Tag: horns

Duet

The common tsessebe is a close relative of the bontebok. It is somewhat comical in appearance; with high, sloped shoulders that descend to a small rump that does not look particularly strong. In fact, its entire body looks more clumsy than agile. However, when threatened, this has proven to be one of the fastest antelope in the bushveld of Africa. They can reach a running speed of up to 80 kilometres per hour. This is no mean feat when one considers that its peers are the mighty wildebeest and the elegant springbok. The common tsessebe is brown (adult males are darker than juveniles and female adults) with white or darker brown markings. The long, slender legs and chest are black, and there is a black line running from their forehead to the tip of their nose. The belly is white, and their muzzles are narrow and elongated. For the tsessebe, the horns play an important role in determining their age and in establishing dominance (by means of horning the ground). These horns are S-shaped and ringed. They wear down over the years, so older animals can be distinguished by their well-worn horns.
Info source: https://www.sa-venues.com/wildlife/wildlife_tsessebe.php
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The photo was taken during February 2019 at Mabula Private Game Reserve, Rooiberg, Bela-Bela, Limpopo, South Africa.

Duet

Picture of the day, Wildlife

Rugged

The white rhinoceros is the second-largest land mammal after the elephant. Adult males can reach 1,85 m in height and tip the scales at a massive 3,6 tonnes. Females are considerably smaller but can still weigh in at an impressive 1,7 tonnes. White rhinoceros are also known as the square-lipped rhinoceros due to their square (not pointed) upper lip. Their name comes from the Afrikaans word “wyd”, which means wide and refers to the animal’s muzzle. Compared to black rhinoceros, white rhinoceros have a longer skull, a less sharply defined forehead and a more pronounced shoulder hump. They have almost no hair and two horns. The front horn averages 60 cm but occasionally reaches 150 cm in length. The name rhinoceros means ‘nose horn’ and is often shortened to rhino. It comes from the Greek words rhino (nose) and ceros (horn). Rhinoceros use piles of dung to leave “messages” for other rhinoceros. Each rhinoceros’s smell is unique and identifies its owner. It can also tell a rhinoceros if the other rhinoceros is young/old/male or female. They also tell other rhinoceros that this is their territory.
Info source: https://hesc.co.za/species-hesc/white-rhino/
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The photo was taken during January 2014.

Rugged

Picture of the day, Wildlife

Annoyed

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. The kudu is a browser and feeds on a variety of leaves of trees and shrubs indigenous to South Africa. It also feeds on various fruits, pods, forbs and creepers during different seasons. The kudu is also known to eat South African succulents such as spekboom and aloes. For male kudu, the rutting season occurs between April and May in South Africa. Newborn calves aged 4-6 weeks old are hidden away and nursed by their mothers who visit. Female kudus and their offspring form small groups of four to ten. Breeding throughout the year is not uncommon. 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 September 2017 near Lower Sabie, Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga, South Africa.

Annoyed

Picture of the day, Wildlife