Category: Wild animals

Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease: Threatening Caribbean Reefs, Wildlife and Ecosystems

This is a follow-up publication on Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease. It describes the findings in the coral reefs in the Cayman Islands during a week in mid April, 2024. The travel to the island was reasonably easy and the accommodations onboard the live-aboard cruise were good. The conditions of the reef life and tropical fish however was disheartening. We have a big problem.

The featured image was made from a view of the sunset from the port on Grand Cayman island. The sunset may be symbolic of the future diving in the Caribbean. I hope that there is a recovery in the future.

As reported in four previous posts (Death in Paradise), there is a continuance of even greater proportions seen during this trip. I reported on the findings on the reefs around Roatan Island off the coast of Honduras two years ago. The condition of the reefs showed considerable loss of the polyp life because of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD). It was quite extensive and showed nearly 70% loss of life. At night the coral showed a significant loss of fluorescence because of the large dead areas of coral polyps. During the day one could see the areas of exposed stony skeleton of the reef.

The reef at multiple sites of the Cayman Islands including Grand, Little and Brack, has been devastated by the disease. The population of the reef fish is also significantly diminished. I did not make a count of the fish or of the areas of dead coral. Because of the extent of the dead coral there was no reasonable way for me to make an accurate comparison. It was very distressing. With the option to make 20 dives I made only 12. There was nothing worthwhile to see. I would estimate more than 80% to 90% loss of polyp life. 

In conversation with other experienced divers on board the ship they said that they saw similar conditions across many of the Caribbean islands from Bonaire to the Mayan coast. Generally, they were unaware of the cause of the polyp depletion but said that it looked the same as in the Caymans. The less experienced divers were unaware of the problem and were happy to be in the warm water (85.5 degrees F). There was still some interesting wildlife but is was very reduced when compared to the concentration I had seen as little as 5 years ago. 

50% of central coral head is dead. All of the surrounding coral is dead.
Coral completely over run by SCTLD.
70% of brain coral is dead. Surrounding coral is lifeless.
nderwaterOther areas typical of the reefs showing the discruction of the polyps.
Lion fish (Invasive)
Caribbean Spiny Lobster (Panulirus argus) It was good to see a lobster but formerly there were dozens.
Mating Flamingo Tongues (Cyphoma gibbosum)
Lettuce Nudibrank (Elysia crispata)
Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) Critically endangered.
Rough file clam (Ctenoides scaber). Similar to the disco-clam seen in the Palau reefs.

There was still life in the Caribbean but it may be below the 100-foot depth accessible for divers and also for much of the live that requires light. The life forms that were readily apparent were mostly bottom feeding animals. Sponges and soft fans were still alive and did not seem to be affected by the SCTLD.

The effects upon the economy that are a result of reef polyp loss are not readily available, however, many of the recreational hospitality workers are questioning their future employment opportunities. I suspect that there may be some resistance in these businesses to make these issues more public.

There has been some publication of the research into the cause of the disease and it seems that researchers have identified an infection. “Results suggest that the bacterial community may be involved in SCTLD, but other members of the holobiont (i.e., viruses and Symbiodiniaceae) may contribute to lesion progression”.1, 2

Vectors and process of viral action is not yet publicized 3. One should not expect a recommended solution for a cure until much further research will be done. I anticipate that it may take decades and that the reef corals will not survive at the current rate of disease progress. This has a direct impact on the southwest coast of Florida.

If you have observed the effects of SCTLD in other areas of the Caribbean or other places in the world please engage in the SCTLD dialogue in the discussion board.

References: Where 2. and 3. are specifically related to work done in Florida reefs.

1. A meta-analysis of the stony coral tissue loss disease microbiome finds key bacteria in unaffected and lesion tissue in diseased colonies

2. Microbial Community Shifts Associated With the Ongoing Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease Outbreak on the Florida Reef Tract

3. Viral-Like Particles Are Associated With Endosymbiont Pathology in Florida Corals Affected by Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease

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#SCTLD #Stony coral tissue loss disease #coral #turtle #nudibrank # Flamingo tongue #coral polyp #file clam

Revival of Pond Plants and Ecosystem Post-Hurricane Ian – Part Two

The plants of pond #47 are slowly recovering after hurricane Ian. This is part two of a three part series describing the slow recovery of the artificial pond that was created as part of a community wide system. Be sure to read part one of this series. The ten foot high storm surge from hurricane Ian brought seawater with its salt content and fish and other marine life. Because salt water is heavier than fresh water it sank to the bottom of the pond displacing a substantial portion of the fresh water. The ocean water is toxic to the fresh water species because it dehydrates the cells of salt intolerant plants and animals. This has been recovered by the inflow of fresh ground water and water filtered by community supplier. Now the water has a very low percentage of salt. My refractometric test for salinity tested on 5/1/2024 shows a near normal specific density of 1.002. We will discuss this in the next posting describing pond geochemistry.

The pond is surrounded by grassy lawns which are tended by the gardeners and home owners. At the water’s edge soil retaining mesh and plants have been added to prevent erosion. Most of these plants were thought to have been lost from toxic levels of salt. In the intervening two years they have begun to make a strong come back. They hold the soil, provide shelter for the marine animals and a feeding ground for the wading birds. Look at the previous post to see the birds feeding in grass and reed areas of the pond.

Pond plants

Net casting in pond to capture fish sample. This photo also shows round bright areas where Tilapia fish made nests
Soil retaining mesh submerged can be seen here. This was placed before the storm as part of the pond remediation.

Aquatic plant species used to reduce soil erosion.

Long view of pond looking from southeast to northwest.
Lance leaf Arrowhead, (Sagittaria lancifolia), Native, AKA Duck Potato.
Needle rush (Juncus roemerianus), Native
Horsetail spike rush (Eleocharis equisetoides) Native

Lawn, grass, Live Oak trees with marsh rushes and tubers surround the pond. They stabilize the soil and provide shelter and food as the basis of the ecosystem pyramid. It is only recently that the survivability of this plants was confirmed. Presence of these plants supports the concept of corner stone species. Without these plants the insects would not lay eggs. The fish would not feed on the insect larvae. The birds would not feed on the fish. This is further reflection of the eutrophic quality of the pond system.

Perhaps you have seen similar recoveries. Recall the experiences of the recovery of the Fulda river in Germany. Let’s hear about your experience! If you wish to contribute to the discussion please use the comment box.

The third of the three related postings on this pond will appear soon. It will describe the hydrochemistry and the micro aquatic inhabitants. Be sure to subscribe to follow along.

Also, feel free to use the discussion board to participate in one of the ongoing discussions or to introduce a new topic.

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#Pond recovery #ocean water #Lance leaf Arrowhead #Needle rush #Horsetail spike rush #cornerstone species #

Cooperation of Wildlife and People: Bonita Bay Pond #47’s Ecological Success – Part #1

This is a story of cooperation among people and wildlife in the Bonita Bay community. This description is divided into three postings including the macro biology, micro biology and geochemistry. Pond #47 is in my backyard. The freshwater pond was inundated by sea water to a depth of 10.3 feet above MSL. The flood was a climatic challenge to the entire four square mile community property including all 64 retention ponds. The good news is that recovery is well on the way to near normal conditions.

This first of three postings shows the macro biologic content of the pond. This small body of water is in the Bonita Bay residential community in the city of Bonita Springs, Florida. It was artificially constructed nearly 40 years ago as part of a larger hydraulic system intended to manage the surface water of the community property. The property is bounded by Spring Creek to the north, Imperial River to the south, Bonita Bay to the west and highway 41 to the east. There are five animal phyla represented here and they are all thriving. There are also four plant phyla.

The featured picture is one of hundreds of halloween pennant dragonflies that were so full of beautiful color. I had to share it with all of you.

Fish:

Net casting was done to collect fish samples and to check the varieties. It shows the net hitting the water, the clarity and depth, and the light-colored ring patterns in the water are spawning nests created by resident tilapia in the sandy bottom. Other techniques included fly casting and spin casting with artificial bait. Six fish species were caught from the Anchorage Pond #47. They included Mayan Cichlid, Blue Gill, Tilapia, Largemouth Bass, and Snook. Numerous minnows were seen but not caught. Neighbors who regularly fish the pond suggest that there are more Tilapia and fewer Snook since the Ian hurricane. 

Blue gill on top, Tilapia (?) on bottom
Tilapia or Gulf Killfish (Non-Native)
Mayan Cichlid (Mayaheros urophthalmus) (invasive)
Snook (Centropomus undecimalis) (Non-native)

Reptiles:

Alligators and turtles live easily in the pond. The alligator population is variable and although it usually has one. During mating season there were at least two. The turtle population is greater than the alligators and from observation there are always at least four swimming near the surface. During the day these reptiles and crawl out of the ponds to lie on the banks.

Soft shell turtle  (Apalone ferox)
Mating alligators
We’re done.

Marine Crustaceans:

One marine crustacean type was found. Three Blue crabs were found in the water along the shore. These were probably brought in by the hurricane.

Blue crab (female), (Callinectes sapidus)

Birds:

The number and species of wading birds is highly dependent upon season and weather. The birds may select those areas of the shoreline which are favorable to their food and which may be protected from predators by alligators. Here are some of the birds in the shore line vegetation hunting and eating with the alligator in their midst. The osprey was standing quietly watching from the close by tree. These birds were seen in March/April. The birds included Great Blue Herron, white and tricolored Herron, Ibis, ducks, Wood Stories, Anhinga, and Osprey.

Blue Herron
Anhinga caught a Mayan Cyclid
Great White Herron caught a minnow
Stork and Herron ignoring one another
Tricolor Herron searching for fish
Ibis in group of about twenty
American Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) waiting in tree

Insects:

The most obvious insect which could be attributed to the pond were standing or feeding on the pound shore line. The dragonflies observed were exclusively the Halloween Pennants and were in the hundreds. The White Peacock butterflies were flying about in small groups or pairs just on shore near the grass.

Halloween Pennant Dragonfly, (Celithemis eponina)
White Peacock butterfly (Anartia jatrophae)

The diversity of the wild life supports the eutrophic designation of the pond. Further examples of this follow in the next two presentations. They include the plants and the microflora with geochemistry. Be sure to see them too!

This story is similar to the previous posting on a river restoration project found in Fulda, Germany.

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See the discussion board to engage with like minded naturalists and photographers or to open a new topic to share your thoughts. https://evergladesark.com/2024/04/25/discussion-board/

#Pond #Recovery #fish #insects #crustaceans # dragonfly # butterfly # turtle # Herron # Mayan Cichlid #Snook # Blue gill #bass #Osprey #White Peacock #alligator

Raptors Observed While Exploring SW Florida Preserves

While exploring six SW Florida preserved areas, the osprey, forest hawks, eagles, vultures, and owls were readily observed.

The featured image is a vulture. Bcause of its scavenging behavior most people don’t think of it as a raptor. I saw this one in full pursuit flight along the shoreline hummock of the Delnor Wiggins-pass park.

Most birds are generally carnivores. They prey on animals. As insectivores they feed on soft, small insects in their various developmental stages. Some feed on small non insect animals. Raptors however are exceptional, carnivorous predatory, hunters. Their target prey are other vertebrates. Powerful, skillful, and relentlessly hunting, they are specifically designed for their task. All raptors have hooked beaks, sharp talons, large acutely sensitive eyes and bodies aerodynamically designed for power and speed. Some specialize in aquatic species such as fish and others can feed on other birds and mammals which can be equal or greater than their size and weight. 

EAGLES:

This mated pair of eagles were attending to their two chicks high in a slash pine nest. in the CREW preserve near the northern entrance

They are highly regarded by many people as exemplified by the US and Florida whose legislatures selected the Eagle as their State bird; athletic teams such as the falcons, eagles; hawks military equipment such as eagles, osprey, hawks, raptors.

American bald eagle
Mated pair of eagles

HAWK:

This hawk was readily available and posed perfectly perched on the branch. Its nest was high in a Cyprus tree about 150 meters away from my location. It is predictably found in the same area of corkscrew swamp in the spring. It hunts readily flying through the forested area where it is difficult to follow with a camera and difficult to separate from the foliage.

Red shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus)
Hawk in Cyprus tree nest

Owl:

These two owls were such a surprise to find. The Great Horned owl was perched in a tree in the twilight and difficult to see however as it called out I wandered through the brush until I spotted it. it was quite dark. With auto focusing on the camera and photoshop used to brighten the exposure you can see what I found.

The screech owl was sitting in a bird box someone had thoughtfully placed along a trail. It was in full daylight that I saw its head in the opening of the shelter. As I moved side to side it watched me despite its nearly closes eyes.

Great Horned owl (Bubo virginianus)
Eastern Screech owl in nest box (Megascops asio)

These birds are always on the hunt for anything edible. They are opportunistic feeders on small animals and roadkill.

OSPREY:

One of my favorite birds, the osprey is endlessly fascinating to watch. This nest was in a high tree adjacent to the stream on the southern edge of the Estero Bay State Preserve. It was the only bird which I saw during the hours spent in the southern end of the preserve. It was working the river for fish. After it catches its prey, it sits in a tree with the catch pinned under one foot and munches through its meal

The osprey (Pandiion haliaetus) checking me out as it launches into its hunt for fish.
Fresh catch in its talons this osprey was flying on the way from the stream to its perch for a mid day lunch.

The raptors were the most constant species of birds found in all the sites.  Perhaps this is because they are large, have a wide range territory for hunting, and were seasonally present during daylight hours. Regardless of these parameters they were thrilling to see. One could spend hours simply watching and studying their behavior. They inspire streams of contrary images; graceful but powerful, swift but accurate, savage but caring, camouflaged but beautiful, rapacious but selective. Hopefully we will capture videos of each of the species and present them later. We will spend more time on these birds in later posts.

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#eagle #owl #hawk #osprey # raptor

Feathered Friends Found on Our Tour of SWFL Preserves

We had an opportunity to explore three distinctly different areas in Southwest Florida. Discussion of these focused on upland systems that ranged from the interior of the Everglades to the Gulf of Mexico costal planes. The earlier posts described the geography and associated plants. Animals were also found. Here are some of the feathered vertebrate species: Avians. The animal classification will follow the previously posted bird Clades. The important lesson learned here is animals predate on each other and share the environment by mutual specialization. We will discuss the significance of this concept after we have a chance to see the animals. There are some general observations which may be time or seasonal related conditions. During exploration of the various locations the song birds were less frequently found in the flatwoods. Additionally, the waterfowl were never found in the pine or scrubby flatwoods. The raptors were found in all explored areas.

The featured image is a nesting American Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) with chick. This very large nest is in a hardwood, upland Slash pine near a creek.

THE BIRDS:

There were three types of birds which I photographed. All of them are wonderous in their appearance, behavior, songs, and interactions with their surroundings. To really appreciate them you must go into the field, be patient, watch and listen. I could not photograph all I saw and this is not an encyclopedia of all that are present. The following posts are an opportunity to show what to expect to see when you are there. They will have more selected photographs of some of these magnificent animals.

Waterfowl:

Including: Spoonbill, Storks, Egret, Herron, Anhinga, Duck and others

This pair of Wood Storks were feeding deep in a swamp

Raptors:

Including: Hawk, Eagle, Falcon, Osprey, Owl and others

Red Shouldered Hawk has a nest in a hard wood upland portion of Corkscrew Swamp.

Songbirds:

Including: Cat bird, Cardinal, Blue Jay, Finch, Warbler and others.

Black and White Warbler eating insects found under Cyprus bark in Corkscrew Swamp

Some birds were out of range of the telephoto lens, some were covered by foliage, some were too fast or not in focus and some were not to be found because of seasonal changes. I did my best but we are not done. Further exploration will provide an opportunity to see more, enjoy the spectacle and photograph the events.

References:

Wood Stork

Red shouldered hawk

Black and White Striped Warbler

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#Florida birds #birds

The Queens

No, it is not the rock group. Nor is it an ABBA song. It is a butterfly species related to Monarchs called Queens. As a result of the residual effects of hurricane Ian, our community butterfly garden has no surviving milkweed plants. It does, however, have other plants that attract things that flutter by. At first it looked like they were Monarchs but on closer inspection, as you can see in these photos, this species is very similar. They are Queens and they are dancing and mating.

The feature image is a male Queen with the dorsal surface pointed toward the female and us. Additionally, there is a female Queen showing the ventral surface detail. . The two dark spots on the ventral surface medial veins of the distal wings indicate a male gender.

We have discussed Monarchs on these three occasions Monarch, previous, postings. This species will be the standard for comparison for this discussion. The Queen has several markings that make it easy to distinguish. It has a darker, more red/brown coloration. The wing veins are less pronounced. It is the smaller of the two species.The Monarch is a strict milkweed feeder. The Queens feed on many plants and are not exclusive to milkweed. Also they should not be confused with other related butterflies called Viceroys or Soldiers (not shown here).

Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus)  (male)
Queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) (male)

Also not to be confused with the Gulf Fritillary which is a totally different species.

Queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) (male)
Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) (Male)

Watching the Queens was easy because they were very interested in pairing with one another at this time. These observations were made during the first week of October 2023 at 8:30 AM. GPS location 26.3389184, -81.8085888. There were other butterflies present including Monarchs which were very low in number as well as Polydamas swallowtails. The dozens of Queens were literally dancing around one another in what appeared to be mating preliminaries.

Queen female on flower stem waiting for the approaching male.
Queen male flying above female.
Queen male descending toward female.
Queen female wings spread open to receive male.
First contact.

I spent about an hour admiring the beauty of the butterflies and was astonished to see this “dance” exhibited by many couples. I have never seen so many Queens in one place at one time. I hope to see the eggs and caterpillars that I expect will follow during the next few weeks. I will also be on the look out for the related Soldiers and Viceroys.

References:

Butterflies Air Home

Butterflies and Moths of North America

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#Monarch #Queen #butterfly #Fritillary #mating #dance

Costal Wetlands Ecosystems of SWFL. Part 3, Shore Birds

In a two-hour walk along the southern coast of Fort Myers Beach hundreds of birds were readily observed. The photos show just a few of the birds present and this posting doesn’t really capture a full catalogue of all of the possible birds in this group. These observations were made from 8:15 to 9:30 AM. The area is not restored after the Hurricane Ian floods. The shore was relatively flat with the sea and as I was leaving the waters were rising with the tide. Except for the Osprey, the birds in this posting belong to the Aequornitornathes as discussed in our post on Calling Birds by Clades. Shore birds seem to be a frequently undervalued group. This is somewhat understandable because they are relatively small, fast flying, limited in chroma, difficult to access and seasonal.

26.405637, -81.896622
The GPS location for these observations.

Some of the birds found in this area are at risk and some are endangered. This is a State and the Audubon Society designated sanctuary. Others birds are routinely found throughout the shore area. This is nesting, mating and hatching time for these birds and large areas are marked off-limits to all to prevent damage to the nests, eggs and mating behaviors of the birds. The photos were all made from outside of these restricted areas.

The title photo is a flock of Black Skimmers roosting on the 10 to 12 inch high dune about 200 meters from the shore line using the 400 mm lens. This is fairly representative of the terrain and accessibility for observation. All of the birds were very busy in their mating and nesting behaviors. Nearby there are numerous empty multistory condominium buildings ruined by the storm. Additionally there is considerable construction work on those damaged sites.

Nesting Black Skimmer
Black Skimmer Rynchops niger, scavenging along the shore
Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres along the shore
Ruddy Turnstone in the dune area
Least Tern Sternula antillarum
Rock Sandpiper Calidris ptilocnemis
American Oystercatcher at work along the shore
Black-Bellied Plover
American Oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus
Sand Piper along the shore.
Snowy Plover (immature)
Snowy plover almost invisable
Osprey, carrying fish captured from the Gulf of Mexico, flying to its nest on a perch on Fort Meyers Beach tree line.

Summary:

Nine bird species were identified. Here are a few important lessons to be learned from this first trip. The area is a State protected site and you cannot approach the birds closer than 100 meters. Available birds are seasonal and their activity is somewhat predictable. The birds listed here usually flock in species. The food resource comes from the sea. They mate, nest, lay eggs and hatch on the beach during spring season. For better images some combination of extra effort should be applied. This includes: patience and better understanding of the bird behaviors, more stealth and closer approach if allowed by the Audubon Bird Naturalist who is on site daily. Use a lens with focal length greater than 400 mm and a tripod.

These small shore birds are generally at risk for flock survival. Some are endangered, some are threatened. As you would expect the usual culprits are warming, environmental squeeze*, loss of habitat, and a relatively new threat. The recent increased threat is an avian viral infection N1H1 which has globally decimated the poultry and wild bird population. This variant of H1N1 is highly contagious and the domesticated populations together with the wild populations have cross contaminated one another. This cross contamination makes the control of the disease extremely difficult because the wild group is an untreatable reservoir. The hope is that, in the wild population, the disease will burn itself out by killing the susceptible animals while the resistant survivors repopulate the species. With small populations such as the snowy plover, this may result in their extinction. The domesticated population must be kept highly quarantined and a vaccination needs to be developed and deployed. Bird flu may jump species to other farm animals and to humans.

* Environmental squeeze is the loss of beach habitat from human encroachment and rising water.

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#Osprey #Plover #Sand Piper #Tern #Turnstone #Skimmer #Oystercatcher #environmental squeeze #avian flu #H1N1

Rhinoceros to Rhinosaurus

The Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) is the only remaining of the African Big Five animals to be presented in our African Safari posting series. The reason they are marginalized is that there are very few remaining in the wild. The rhinoceros is a severely endangered species. We saw only three of them and they all were captives in highly guarded reserve areas. It may become the first of the big five to become extinct and this could easily happen within our lifetime. In the estimate of the South African government the “killing of rhinos by hunting will exceed that of births by next year, thus precipitating a slide towards the extinction abyss.” Without drastic measures they will be wiped out as surely as the dinosaurs.

The featured image shows the horns of the rhinoceros. These are the prize for which they are savagely and illegally hunted. All images were made in Botswana.

Yearling foal of the mare rhinoceros. On these few specimens rests the survival of the 7 million year old species.

The drastic procreative measures include extraordinary protection from poachers and other hunters, careful management for natural breeding programs, promotion of high-tech breeding programs using artificial insemination and hormone management for increased fertility.

Rhinos are poorly understood therefore breeding is not easy. They have a long gestation period; the inter-birth interval appears to be ~3 to 4 years; sexual maturity of the female may be up to age seven; males up top ~10 years; fertility also may depend on ovulation cycle, hormone levels, and the size of pre-ovulatory follicles. Life span is ~40 yrs. Adult weight is 2.5K to 4K pounds. Management is difficult because they are not docile animals. Maximum possible offspring per life time is ~ 06.

The result of a successful breeding. Mare and foal grazing together.
Adult White Rhinoceros with double horn still intact grazing on short grass in protected conservatory. “White”is perhaps an English mistranslation of the Dutch word “wijd”which means “wide”. The wide refers to the width of the rhinoceros’ lower jaw.

There is some hope that breeding programs will at least stabilize the population. With the cooperative effort of the government of South Africa, Botswana “will become the next Noah’s Ark for rhinos in Africa”. The exact location of the breeding stations was not disclosed. There are also private animal breeders who specialize in these large animals.

On this trip we saw multiple endangered animal species including the Hartebeest, Gravy’s zebra, Rothschild’s Giraffe, Wild Dogs, Roan antelope, Thompson’s gazelle and the lesser Kudu. There are others which we did not see like the Pangolin and the Sable antelope.

My general suggestion is to visit the African nations that promote the wildlife and are safe to visit. See the animals, plants and ecosystems while you can because the future is unpredictable.

#rhinoceros #Africa #Kenya Botswana #rewinding #breeding #endangered #extinct #horns #poaching #

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References:

Rhino conservation controversy

Rhino breeding program

Rhino conservation in Botswana

Rewinding with rhinos

Rhino reproduction and development

Hippo Home

The hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) are always near water. Most often they are in the water where they can be submerged. This blog recounts three African experiences. There was an exception. In one of the camps where we stayed a small hippo was scampering under the board walk and into the woods in the evening. I believe that it was in the camp where it could take shelter from the local pride of lions. In the Okavango delta the hippos were in the river system and not very visible. When in the river of Chobi they were more visible from the stream and facing the bank. There they would submerge and occasionally reemerge to walk in the bank.

The feature image is a portrait of a hippo in the Mara river n Kenya

The cows were watchful of their young as they both ate their fill of the grass. It was clear that there was some social group interaction among the adults. They tended to stay in loose proximity. This was really evident in the area of the Mara river in the savanna of Kenya. While in the river they were not interactive with the nearby crocodiles. The crocodiles know better and keep their distrance.

Typical hippopotamus on land grazing after soaking up some sun. The white sand on the belly will wash off then it hits the water.
Hippos in the Kenyan Mara river
Looks like a Mara river love-in . The giant animals seem so benign.

There was an occasion which was somewhat unexpected. Looking at the placidity of a small lake a dark bump breached the surface. In a few moments it became apparent that this was a very large adult hippo. It began to walk to and up the bank of the shore. This was a really big animal, perhaps the size of a small SUV.

—-+—-

A Survivor

Difficult to identify wha that bump is.
Hippo emerging from the pond

It was silent and ponderously slow. The slow gate might not have been due to its size but rather because of the large gaping wound in its left shoulder. It was deep and relatively recent but no longer bleeding. He was moving away from the lake and toward the woods.

Slowly climbing out . There seemed tto be a problem
It is now obvious that the animal had been injured.

We followed it for perhaps 50 yards. The wound was easily seen. Now it could be identified as two large parallel gouges through the skin and into the muscle. The hide in that area is tough, usually about two inches thick. Add to that the penetration through the four inches of flesh layers below the skin and you have some idea about the severity of the injury. The muscle was not severed but the skin through the fat layer was missing. I hope that the resulting infection won’t be too bad. There will be a big scar.

The injury had two vertical parallel gashes the they were a perfect fit for hippo lower tusks. The hide and fat had been scraped away exposing the muscle. Look at the rest of the hide and you can see that this big boy has seen a lot of fighting.

The distance between the two wounds and their general shape strongly suggested that these were caused by the two lower tusks, The skin remaining was ripped upwardly. These were probably made by a rival hippo. They were apparently acquired during an epic battle between two mammoth hippopotami.

The fight must have been just hours ago during the night. I wonder what the other guy looked like. The other contestant was not in sight. This fellow, with help of the birds, was tending to his wounds. This wasn’t his first encounter. He had been in other scrapes and had the scars to show. These fights can be deadly. It looks like this guy will be back for another day. Hippopotamus are reported to kill approximately 500 people per year making them the deadliest vertebrate animal in Africa

#hippopotamus #wound #herbivore #aquatic #fight #dominance #Africa #Maasai Mara #Botswana

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African Wild Dogs – Hunting

This is not about your father’s hunting dog. These are not household dogs which when set free in the wild become feral survivors. They are indeed a species unto themselves. Wild dogs of Kenya are a dying breed. The pack must have more than five dogs to maintain a threshold below which reproductive failure is likely. The area requirements of five wild dogs are estimated to be 65 to 150 square kilometers. Because they are a pack animal, they are transmitting rabies among one another. There is no one to care for this deadly disease and because they are not a high priority species. Because of environment change and disease they may become extinct. They are pack animals which work to hunt as a team just like the lions. Their method is different from lions where they run their prey down to exhaustion. That can run at 40 mph for hours. When the dogs take down their prey, they exercise dogged precision.

The featured image is a portrait of a Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus). The Wild Dog (AKA Painted Dog) is one of the world’s most endangered mammals. Perhaps only one thousand remain.

The ear of the lead dog lying in the shade of the tree around 5:00 PM. He is one of about a dozen. It is dinner time.

We saw a pack of about 12 resting in the shade of a tree with deep soft grass. The entire family was together and appeared to be contented. They lay down through the heat of the day in close contact with the soil for cooling. In the afternoon a head or an ear pops up showing that they are not sleeping but alert. As sunset neared the pack leader stood up all rose at the same time and began a fast-paced loosely grouped walk. They apparently had a powerful agenda in mind. We followed them and they in turn were in fast pursuit of dinner.

Within minutes of awakening the pack found the scent. It will take them only 15 minutes.

The pace picked up as they reach the Savanna where the woods thinned out. The chase was on despite our not seeing the target. The walk turned into a fast trot as the team members took their strategic positions; two groups in flanked positions and a lead attack group. In their favor the dogs had nose work, group communication, pack coordination, speed, endurance and survival instinct.

The chase is on. Impala are in the area. Long shadows suggest that we are nearing sunset.

Distracted by the action of the group one of these Impala will be split off and isolated.
The dogs see the prey.
For the Impala fast and agile gets you far but the dogs are made for endurance and have the power of the pack. They use a strategy of three groups one on each side and one down the middle of the run.

Then it was a full running chase of their prey through the deep brush. The impala had no chance to outrun the pack. They had it cornered in a dense brush area where the speed and agility of the lone impala couldn’t help. We were in the chase vehicle riding over the rough terrain with no road at about 25 mph. We lost sight of them in the bush for a minute.

When we finally caught up with the lead group the impala was half consumed. The lead dogs finished eating and the remaining carcass was devoured by the other chase members of the pack. The total running and eating time was about 15 minutes. It was a sight of efficiency defying the imagination. (Faster than a drive through for a burger and fries)

The dog hunt compared to the lion hunt: (CAUTION ! If you don’t want to know, don’t read. I did not publish the more graphic scenes.)

The hunting patterns of the dogs was different from the lions in two specific ways; attack and kill. The lions arrayed the pride in a rough semicircle around the target . They had a specific female led attack crew of three that was headed by one lioness. The remaining members of the pride sat or stood watching the action and the young in the rear appeared to observe and hopefully learn. The dogs had another attack method. Their hunting team worked like a trident. The three phaylanxes approached in parallel. There were no watchers and all were running in hot pursuit. In the kill the lion grabbed from behind and brought the prey down. Then the lion bites into the throat to asphyxiate the prey. Once the catch is dead then the feast begins where the lead male to eats first. The dogs behaved differently. The first-to-catch team downs the prey and begins to eat indifferent to the kill. In this instance the prey was eaten to death. The catch was devoured boarding house rules, first-come-first-get. There was no hierarchal devision of the catch.

In the previous description of the lion hunt they were not successful. In this dog hunt they were very successful.

We were an 90 minutes from the camp and it was nearly dark already. There was no light left when we arrived.

We departed the area as the full moon was rising in the east. We began the one-hour race back to camp across the Savanna and through the woods at 45 mph to beat the setting sun. This was despite the lessening visibility, deeply rutted roads and sloppy creek bed crossings. We were to be back before total darkness. When we were two miles out of camp riding the deeply rutted road, twilight nearly over, we were nearly run over by a herd of 8 Cape buffalo running at full gallop through the dark dense woods. They crossed our road 20 feet in front of us escaping from a pride of lion in hot pursuit. Then we rolled into camp fifteen minutes late. Our driver was skillful, with quick reactions and strong hands. He could give endurance race drivers a few lessons. The dogs ate. Now it was dark as a black hole and time for our dinner.

#dogs #antelope #hunt #Africa #Kenya #Maasai Mara #Wild dogs #endangered #pack #hunt #painted dog #

References:

Wild Dogs Journey

Wild Dogs Environment

Wild Dogs special anatomy

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3 responses to “African Wild Dogs – Hunting”

  1. nicholaswittner1069 Avatar
    nicholaswittner1069

    This was my absolute favorite part of the safari. Great write-up. My adrenaline rushed as I continued to read. Trident yes! “Dogged precision” – you are indeed a punster.

    Nick

  2. John Avatar
    John

    When we return to Africa we can include more video with audio. That should bring it even more to life.

    1. John Knapp Avatar
      John Knapp

      Yes! the new camera body will provide the options for more videos.

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