Bush Photography: March 2010

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Drinking together

The cut-off point with regards to cow / bull and ram / ewe is the Nyala. A male Nyala is a bull and a female is a ewe. Anything larger is bull/cow and anything smaller is ram/ewe.

Swimming together

This crocodile was together with a lot of water turtles, observing the road for possible bites from bypassing cars.

It may look like the croc is making ready to feast on the turtle, but that is not the case.

Crocodiles can stay underwater for up to one hour.

The reptiles have three eyelids.

They can swim up to 30km/h.

Crocodiles replace their teeth up to 50 times in a lifetime.

Crocodiles are cold blooded. To stay warm they lie in the sun, to cool down they lie in the shade with their mouth open, or under water.

Crocodiles can go for months without eating because they do not use much energy.

An elephant counteracts with mud and sand baths which cool, protect and get rid of unwanted insects.

Usually only one calf is born to a pregnant female. An orphaned calf will usually be adopted by one of the family's lactating females or suckled by various females. Elephants are very attentive mothers, and because most elephant behavior has to be learned, they keep their offspring with them for many years. Tusks erupt at 16 months but do not show externally until 30 months. The calf suckles with its mouth (the trunk is held over its head); when its tusks are 5 or 6 inches long, they begin to disturb the mother and she weans it. Once weaned usually at age 4 or 5, the calf still remains in the maternal group.

Not so bushy...

On a sunny day, this is about what it looks like on the mountains and in the valleys of Mpumalanga high veld

The Hunt

An apparently hunger young female hyena spotted a possible prey.

The hyena is Africa's most common large carnivore. Over the years hyenas and humans have come into close contact in Africa and, in earlier times, in Asia and in Europe, often leading to mutual predation. In ancient Egypt hyenas were domesticated, fattened and eaten, and in turn humans have on occasion become food for hyenas. Reputed to be cowardly and timid, the hyena can be bold and dangerous, attacking animals and humans.