branch Archives - Page 8 of 26

Majestic

Ancient cultures in Africa revered the giraffe, as some modern cultures do today and commonly depicted it in prehistoric rock and cave paintings. Unknown outside of Africa, early written records described the giraffe as “magnificent in appearance, bizarre in form, unique in gait, colossal in height and inoffensive in character.” The giraffe’s high shoulders and sloping back give the impression that its front legs are much longer than the hind legs, but they are in fact only slightly longer. The giraffe has a distinctive walking gait, moving both legs on one side forward at the same time. At a gallop, however, the gait changes, and the giraffe simultaneously swings the hind legs ahead of and outside the front legs, reaching speeds of 35 miles an hour. Its heavy head moves forward with each powerful stride, then swings back to stay balanced. Giraffes have “horns”; not true horns but knobs covered with skin and hair above the eyes to protect the head from blows.
Info source: https://www.sa-venues.com/wildlife/wildlife_giraffe.php
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The photo was taken during February 2018 at Mabula Private Game Reserve, Rooiberg, Bela-Bela, Limpopo, South Africa.

31 July 2019Picture of the day, Wildlife

Ooh!

Vervet monkeys are medium-sized primates that are highly social and live in groups of up to 50 individuals. Within a troop, adult males form a dominance hierarchy that is established and maintained by threat and aggression. Facial expressions (eyelid display) and body postures are used to communicate threats or aggressive behaviour. At sexual maturity, young males tend to migrate between groups – usually in the company of a sibling or peer. In contrast, females remain in their natal groups and form strong hierarchies that are based on maternal social status. Vervet monkeys are largely vegetarian and are common in savanna and woodland that have access to water and trees for cover. Vervet monkeys can be serious pests that cause crop damages in areas where their habitat overlaps with agricultural areas. Vervet monkeys are classified as Lower Risk/Least Concern by the IUCN due to their wide range.
Info source: https://www.sanbi.org/animal-of-the-week/vervet-monkey/
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The photo was taken during August 2015 at Pine Lake Lifestyle Resort, White River, Mpumalanga, South Africa.

22 July 2019Picture of the day, Wildlife

Blend

The greater kudu of South Africa has tawny-brown to grey-brown coats with distinctive white stripes running down on its flanks. They have a white V-shaped band across the eyes and forehead with white spots on their cheeks. There are strong physical differences between males and females. The males grow long, spiral horns that can reach up to 1,8 m in length. The kudu bull’s horns reach full length at the age of six years old, and males are significantly larger than females. Bulls can weigh as much as 300 kg with a shoulder height of 1.4 m and cows weigh 210 kg with a shoulder height of 1.25 m. Kudu have long manes of hair that run on its back from head to tail and along the lower neck to the underbelly. A kudu herd tends to split up into two sub-groups. Young females remain with their mothers, while sexually mature males around the age of two years old form bachelor groups. Kudu males will join the female herds during mating season. No territorial spacing exists amongst bulls, but as they show age in their physical appearance, they have size-graded dominant hierarchies.
Info source: http://southafrica.co.za/kudu.html
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The photo was taken during January 2015 at Mabula Private Game Reserve, Rooiberg, Bela-Bela, Limpopo, South Africa.

18 July 2019Picture of the day, Wildlife