ears Archives - Page 10 of 59

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

Poser

As its name would indicate, the waterbuck inhabits areas that are close to the water in savanna grasslands, gallery forests, and riverine woodlands south of the Sahara. Such habitats not only provide sustenance but long grasses and watery places in which to hide from predators. These antelopes are large, robust animals; males are generally about 25 % larger than the females. They have large, rounded ears and white patches above the eyes, around the nose and mouth, and on the throat. Only the males have horns, which are prominently ringed and as long as 100 centimetres (40 inches). The horns are widely spaced and curve gracefully back and up. They are sometimes used with lethal results when males fight one another over territories. They have a shaggy brown-gray coat that emits a smelly, oily secretion thought to be for waterproofing.
Info source: https://www.awf.org/wildlife-conservation/waterbuck
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The photo was taken during May 2018 in Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga, South Africa.

29 July 2019Picture of the day, Wildlife

Potbelly

The common warthog is found in much of Africa, below the Sahara desert. They are abundant in East Africa and Southern Africa, with their favourite habitat being grassland, savanna and woodlands. The name ‘warthog’ comes from their large wart-like protuberances found on its face. Technically they are not warts, but rather they are made of bone and cartilage. The male (boar) has two pairs of these ‘warts’ and the female (sow) one pair. Warthogs like to live in abandoned burrows that were dug out by other animals, such as aardvarks or porcupines. These burrows are used for a number of reasons, such as for sleeping, where they raise their young, and a safe place to escape from predators. In order to ensure their safety, and when protecting themselves from pursuing predators, they will slide into a burrow backwards, tail first, so that they can use their formidable tusks to defend themselves against unwanted guests. When startled or threatened, warthogs can be surprisingly fast, running at speeds of up to 50 km per hour!
Info source: https://africageographic.com/blog/warthog-facts-you-need-to-know/
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The photo was taken during January 2016 at Mabula Private Game Reserve, Rooiberg, Bela-Bela, Limpopo, South Africa

26 July 2019Picture of the day, Wildlife