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Irritated

The Red Hartebeest is a large, reddish-fawn antelope with a sloping back and long narrow face. Both sexes have heavily ringed horns. Of the 12 subspecies described in Africa, the Red Hartebeest is the only one which occurs in South Africa. The name Hartebeest was thought to refer to the heart-shaped curve of the horns but the accepted theory now is that it comes from the Dutch word “hert” which means deer in Dutch and “beest” meaning beast. The term hartebeest was used by the early Boers who thought the animals looked like a deer. Hartebeest is the Afrikaans for “hertebeest”.

28 August 2018Picture of the day, Wildlife

Paired

The yellow-billed duck is a dabbling duck which is an abundant resident breeder in southern and eastern Africa. This duck is not migratory but will wander in the dry season to find suitable waters. These are mallard-sized mainly grey ducks with a darker head and bright yellow bill. The wings are whitish below, and from above show a white-bordered green speculum. It is a bird of freshwater habitats in the fairly open country and feeds by dabbling for plant food mainly in the evening or at night. It nests on the ground in dense vegetation near water. Rarely found in suburban areas, in close proximity to golf courses, parks and lakes or dams. The male has a teal-like whistle, whereas the female has a mallard-like quack.

24 August 2018Picture of the day, Wildlife

Delicate

Having a drink of water tends to be somewhat challenging when you are over four meters tall. In order to get to the water, a giraffe has to spread its front legs at awkward angles, leaving it in a rather vulnerable position to predators such as lions. Giraffes have learnt to deal with this difficulty in various ways. Their need for water is reduced by the fact that they are able to obtain almost all they need from the plants they eat. An adult giraffe will only need to drink water once a day, whereas the more vulnerable younger giraffes are even more efficient at getting the water they need from their diet and often do not need to drink water at all. A giraffe does not sweat or pant like many other mammals, their body temperature fluctuates according to the surrounding temperatures and this allows them to conserve water.

17 August 2018Picture of the day, Wildlife