Coastal Wetlands Part I, Microscopy Imaging Intro

Microscopic examination of the soil samples from the beaches of the Southwest Florida coastal wetlands is foundational to the understanding of this part of the State. The use of microscopy aids in determining particle size, surface roughness, percentage of constituents, homogeneity of particle size and reaction to chemicals. Much of this is silica sand called quartz. This naturally occurring glass is an enormous part of our civilization. Sand is used for construction of concrete structures like streets and highways, buildings, and infrastructure such as dams, oil fracking and park benches. It is also the basis of our communications and computer systems from silicone chips, monitor screens and fiberoptic cables. It is the window through which we look and the lens we use to see the far reaches of our universe.

The featured image is an excellent example of a grain of high quality quartz sand. It is shown as seen under microscopic examination illuminated by transmitted polarized light. It is a sample of the standard to which other samples are compared.

This is an introduction to the assessment of samples that appear through microscopic examination of these natural building blocks. The samples shown here were collected from the surface of the beaches along a few miles north of Naples, Florida’s west facing coast. They were collected and recorded in the database found at Beaches of Southwest Florida

This posting is intended to assist you in interpreting the reported results of observations made.

This square meter of costal hinterland is packed with information. It is site #87 in the Costal Database. The following micrografs were made with just a pinch of the surface soil.

Through the microscope, several light sources were used that include incident flash white light, transmitted white light, transmitted polarized white light, occasional combinations of these sources, transmitted ultra blue light for fluorescence and selected color filtered light. These images will be identified by observation number as shown in the database.

#87, Fig 1. Sample showing clear quartz and transparent quartz particles with white transmitted light
#87, Fig 2. Sample showing colorful quartz and transparent quartz particles using polarized transmitted light
#87, Fig 3. Sand sample 5x polarized transmitted and flash light. Note the rounded corners of the quartz sand grains when compared to the wharf edges of the cover picture.
#87, Fig 4. same sample but added vinegar. Spherical bubbles are easily identified forming during the test process. See video below.
#87, Fig 5. This movie clip shows the off gassing of carbon dioxide from a fragment of mollusk shell as it goes into solution. Note the developmental striations in the shell sample.

These findings are reported in the database as a ‘1’ in the response choice.

Other characteristics are also recorded as shown in the following chart extracted from the database site. Where homogeneity ranges from poor to very well, size ranges from coarse to very fine, shape ranges from sharp to well rounded, source is by mineral composition, quartz ratio is in percentage by count of particles in the field of view X3, particle size can be measured down to .035 mm. Further sizing of smaller dimension is by micrometer.

Chart sample of finding characteristics of observation #87

The quartz portion of the sand is the common building block of most beaches. Under polarized light it behaves like a prism and is polychromatic. This feature is readily identifiable as a distinguishing feature. The non quartz particles may be of other ingredients such as stone, fossil, coral, plastic resin, or other salts. When vinegar is added to the sample a chemical reaction transpires where calcium carbonate reacts with the weak acid and goes into solution releasing the carbon dioxide as a gas in bubble form. This is seen in the video micrograph. The non quartz shell findings can also be distinguished by the repetitive pattern of growth and development lines in the fragments.

I hope that you find this useful when you check out our new database link Beaches of SWFL

#photomicrograph #quartz #sand #videomicrograph #polarized light #database #beaches #Southwest Florida #SWFL #transmitted light #reflected direct light #costal ecosystems

The microscope used is referenced on an earlier posting

Flowering Trees of SW Florida

We need a break form hurricane damage remediation. Some of these images and more were shown on previous postings. They are repeated here because many of these trees and flowers were damaged or lost during the hurricane Ian storm of 2022 and therefore are no longer available. We need a reminder of the past and promise of the future.

The freely available image is featured as the opener is copied from a Cindy Shuder-Sandine Facebook posting and attributed to a military reconnaissance photo. It shows hurricane Ian as it landfalls on Fort Myers beach 20 miles from where I live. It speaks a thousand words.

The flowers of the Bauhinia tree are stunningly beautiful with lavender petals and veiny traces of red made to attract the eyes of the beholder. The flower has male anthers full of pollen. In fact, in an ecstatic burst it releases its stamens full of thousands of pollen grains. The sensuous perfume attracts hummingbirds and bees. These hungry messengers dip into the sweet deep recesses of the flower and pick up the pollen and can carry it into the receptive flower of a female tree. In fact, it has its own female calix organelle within the same flower. It should be able to self-pollinate. But wait! The flowers bear no ova. It cannot reproduce sexually. It is baren. There will be no fertilized seeds. All that blossom is for enjoyment only. Most people who casually look at the gorgeous orchid like flower are unaware of the frustration of the tree which must propagate from cuttings at the whim of gardeners and lovers of the flowers. 

Hong Kong orchid tree (Bauhinia blakenia)

The flowering trees have many secrets from most people. Flowers of some trees may never be seen by seasonal residents. They may bloom during the hot and humid seasons. An example of this is the Flamboyant Royal Poinciana tree. It blooms in the summer when our population is much smaller than that of the tourist season. Of all flowering trees, it has the most breathtaking beauty of riotous red and orange blossom. 

Flamboyant Royal Poinciana, AKA Flame Tree
Flamboyant Royal Poincieana, yellow

Contrarily, some residents are unaware of the lack of some blooms during their absence. An example of this is the Golden Trumpet tree which shows its fertility in yellow colors for three weeks during spring break. The benefit of our climate is that it is tropical. The weather provides an opportunity to have a continuous parade of seasonal flowers in Florida. There is never a time when something is not blooming. 

Golden Trumpet (Tabebuia chryaotricha)
Pink Trumpet, (Yrebebuia heterophylia)

Through the years, resident and community efforts have enhanced our neighborhoods with many plants. The trees are the most outstanding because of their height and spread of their branches. They also hold that secret prize. In certain seasons they burst out with colors and shapes that are beyond wordy description. The images that were captured in these photographs are beautiful and pictures are indeed worth a thousand words. Beyond the visual impact they give us a breath of perfume and an earful of rustling music as their leaves clatter against one another. These images are just a sample of the dozens of flowering trees in our neighborhood of SWFL

Manolia

The flowering trees are appealing not only to us but also to a menagerie of animals from insects, reptiles, and birds. Most of all the flowers of the male plants are attractive to the female plants. The resulting reproductive products of fruits, nuts and seeds can be delicious as well as nutritious to a wide range of creatures.

Mexican Wild Olive (Cordia boissieri)

The colors of the flowers seem to be the most fascinating aspect of their appearance. The approximation of contrasting or complimentary hues and chromas is at times so obvious and sometimes so surprising. Sometimes it is shocking and other times it is soothing. There never seems to be an unpleasant combination. They seem to be more alive and sensuous than their cousins with less showy highlights like the oaks or even more so than the conifers.

Purple Glory AKA Princess flower,

It is such a treat to explore the streets, lanes, gardens, and wilderness to find something new or to see a variation of something familiar. Walking or bicycling provides an excellent opportunity to see and stop to appreciate the details and odors. It is a chance to see which other plants and animals are associated with the flowering trees. These cohabitations can be as intriguing as the flower. It can lead to an exploration of the details of environmental impact and an appreciation of ecological systems. I hope that you are inspired to go out and look for the trees and inspect them and perhaps appreciate their mysteries, of colors, shapes, timing, and scents.

Pink Shower (Cassia)
Dwarf Powderpuff (Calliandra haematocephala) attracting bees.

The flowering trees shown here originate from all over the world including Africa, South and Central America, China, and India and more. Untold secrets of these trees are yet to be discovered. What species of butterflies and moths are attracted to the various trees. Do the non-native trees interact or communicate with the native plant population? Are the plant defenses and pheromones compatible with the local insect population and microbial biota? There is still so much to discover. 

Pride of India (Lagerstroemia speciosa)
Coral Bean
Pink Shower (Cassia)
Plumeria, hot pink
Rose of Venezuela (Brown macrophyllia)
White Silk Floss (Celia speciosa)
Red Silk Floss (Ceiba speciosa)
African Tulip (Spathodea campanulate)
Cassia
Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimisifolia)
Malibar Chestnut AKA (Pachira aquatica) (Money Tree),
Scrambled Egg Tree (Glaucous Cassia)

The full list of the Flowering Trees of SW FL in found on Pages section of this site. It shows names, colors, sun exposure etc. They also can be geolocated on the Everglades Ark Epicollect data base site, There have been several other postings on this site showering the flowering trees during the special seasons .

#Scrambled Egg Tree #Glaucous Cassia #Malibar Chestnut #Pachira aquatica #Jacaranda #Jacaranda mimisifolia #Cassia #African Tulip #Spathodea campanulate #Red Silk Floss #Ceiba speciosa #White Silk Floss #Rose of Venezuela #Brown macrophyllia #Plumeria, hot pink #Pink Shower #Cassia #Coral Bean #Pride of India #Dwarf Powderpuff #Calliandra haematocephala #Pink Shower #Purple Glory AKA Princess flower #Lagerstroemia speciosa #Pink Shower #Golden Trumpet #Tabebuia chryaotricha #Magnolia #Golden Trumpet #Tabebuia chryaotricha #Flamboyant Royal Poincieana, yellow #Flamboyant Royal Poinciana # Flame Tree #Bauhinia blakenia #Hong Kong orchid tree

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COSTAL SYSTEMS OF SW FLORIDA

In addition to current topics in our posts we begin of a new arm of Everglades Ark. The Coastal Systems are a large portion of Florida. By State Florida has second longest of the ocean coastlines in the USA. It is remarkably diverse with the full gamut of wildlife of the animal, plant and protist Kingdoms. Observations range from macroscopic to microscopic, geologic to biologic and is as variable as the weather.

To satisfy the understanding of this system I have developed a new online, interactive, database supported by Epicollect5. The information may be found in cd files, still images, video clips and audio files. There are four portions in this database that include: beach geology findings, mollusk findings, bird findings and microscopic soil findings.This is publicly available for your use to download the comma delimited files for use in programs like Excel and Google maps. The address for this data site is https://five.epicollect.net/myprojects/beaches-of-southwest-florida.

This is a sister of the other site that is part of Everglades Ark found at https://five.epicollect.net/project/everglades-ark

These are important supplements to this site. They provide us with evidence used to support our monologues, dialogues and discussions. These are also part of our effort to support citizen scientists most of whom can enjoy the discoveries found in nature,form the basis for statistical analysis of findings and provide evidence to support theories. Sorting of these finds have beed previously discussed in earlier postings.

I highly encourage you to participate in this form of discovery. The observations are the most valuable part of the data .the greater number of observations results in a more reliable foundationv If you wish, please feel free use the data in your own projects and share the results with us. If you want to join our group by recording your findings please contact me at: john@evergladesark.com.

I will provide instruction and with your email address, allow permission to be a collector for the Coastal areas of SWFL

The data map below shows the interrogatories and responses of the database. They are in this downloadable PDF file. Your comments and recommendations are welcome,

data-map-master-naturalist-v2.0Download

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#Epicollect5, #mapping, #Everglades Ark, #database, #Google maps, #Excel

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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Why Is the Bauhinia Tree Not Invasive ?

The Bauhinia tree (Bauhinia blakeana)(AKA Hong Kong Orchid tree) is a native of Asia. All Hong Kong orchid trees today are clones of the original tree planted in a garden in Hong Kong in 1880. It has been reproduced from cuttings ever since. Although they are one plant system they have not been susceptible to diseases.

Because the bloom is so attractive and had all of the anatomy to describe it as having flowers I could not see why it was sterile. The only option that I had was to inspect the organelles of the flower and see where the issue lie.

The feature image shows the flower with an obviously interested bee crawling inside.

—-+—-

Macro dissection

I started with an intact bloom and removed parts to expose the major anatomic features. This was followed by a separation of the components for microscopic examination.

Perhaps my favorite blossom from the neighborhood the blossoms simply cascade along the branches in progressive succession for months.

—-+—- Macro dissection

The Bauhenia flower has all of the required anatomy necessary for sexual reproduction. Septal, petals, stamen and carpel.

—-+—-

Micro dissection

Petal microstructure. No respiratory apparatus
Micro anatomy of typical leaf.
Filament with anther
Anther with pollen
Pollen from anther
Pollen grain detail
Macro image of stigma
Attempted fertilization by pollen into stigma
Macro through the Ova
Micro cross section through the ova which is void

Each of the separated components of the system were examined microscopically. This examination revealed that the area of the ova was without a defined structure. There were no ova and the core was a simple homogenous field without characteristics. It was barren. It does not reproduce sexually and therefore cannot produce seeds. Because it cannot produce seeds and reproduction is limited to propagation from cuttings it is not invasive. The same is true for Plumeria which is also propagated from cuttings. We have shown a similar method in a previous post on Propagation of Orchids by Division.

This posting is made in response to questions rising from the Power Point Presentation titled Flowering Trees of SWFL. a full listing of the trees can be found on this site. To find it GoTo the banner on the home page, from the menu select Findings and select the PDF document. There are associated reference links. You may print the list for your convenience.

Please see the new posting on this subject Bauhinia Vs Hibiscus published on June of 2025.

#Bauhinia #Hong Kong Orchid tree #flower #anatomy #micro anatomy #reproduction #cuttings #propagation #barren #sterile # invasive # petal #septa #carpel #stamen #anther #pollen

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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.

All Posts – Links

I have introduced a new page in the menu line of the header to act as a tool requested by several of our fellow travelers. This new page lists all of the pages and directs the viewer to the page site. Click on the tittle or image. This function a supplement to the query magnifying glass symbol. The query allows the participant to enter words that are linked to key terms in the site text’s. The magnifying glass is on the right side of the header.

The feature image shows the title block of the header.

I hope that buy expediting a review of the site.you find this convenient.

Try it out here. Click on All Posts – Links . In the usual fashion, you can return here by clicking in the back arrow in the banner at the top of this page.

If you have further suggestions please feel free to comment in the form below.

Antelope Species of Botswana and Kenya

The antelope species make up the vast majority of Africa’s wild mammal population.* There are millions of them grazing across the land. They are vegetarian. Grazing animals consume the annual growth of the Savana and woodlands. They trim the grass, shrubs and trees. They are prey for the carnivores and spread the seeds of the plants. They are an integral part of this great ecosystem.

The feature image is a magnificent male Greater Kudu in a forested area of the Okavango Delta

These animals are part of an animal clade called Ungulates(**) because of their toes with hooves. The ungulates also have horns that are bilaterally symmetric without branches but with variations such as twists, spirals, rings and flutes. These appendages are bone covered with keratin. They are well adapted to their coarse vegetarian diet and have a specialized digestive system which allows them to digest cellulose.

They all move together in groups because safety is in numbers. Part of that behavior includes mixing with a herd of other similar grazing animals for added protection. Included in this group are Gazelle, Bushbuck, Waterbuck, Eland, Reedbuck, Gerenuk, Dik-dik, Kudu (lesser & greater), Wildebeest, Ayala, Bongo, Oryx and Impala.

My first introduction to the antelopes was a charmer. The little doe wandered into our campsite and simply walked in front of me as if by magic. Fortunately, I had my camera and like it was by plan she waited and posed for me for this portraits.

Cape Bush Buck faun. This animal is usually shy but will become habituated to humans and stay near the lodge. A real cutie!

These animals had the most interesting behaviors, colors and horns. I found the Impala to be the most beautiful. They have such large eyes and their coats are gorgeous; so shiny and without any blemishes. The distinctive markings on their rumps are narrow vertical black stripes. They are also very busy. Unlike the big cats, they are always involved in some activity. Since they are grazers they eat the low grasses. This unfortunately distracts their attention and they can’t look up for dangerous prey like lions or dogs. Therefore, when you see them, there is a rotation of grazers and sentinels with their heads up. When they are chased or pursued they are extraordinarily fast and agile. When fighting for dominance in their herd they use their horns, sometimes with deadly precision.

Female Impalas (Aephyceros melampus) in wooded area of the Okavango. Note their shorter horns compared to the males.
Two male impala dueling with interlaced horns They were probably sparing and not fighting for dominance because the males were not separated from the females. Boys! Be careful when you play with those sharp things!
Male and female Impala drinking from a small creek in Maasai Mara. These antelope were everywhere. They were probably the most numerous and sometimes they herded together in groups of 50 or more.
Hoof print of an antelope. Probably Impala. Note the “split” of the keratin hoof, showing the characteristic two toes. (***)
Impala and Lesser Kudu sharing space at the riverside in Chobe National Park, Okavango, Botswana. Check out the Impala scouting the background.

Perhaps one of the remarkable features of the giant Kudu antelopes was their spiral horns. Spiraled but nearly straight, the antlers of the Kudu were the most distinguished. The white stripes of their coats were also easily recognizable.

Greater Kudo, (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) with beautifully spiraled horns
Greater Kudu mixed with a herd of Zebra in the marshland of Okavango Delta of Botswana. It was easy to identify these large animals. Birds on the bodies of the Kudu eat the insects that are a pest for the large mammal.
Tsessebe are sometimes called the “Blue Jeans antelope” because of its distinctive leg coloration.
Lechwe (Kobus leche) Standing in front of our tent in late afternoon.

During a game drive through the shallow swamp the water buck obliged us with his massive ringed horns.

Water buck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) In the Okavango Delta marsh.

If our guide had not pointed it out I would have easily missed seeing the Dik-dik. It is so small and blends so easily with the ground color that it was almost invisible. It was smaller than the tiny doe that visited the camp site on another occasion.

Dik-dik (Madoqua kirkii) Smallest of the antelope species is only18 inches tall.
Gerenuk (Litocranius walleri) standing on its hind legs eating leaves. This is a typical behavior.
Oryx (Oryx beisa) Long straight ringed horns and painted face are signature trademarks for this large animal.
Thompson’s Gazelle (Eudorcas thompsonii) Straight horns with rings dark band along the lateral aspect of the ribcage. Smaller than the Impala and the Grant’s gazelle. Almost as fast as a cheetah and very numerous.
Grant’s Gazelle (Gazella granti) (Nanger granti) White rump, straight horns and black facial patches. Beautiful dramatic evening lighting.
Hartebeest (AKA Kongoni) (Alcelaphus buselaphus) This is a very rare finding because this animal is facing imminent extinction. A five party group of them was grazing in the Maasai Mara.
Roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus). One of the largest of the antelope with a roan color or a reddish-brown coat.
Wildebeest (Connabaetes taurines). We have previously posted on this species of antelope and the Great Migration.

Along with the general mix of the population, the antelope species have an important and sometimes grim role in the African landscape. They are the object of the predators. We have already reviewed the predators of this region. Check out our blog site that describes the wild dogs of Africa.

References:

* Uganda antelope

** What is an ungulate?

*** African Animal Tracks

#antelope #Gazelle #Bushbuck #Waterbuck #Gerenuk, #Dik-dik #Kudu #Wildebeest #Oryx #Impala #Africa #Botswana #Okavango #Kenya #Maasai Mara #horns #hoof #ungulates

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The African Great Migration and Its Significance

The last few days of our expedition gave meaning to our adventure. We were in the Kenyan Maasai Mara, thrilled by the larges animal migration of on Earth.

On the cover photo is a group of blue Wildebeest. AKA the common wildebeest Connochaetes taurinus) it is a large antelope found in Kenya and Tanzania.

One wildebeest is not photogenic. There is never just one. Tens of thousands of them live and move together as one massive organism. Hundreds of thousands of mixed species of animals move with them and between each other during the great wildebeest migration.
Migration map We were in the Maasai Mara during the last four days of August.

The Maasai Mara of Kenya is contiguous with the planes of the Serengeti National Park and the Tanzanian National Park. All are part of the Serengeti plane. These images are from the Kenyan Maasai Mara National Reserve. It was the most favorable point to observe the Great Migration when we were there. As the weather changes from dry to the rainy season the grass regrows. It is the grass which provides food for the grazing animals. This is irresistible to the wildebeest, zebra, impala, buffalo and other animals who follow this growth by the millions. The dead grass remains after the tops have been eaten to the ground or burned off. The rain brings a fresh regrowth. This regrowth replaces the razor-sharp stubble with soft young plants.

One of the most thrilling wildlife spectacles on earth was spread before us like pepper on a salad. We stopped to watch this ancient migration sight that this area supports. You can see in every direction that the savanna is covered by hundreds of thousands of animals. It is hard to comprehend that they actually number in the millions. They are visible to every horizon, slowly moving to follow the fresh growth. They meander about eating and mingling, occasionally fighting and challenging one another for mating or protecting one another from the daily challenges of survival, reproduction, and predation. For reasons unknown to us they may gallop along following some instinct or stamped when startled or frightened. It is this cumulative picture of integrated behavior based on soil, seasonal weather, prolific plant life and a massive accumulation of thousands of animal species which underscores the interdependency of this huge ecosystem.

Migrating animals wandering from one side of the horizon to the other. View of the north.

We did cross the Mara river and its tributaries where crocodiles and hippopotamuses were swimming or simply resting. The hungry crocodiles were ready at a wildebeest crossing to take advantage of the weakest or most vulnerable animals. We did not see this classical behavior but none-the-less the trap was set. Predators and scavenger animals follow this migration in the ladder of primacy with the lion at the apex.

The Mara river teeming with crocodiles waiting for the stampede.
The blue wildebeest, keystone animal of the Serengeti, Maasai Mara. Running with the group on its way into the future.

The wildebeest is the keystone animal of this ecosystem. It is the primary consumer of the grasses. It has a high reproductive rate. It is the resource upon which all of the carnivores and scavengers depend. They till and fertilize the soil. A single calf is born after 8.5-month gestation. Bands of female wildebeests are in control, leading the entire herd towards new grasslands. In the mid-20th century, the wildebeest population was decimated. The herd was cut down to one third of its normal size because of the rinderpest viruses (a variant of the measles virus). It originated and was spread from domestic livestock. As a result of loss of the grazing animals the grass lands grew uncontrolled. This over-growth subsequently changed the natural fire regime to an intense wildfire which burned nearly the entire Serengeti. This was an ecological disaster. Millions of domestic animals also died. Plant and animal species collapsed. Because of a massive human intervention including vaccination and quarantine the wildebeest population has been transformed. The Serengeti and Maasai Mara have been magnificently rewilded and the population of these animals is back to a stable 1.5 M with no disease detected in the last 8 years. Perhaps my 30 year wait to go was helpful because it allowed the wilderness more time to recover.

View to the south where the spread of animals seems endless.
Mixed wildebeest with zebra was a common observation
Animals on the move for the last hour and will probably continue for the next hour (My first video)

The sight of all these animals and the resource to feed and accommodate all of them provides a small but expanding view of the might of the ecosystem. At one time in the distant past this view would have been quite prosaic. Imagine Neanderthal or possibly the older Cro-Magnon people living with this type of annual migration. They would have been part of it. They would have been much earlier than our current view of history, but it probably looked like the American Great Basin to the First Peoples and early settlers of the Americas. We must appreciate that this area is just a few hundreds of miles from the Olduvei (Oldupai) gorge where Lewis and Mary Leakey (beginning in 1937) found fossilized hominoid remains dating back hundreds of thousands of years. (Pronconsul 25 million years old).  What were those people thinking when they saw this sight? The ancient hominoids and modern tribal peoples were and still are intimately connected with this environment. Their moment-to-moment survivals depended upon understanding this grand recipe and also the small, intimate details of their surroundings. The people of the Maasai tribe move their domesticated herds in synchrony with the wildlife, plants and rainfall. They know this because of their exposure to a multigenerational experience. They now participate in separation of their herds of domestic cattle and vaccination from Rinderpest and Foot and Mouth disease. We were so poorly prepared to comprehend systems as complex as this in just a few days.

I think that there are many lessons to be learned from this. For at least a million years hominoids and humans have learned that living in harmony with the constantly changing environment is a prerequisite to survival. The environment changes including geologic-like continental drift and volcanism. Weather changes, due to wind and rain/snow, land slides and floods, drought, temperature and storms. Species changes with mutations and natural selection. Human behavioral changes including perception and interpretation of surroundings, the value of group behavior and behavioral adaptation by creation of societies. Society changes with development of institutions like religion and governments. Behavior changes lead to exploration, discovery, invention and industrialization. The nomadic herders of today who live in near Stone Age conditions with cell phones will change. What changes will Space Age people make? We, the people of the space, information and atomic age have the ability to affect all of the aforementioned changes. We have the opportunity to do so because we live with disposable wealth and a discretionally directed time.

From the successful story of the rewilding of wildebeests in the Serengeti we have started on a new path. The wildebeest story is considered one of the most successful rewildings of our time. Rewilding efforts have been remarkably successful in Yellowstone, Spain, Argentina, Switzerland, ocean reef areas and many more. These efforts can not only save species and restore habitats but also fight the climate change crisis. Rewinding Florida is an active effort and a topic worthy of further exploration and discussion.

#Africa #wildebeest #Great Migration #migration #Maasai Mara. #Serengeti #rewilding #Mara river #stampede

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Zebra

When driving across the savanna of Africa you may hear galloping of hooves behind you. Don’t expect horses. It will be zebras!

The featured image is a portrait of a plains zebra.

There are several theories about the stripes on the hides of zebras which include ease of identification for foal, camouflage, and to chase flies away. None of these are proven. So why do zebras have stripes? Because they can.

There are three subspecies of these aquus, Grevy’s Zebra (Equus grevyi), plains zebra (Equus burchelli)  and mountain zebras. They differ in size and coloration. Grevy’s, are a subspecies sometimes found at the Maasai Mara. They are the largest, at about 900 pounds, 5 feet tall at the shoulder, and 8 feet long. Plains and mountain zebras (Equus zebra) are 1 to 2 feet shorter and about 200 pounds lighter. The Grey and mountain zebras are found in the North African regions like northern Kenya. The males and females of the same species are about the same size. The gestation period is about 13 months. These horse like animals can’t be used as draft animals, can’t be crossbred, and can’t be domesticated. They are just wild, free-spirited animals living life to the fullest and on the edge.

The Planes Zebra is the national animal of Botswana. These are by far the most frequently seen species on our safari.

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Zebra in the Delta

Zebras are comfortable with drinking when giraffes watch for predators in the Delta
This little mama was about 10/13 months pregnant and was a real beauty. Her coat was shiny and unmarked and her mane was full and stiff. She looked like she just came from the beauty parlor. With pregnancy she weighs about 800 pounds. She had plenty of grass and water to sustain herself in the Okavango Delta. She was rubbing against the tree to scratch an itch. (Perhaps it was a bug bite.) Note the light brown stripes alternating with the black stripes. This marking is characteristic to the Planes Zebras.
Graves Zebra in Kenya Maasai Mara. Check out the difference in striping between the two varieties. C;oser and no brown.
Other girls in the harem in the Delta
Come to mama.
All together, the stallion, three mares and one foal with two on the way. No need to migrate in the Delta. One foal in the troop of three females and one male zebras walking and grazing their way through a wooded area of the Okavango Delta.

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Zebra in the Mara

The zebra are herbivores that eat mostly grasses and some leaves. They are usually prey to the carnivores especially the big cats. The Maasai Mara has significantly less water and fewer trees than the Okavango. The zebras seen here were part of the great migration and as you will see had a different behavior. They were more social, there was more competition among the male zebras and they were co-mingled with the other grazing animals like the wildebeests and African buffalos.

These girls were in the Maasai Mara savanna and looked quite healthy.They are looking in opposite directions which helps to watch for predators. They may be Gravy’s subspecies. They were a bit larger and there were no light brown stripes alternating with the black stripes. The stripes seem to have a higher frequency on their coat.
Head butting and shoving match.
The animal on top was the winner.
Caring for the little ones is just a fact of survival.
Nothing like rolling in the dirt to keep the bugs off. (I’ll stick with my Deet.)
What if … (Photoshop is such a fun tool)
At the Naples Zoo there are a few Planes Zebras. Note the variation in stripes and colors.

Seriously …? I don’t know why I always get this pose when I try for photos of them at the zoo. Is there a message?

If I had to pick an animal that comes first to mind when I think of Africa I would be torn between the zebra and the giraffe. They are both such a visual surprise. We saw them throughout the day and in most locations. The stripes did not significantly contribute to their camouflage. As mentioned earlier the sight of many of their predators may interpret them differently than human perception. Just for fun, you should read “West With Giraffes” by Linda Rutledge

#Africa #zebra # Zoo # Botswana #Kenya #Maasai Mara # Okavango #

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7 responses to “Zebra”

  1. Hemmingway Melissa Avatar
    Hemmingway Melissa

    Beautiful Zebras! I love how they look out for each other…we saw a lot of them and it never got old! Always happy to see them

    1. John Knapp Avatar
      John Knapp

      The zebra never got old. I was hoping to see them really run but never did.

    2. John Knapp Avatar
      John Knapp

      I added two pictures to the Zebra blog, There is a story to them as well. they are competing for dominance and you can see some of the action. Go back to it and check it out.

  2. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Ode to Zebra
    Across the African shrublands,
    savannas, mountains & plains
    Stripes full of eye candy
    Flirting with nature
    A dazzle of wonder 🦓

    Thank you for the outstanding photography & catalog of knowledge John !
    J. Owen

    1. John Knapp Avatar
      John Knapp

      JJ I love your Ode. Keep it up !!

    2. John Knapp Avatar
      John Knapp

      We should include a posting with your Ode to Zebra. Do I have your permission?

  3. John Knapp Avatar
    John Knapp

    I added a new image of a Grevy’s zebra. Take a look at it again!

Lions in Africa – Sunrise Hunt for Cape Buffalo

The lions working as a pack can take down a very large animal like a buffalo. The prey needs to be an animal big enough to feed the pack of as much as twenty members. Each of the members may weigh as much as 400 pounds. The lions depend on coordination, speed and strength. The lions communication among each other with roars, cries, yelps, bellows, and groans along with body expressions and pheromones to express a wide variety of thoughts. You may be aware of the difficulty in “herding cats” so you can imagine a herd of 18 cats organizing and executing a Cape buffalo hunt. Each bull may weigh up to 2 tons, running at 40 miles per hour on the open savanna. These images tell the story of the hunt. They were captured in low light and foggy conditions at considerable distance while the animals were in full running motion. It was impossible to make a video of this with the limitation of the photo equipment at hand.

The featured image is a male lion, “King of the beasts”. See our previous post on African Predators.

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THE HUNT 

There were 18 lions strategically placed on the plane. There was a small herd of 9 adult male Cape buffalos grazing at the shore of the river.

Nine male Cape buffalos

The lions included about 8 female, three male and the remainder adolescent and young. All would feed or go hungry depending on the result of this hunt. Three females were in the lead for the hunt with one singled out to do the take down. The pride of lions was spread across the plane between the river and the hills.

Two of three female lioness planning the take down.

In the theater of the hunt the lead three females were closest to the buffalos while the young are farthest.  The middle space has the slow-moving remainder of the male and female adult group. The herd of eight Cape buffalos were all male, moving eastward, parallel to the river, grazing in the grass and already angry. There were no surprises as they are always alert and always angry. Easily visible were their heads with their massive horns slashing like a sickles, side to side, as they foraged. This was a bachelor group, boys only, who could no longer keep up with a full herd; no longer able to compete with the younger males for dominance and mating. The cattle egrets had already flown off their backs.

It was morning twilight. The sun was just about to rise and there was a low fog caressing the grass on the plane. We had been waiting for about an hour. The bulls were slowly moving east and the lions were moving west camouflaged in the back light of the sunrise, the tall grass and the low fog.

Sunrise a finger high in the sky.

The cats began to spread out making pincer formation. It appeared that they would have a lead group on the attack from the south driving the buffalo along the river into the pack. Just as the fog was ready to evaporate and as the sun sparked a finger of light over the horizon the approach begins. The prime huntress crept rapidly toward the rear of the prey.

The lead buffalo bolted to a gallop, the others immediately followed suit in a straight line. The lioness was immediately running at full speed charging into the middle of the group. The buffalos all seemed to be in good condition; fast and powerful. In a second, the lioness, now at the end of the line, reached out to grasp the hind quarter of the slowest animal.

Lioness at full run stampeded the buffalos
Still running the buffalos were in better condition than she thought. She was in the middle ready to lunge. The group of bulls split!

She missed! Now she was then out of pace with the line of the departing dinner. They outran her and she has no backup! All that work was without reward. The opportunity was lost.

All were scattered and lost to the chase.
“Darn buffalo ! What am I going to tell the others?” (They already know.)

The pride, depending on this effort for this meal, watched it evaporate with the fog. I guess that this was not unusual. The buffalos were gone, and the pride began to regather as the harsh sun rose fist high above the horizon of trees miles in the distance. The long shadows of the highlands and the light fog  still obscure the details of the undulating plane.

Cape buffalos escaped this time and as the sun rose they were safer in the full light of day.
The sun now fist high in the eastern sky burns off the fog as the heat rises.

The adolescent lions who were watching and learning the skill of the hunt began to rough play as they ran in from the eastern fields. They knew that in the evening twilight of the day there would be another show and hopefully dinner.

Rough play among the adolescent cubs.

We did not see the next take down but you can see the result. The dominant male ate first until it could eat no more. The others then dove in to feast. The other members of the pride then devoured the carcass until it was bare bones. When they were finished they slept which may be for days.

Any remaining scraps were the choice of jackals, hyaenas and buzzards. The only remaining signs after the kill was blood-stained grass, teeth, horns, bones and the smell of death. 

This Cape buffalo was not fast enough and was invited to dinner by the pride of lions. The carcass was ready for the scavengers.

Life and death on the African savanna is fearsome and pragmatic. This show of cooperative group behavior and sheer power demonstrates the reason for the title. “King of the Beasts”.

#Africa #lions #Cape buffalo #buffalo #hunt #king

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5 responses to “Lions in Africa – Sunrise Hunt for Cape Buffalo”

  1. nicholaswittner1069 Avatar
    nicholaswittner1069

    It was amazing to see how fast they ran away

  2. Cindy Wittner Avatar
    Cindy Wittner

    Your prose is as engrossing and entertaining as the pictures. Well done! Cindy

    1. John Knapp Avatar
      John Knapp

      I’m so happy that it pleases you.

  3. Dave Smith Avatar
    Dave Smith

    I’m really enjoying all of your posts. The African articles are really interesting. Your photography is always “top-shelf”. 
    Must admit you are a grand storyteller as well. The li

    1. John Knapp Avatar
      John Knapp

      Thanks Dave See you soon.

LEOPARDS

This posting focuses on leopards of Africa. We saw them several times during our safari and each time was a special event. They are magnificent animals and are among my favorites of the trip. Leopards are mentioned a previous posting on predators.

The leopard in the cover picture is one of a series at one location.

Leopards are not pack animals but like the lions they are maternal family providers. Yep, momma brings home the antelope. She is out there birthing, nursing, protecting, chasing, fighting and guaranteeing that there is enough for all or else there is no next generation. Except for the lions, male cats are solo actors coming together for mating during estrus season.

Leopard stalking through the woodland of the Okavango

It was easier to watch the leopards than the cheetah because they were more frequently found in areas that we visited. Their visually attractive spotted coats and near proximity to our vehicle made the desire to touch/pet them very strong. As they moved through the underbrush, grass and trees this provided an opportunity to see them from all angles. Only the single female cats were seen but our guide insisted that a single kitten was placed in hiding. We never saw the little ones.  

The coloration of these animals is not as diverse as pedigree house pets, but they are so impressive. The cheetah and leopard pelts are similar, however, the leopard spots are more distinctive because of their increased pattern diversity. The patterns on the cat coats make them very difficult to distinguish from their surroundings. It is easy to see that the value component of color helps to break up the visual image. 

Leopard with all 4 paws in the air leaping to the next tree

Watching them was like watching water flow. There was no resistance to their smooth movements as they slipped through the grass or leaped through the tree canopy. Their eyes were so brilliant, they were a dazzling attraction better than a “cat eye” agate. 

Leopard prepared to make the jump to another higher branch.
No need to go up that tree to rescue the cat. She can take care of herself.

—-+—-

False Color Image

Perception used for hunting by humans is mostly by visual search. This includes shape, color, movement and patterns which attract attention. For most other animals the visual cues that attracts attention are  movement and shape. Animal vision sensitivity, focal point and wavelength is different from human. Cats share a common visual perception of the world. Their eyes have a physiology and anatomy very different from humans. Their eyes are exceptionally large making close focusing difficult. The light receptors in the retina of the back of the cat’s eyes don’t have the receptors for red and blue. They best see yellows and greens. A sub-retinal reflective layer increases sensitivity. This layer is what makes the cat eyes look bright when reflecting a pointed light in dim setting. These adaptations are best used for vision at twilight and night. During the daylight hours the coat colors and patterns may make them seem nearly invisible. 

No red or blue image. Perhaps this is a cat’s eye view.
Normal view with human retina sensitivity.

—-+—-

A Few Notes About Cat Physiology

Odors for animals are also very different from humans. It has a much broader range for which there are no clear terms. The world experienced by differing species may result in vastly divergent perceptions and experiences. It is difficult to describe a multi-dimensional odor and sound world.  We simply don’t have a vocabulary to express our understanding of these concepts.

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#Africa #Okavango #Maasai Mara #leopard #vision #spots #perception

Geography – Okavango Delta and Maasai Mara Savanna

UNDERSTANDING THE TWO ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS BY COMPARING THEM FROM THE GROUND UP.

To help understand what is happening in this system it may be made easier by look at its parts. There may be some errors in this method but at least this is a reasonable hypothetical start. Let’s begin with the idea that every detail is important and that everything is interconnected. Also, if a part of the system is lost the entire system is compromised. See the map at the end of this posting.

The featured image shows one of thousands of termite colony mounds

The Okavango and Mara locations are very different not only in location and elevation but also in geology. Two soil samples were taken from typical road side areas in the savannah-like landscapes away from human traffic areas. Under the microscope you can see that the individual sand grains are transparent, something which is not obvious when looking at the sand with the unaided eye. The sand of the Delta (Fig. A1 & 2 is made up mostly of silicon dioxide (SiO2). It is completely glassy. It is not soluble and has no mineral content. Volcanic pumice Fig B1 & 2 is a complex particle aggregate of ash feldspar. It is an incomplete glass with other minerals at the particles’ surfaces. The Mara soil has a much higher metabolizable mineral content which makes the soil more fertile than the Delta.

Fig A1. Sand particle sample from Okavango Delta. (20X) Completely translucent. Illuminated with transmitted plane light. This is nearly pure silica.
Fig. A2. Sand particle sample from Okavango Delta. (20X)
Completely translucent. Illuminated with transmitted polarized light.
Fig.B1
Sand particle sample from Mara.
Note the surface’s complex micro-porosity. Illuminated in dark field with direct lighting. This amorphous, opaque particle is definitely volcanic in origin. (20X)
Fig. B2.
Sand particle sample from Mara. (20X) Completely opaque. The red color is iron oxide. Illuminated in dark field with direct lighting.

–—+—-

OKOVANGO DELTA

The Delta is flat but it is cyclically flooded and the colors are green and tan. The islands of the Delta were built by the humblest of creatures. The termites as architects, engineers and builders have created a landscape of unbelievable variety. They harvest the dead plants and with the sand of the Kalahari desert and they build massive, nearly indestructible castles reaching meters into the sky. The nest height is determined by the water level. The higher the water level, the taller the nest will be. When the population reaches a critical mass, a new colony is initiated. With erosion by water, wind, and the burrowing of animals the mounds collapse and islands grow. As a result of centuries of this cycle the islands provide a collective of soil used by the large mammals, birds and fish. The aquatic plants are supplemented by grasses, brush, bushes, and trees. These form savannas in the Delta for non-migrating herds of grazing land animals and the creatures which accompany them. They also encourage aquatic animals like fish, birds, reptiles, and mammals which are supported by the aquatic environment. 

Termite mound on savannah island of the Okavango Delta
Pampa Grass (Niscanthus junceus) Assists in forming islands by trapping sand and with decaying plants supports rooted water plants such as water lillies.
Blue Water Lilly (Nymphea nouchali). These also assist in the formation of islands and support protective areas for aquatic animals.
Marshland in the Okavango Delta with grazing zebras. The trees in the background are on the island that emerged from the work of the termites and plants.
Impala roaming through of the woodlands of the Okavango Delta. This land is based on the foundation of sand deposited by wind and water sediment which is fixed and enriched by termites and plants.
These zebras are grazing on a very large island in the Okavango Delta. It appears like a classic savannah landscape.
Tree covered island succumbing to salt accumulation in the Okavango. The islands dehydrate and accumulate salt at the periphery. When high water returns and infiltrates the interior of the island the salt enters the soil. Plants, weakened by drought, are further dehydrated and die.

The water levels rise and fall because of the flow of several rivers that end in the Delta. The water never reaches the sea; hence the Delta. Water is lost by evaporation and transpiration. The animals have a reliable supply of water and plants. They do not migrate.

—-+—-

MAASAI MARA

The Kenyan savannah is so starkly different from the Okavango Delta they seem worlds apart. The Serengeti plane colors are tan and beige. The Mara land is flat and dry. In contrast to the Delta, the Maasai Mara is the result of volcanism and rain.  Dominating the landscape is the ancient volcano of Mt. Kenya along with the range of uplands that are a result of the enormous energy expended in tectonic plate collision and the spread of the great Rift Valley. It stands as a plateau at an elevation of about 1,480 to 2,280 meters. The volcanoes of the area have created a mineral rich soil which when watered by the seasonal rain provides an opportunity for lush grass to grow. There are few trees growing on the savanna of the Mara making it seem like a great lake of soil dressed in golden grass. The Mara also has riverine forests. The seasonal rains are predictably distributed regionally causing the rotation of the animal migration. The people of the Maasai tribe move their domesticated herds in synchrony with the wildlife, plants and rainfall. 

When looking at the landscape of the Maasai Mara it is nearly unavoidable to escape the surrounding mountains replete with volcanoes. Mount Kenya (ancient volcano) is just to the right side of the image. The ash of these are the source of the soil. The sand particles seen in Figs. B1&2 came from these volcanoes. Note how dry it is in this region.
Mara river cutting through the savannah. The river is a limited but reliable source of water. Seasonal rain is the major water resource however it is variable and recently very deminished.
Hillsides erosion adds to the plane.
The massive savannah of the Serengeti plane supports an animal migration that may be the greatest seasonal movement of animals on earth. The grass is lush and green.
Mount Kenya off in the distance as part of the Great Rift Valley. No migratory animals here.
This map* of the central eastern sextant of the continent of Africa shows the relative position of the two areas of our grand safari.

These two systems are much more complex than this simple description. This only becomes apparent after returning from there, collecting and organizing observations, and reflecting on the diversity and life forms and cycles. This leads to many more questions such as: Where did the glassy sand come from? Why do the two areas share so many identical species? Why are there so few cactus or pine species? How would you summarize the comparison of these two areas? Perhaps these questions can stimulate discussion in our comment section.

* Modified from African Safari Planning Map, 3rd ed. African Adventure Company 2018

#Kenya #Botswana #termite #savannah #sand #Kalahari #desert #map #Africa #great rift valley #Serengeti #Mara #Okavango #woods #marsh #zebra #impalla #great migration

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African Birds, Aequorlitornithes

Here are portraits of birds of Africa from the clade Aequorlitornithes. The Aequorlitornithes include all shorebirds, waterbirds, flamingos, grebes, gulls, tropicbirds, penguins, including pelicans, ibis, and heron.

The cover picture is a Yellow Billed Stork (Mycteria ibis). It is feeding along the shore with the hippo lying inches away. The hippo provides a sense of scale. Additionally it shows that the animals of differing species cooperate unless they are direct predators.

Be sure to look at our post of portraits of the Inopinaves in a previous blog, African Birds, Inopinaves.

—-+—-

EGRET & HERON

Great White Egret (Area aigrette). This appears to be identical to the Great White Egrets of the Florida Everglades. Its ancestors along with those of the Western Cattle Egrets were probably blown over to Florida by some ancient hurricane.
African Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea), Chobe National Park, Chobe River, Okavango Delta. Botswana
African Jadcana (Actophilornis Africans) AKA: Lilly trotter

—-+—-

STORKS

Marabou Stork (Leptopilos cruminifer) Chobe Botswana
Yellow billed stork (Mycteria ibis)
Marabou Stork (Leptopilos cruminifer). These shadowy figures are backlighted by the sunset as they settle down for the night.
Chobe National Park, Chobe River, Botswana

—-+—-

DUCK

Spur Winged Goose (Plectropterus gembensis). Largest duck in Africa. Chobe National Park, Chobe River, Okavango Delta, Botswana.
Egyptian Goose (Alopochen egyptiaca). Actually a duck; there are no true geese in Africa. They are usually found in pairs. Not a well focused photo, however, with a hand held camera from a distance of ~ 450 meters it will get the task done. Why did the duck cross the Mara river?

—-+—-

OTHER FOWL

Rhynchops
Afican Skimmer (Rhynchops flavirosteris) Chobe National Park, Chobe River, Okavango Delta. Botswana
Pied Kingfisher (Cercle rudis), Chobe National Park, Chobe River, Okavango Delta. Botswana. I captured this image of the Kingfisher as he was hovering, perfectly still, 10 meters above the river surface waiting for the right moment to strike. He fell like an arrow and he had his fish lunch.

There were many other birds which I observed but did not photograph because of poor conditions. These include Western Cattle Egret, Quella and Red billed African Oxpickers. Several varieties will be mentioned when showing the birds cleaning or riding on the ungulates.

I highly recommend participation in the Cornel Lab of Ornithology found at eBird. It a great resource for identification and information. To understand the naming of birds used in this blog site check out the previous discussion on bird identification in the Everglades Ark posting. When you go to the Okavango in Botswana, Africa, there I recommend a very useful field guide. It may be purchased online or at the Chobe National Park Lodge.

“THE CHOBE COMPANION”, Hancock P, Randall R, Sandor Books Ltd, Maun Botswana, 2014. ISBN 978-99968-0-247-8

#Africa #birds #ducks #geese #kingfisher #storks #ibis #stork #Jadcana #Okavango #Maasai Mara #Botswana #Kenya

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