed Stork Mycteria ibis Large Wader Family Ciconiidae Face And Forehead Red Skin Sexes Similar Male Larger Coloration More Vivid During Mating Eats Small Freshwater Fish Rely on Touch Rather Than Vision IUCN Least Concern Sue Roehl Pentax K200D Sunrays+5 coth5
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Serengeti National Park
Tanzania
East Africa
Happy Caturday!
The lion (Panthera leo) is a species in the cat family (Felidae). The lion is sexually dimorphic; males are larger than females with a typical weight range of 150 to 250 kg (331 to 551 lb) for the former and 120 to 182 kg (265 to 401 lb) for the latter.
A lion pride consists of a few adult males, related females and cubs. Groups of female lions typically hunt together, preying mostly on large ungulates. The species is an apex and keystone predator, although they scavenge when opportunities occur.
Typically, the lion inhabits grasslands and savannas but is absent in dense forests. It is usually more diurnal than other big cats, but when persecuted it adapts to being active at night and at twilight.
It has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1996 because populations in African countries have declined by about 43% since the early 1990s. Habitat loss and conflicts with humans are the greatest causes for concern. – Wikipedia
Tags: Tanzania 2010 Serengeti National Park Tanzania East Africa African Lion Panthera leo Felidae family Sexually Dimorphic Hunt Together Apex and Keystone Predator More Diurnal Than Other Cats Active At Night IUCN Vulnerable 43% Decline Since 1990s Sue Roehl Pentax K7 Sunrays+5 COTH5
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