Some of the animals we photographed in East Africa
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Warthog
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Quickfacts
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— males live alone
— ritual fights - head on
— sucklings have “owned” teat - only they use
— predators are lions, leopards
— when attacked they back into a hole if possible
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Waterbuck
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Quickfacts
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— takes refuge in water to escape predators of which there are many
— shaggy brown-gray coat emits smelly, greasy secretion thought to be for waterproofing
— male does not mark his territory as his presence and smell are apparently sufficient
— meat of older waterbuck has unpleasant odor prompting predators to choose other prey
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Wildebeest
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Quickfacts
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— looks like it was assembled from spare parts
— antics of territorial bulls during breeding season may boost hormone levels
— continually on the move as they seek favourable supplies of grass and water
— Serengeti-Mara - a migratory circle each year of 500 to 1,000 miles.
— many births at same time in herd is a glut for predators
— newborn can stand and run within minutes
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Grevy Zebra
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Quickfacts
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— Grevy's stripes do not extend to the belly - the common zebras do
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Common Zebra
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Quickfacts
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— in the evening, zebras look indistinct and may confuse predators by distorting true distance
— strong family groups — when one gets lost the others search for it
— dominant mare leads families travelling in single file - stallions go where want
— when foal born others kept away until it learns to recognize mother by sight & voice
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