grass Archives - Page 22 of 63

Hidden

The coat of the klipspringer, yellowish grey to reddish brown, acts as an efficient camouflage in its rocky habitat; the underbelly is white. Unlike most other antelopes, the klipspringer has a thick and coarse coat with hollow, brittle hairs. The incisors might even get damaged by the hairs while grooming. However, the coat is a significant adaptation that saves the animal during steep falls and provides effective insulation in the extreme climates characteristic of its mountain habitat. A study showed that ticks occur in larger numbers on the underbelly, where the hair is less coarse. The hair often turns erect, especially if the animal is ill or if its temperature increases.
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The photo was taken during January 2014 at Mabula Private Game Reserve, Bela-Bela, Limpopo, South Africa.
Info source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klipspringer

23 April 2019Picture of the day, Wildlife

Ruffled

The Goliath Heron has a height of 135 cms and weighs around 4300 gms. The head is coloured chestnut while the bill is coloured black. The Goliath Heron is found in the Southern African wetlands, riverine forests and moist grasslands. The bird is at home in riverine forests and close to water bodies such as lakes, dams and streams. You can see the Goliath Heron bird on coastal regions and on the seashore where the bird will be foraging with other birds. This bird forages for food on the ground. This bird has a specially adapted bill which helps it hunt for fish, crabs, shrimp and other aquatic animals in the water. This bird eats insects such as butterflies, bees, wasps, locusts and ants. These invertebrates are usually hawked aerially, killed and then eaten.
Info source: http://www.birdsinsa.com/birds/ardeagoliath.htm

15 April 2019Picture of the day, Wildlife

Nibble

The Nyala is a highly selective, mixed feeder taking in large quantities of grass, forbs and browse (grass contributes 12-30% of its dietary intake). They prefer the fruit, pods and flowers of broadleaf forbs and eat only soft, green new-growth grass tufts (dry leaves and stems are avoided completely). Nyala is dependent on fresh water and an adult will drink an average of 3.5 litres daily. Nyala thrives in the thicket, closed woodland, riverine bush and forest habitats. They require abundant shade, cover for refuge, a constant supply of fresh drinking water and a large variety of broadleaf forb species to browse. The ideal habitat comprises a 4-23cm sweet grass layer, a minimum of 15% thicket and should be no less than 60 ha in size – nyala spends 70-90% of its life in the thicket and become nocturnal in environments lacking in this foliage component. Nyala cannot survive in areas with temperatures lower than -2°C or rainfall of less than 300mm.
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The photo was taken during September 2017 in the Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga, South Africa.
Info source: http://westacresvet.co.za/farming-with-nyala-a-few-things-…/

9 April 2019Picture of the day, Wildlife