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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

Guardian

Guardian
The chacma baboon usually lives in social groups, called troops, which are composed of multiple adult males, adult females, and their offspring. Occasionally, however, very small groups form that consist of only a single adult male and several adult females. Chacma troops are characterized by a dominance hierarchy. Female ranking within the troop is inherited through the mother and remains relatively fixed, while the male ranking is often in flux, especially when the dominant male is replaced. Chacmas are unusual among baboons in that neither males nor females form strong relationships with members of the same sex. Instead, the strongest social bonds are often between unrelated adult males and females. Infanticide is also common, compared to other baboon species, as newly dominant males will often attempt to kill young baboons sired by the previously dominant male. Baboon troops possess a complex group behaviour and communicate by means of body attitudes, facial expressions, vocalizations and touch.
Info source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chacma_baboon
The photo was taken during February 2019 Mabula Private Game Reserve, Rooiberg, Limpopo, South Africa.
📷 Mariaan Buys

11 July 201911 July 2019Picture of the day, Wildlife

Annoyed

Hippotamus, plural Hippopotami or commonly named Hippos in South Africa are found mainly in protected areas, private game reserves and the Kruger National Park. They also occur outside of these areas especially in rivers in the northwestern, northern, northeastern as well as in the eastern parts (northern KwaZulu-Natal). Hippos need permanent open water like rivers, dams, or pools in rivers where they can submerge, with sandbanks where they can bask in the sun for periods of time. They also need enough grazing grass in the area. Hippos are semi-aquatic and gregarious animals. They gather or form pods of up to 30 animals or more depending on the water level and time of the season. Hippo pods consist mainly of cows and young hippos with a matriarch and a dominant (territorial) bull in control of the territory. Single bulls are also often found. Cows with very young calves often stay on their own for a few months before rejoining the pod. Hippos spend their days resting mainly in the water although in winter and on cool days might be resting on sandbanks and basking in the sun especially in winter months. They feed mainly at night.

Info source: http://www.wildlifesouthafrica.com/blog/mammals-of-south-africa/hippopotamus-hippo-fact-file

The photo was taken during January 2014 Mabula Private Game Reserve, Rooiberg, Limpopo, South Africa.

10 July 2019Picture of the day, Wildlife