Tag: shadow

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.

Blend

Picture of the day, Wildlife

Illuminate

The Drakensberg Sun Resort is situated high in the dramatic landscape of the Cathkin Peak area of the Drakensberg Mountains of South Africa from where magnificent views and fresh mountain air can be enjoyed. This region is home to some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. It is a mountainous and alpine area in KwaZulu-Natal laid out into four valleys, consisting of the Champagne Valley in the Central Berg, the Cathedral Peak and Didima Valley, the Royal Natal National Park, and Amphitheatre Valley, as well as the Middledale Pass Valley in the Northern Berg. Each of these four breathtaking valleys presents its kind of character and beauty with magnificent mountain vistas. Set in the Cathkin and Champagne Valley, the resort is located near the Cathkin and Champagne Castle which have astonishing peaks at 3,149 meters and 3,248 meters. These two mountains, together with the famous Monk’s Cowl which measures 3,234 meters in height, represent the highest summits of the Mountains.
Info source: https://www.south-african-hotels.com/hotels/drakensberg-sun-hotel/
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The photo was taken during October 2018 at Drakensberg Sun Resort, Champagne Valley, Drakensberg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Illuminate

Landscape, Picture of the day, Travel

Curvature

The nyala is also a very unique species with regards to its extreme sexual dimorphism (i.e. the differences between males and females). The male is dark brown in colour while the female is a bright orange colour. Males are born the same colour as females, but as they mature they will gradually change from orange to a dark brown. In the larger antelope species, the male is known as a bull and the female is known as a cow. With smaller antelope, the male is known as a ram and the female is known as a ewe. The nyala is used as a marker to distinguish between the names given to the males and females of other antelope species. This is because of the drastic difference in size between the male and female nyala. The male nyala is classified as a bull, while the female is classified as a ewe. Any male antelope smaller than the nyala bull is classified as a ram, and any female antelope bigger than the nyala female is classified as a cow. The species is also unique in the way males compete for females. The males will display what is called a lateral display. This is when the fringe fur on the backs and bellies of the males will become rigid and stand up straight, giving them a bigger and bolder appearance. This display of size can settle a dominance dispute the majority of the time, but on rare occasions when two bull nyala are well matched, they will lock horns and fight for breeding and dominance rights. The displays are spectacular to see.
Info source: https://arathusa.co.za/a-unique-antelope-species/
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The photo was taken during September 2017 near Nkuhlu Picnic Spot, Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga, South Africa.

Curvature

Picture of the day, Wildlife