There are the Big Five and then the Small Five. Leopard Tortoises are my favorite of the Small Five. Can you name the other four?
🐆 🐢 😊 …
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STAY-AT-HOME TUESDAY
STAY-AT-HOME MONDAY
Have you ever seen a Zebra photobombing?! 😊
Have a good week, stay safe!
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The ANTELOPES of Thanda
On safari we talk a lot about the big five and most of the pictures we post are about them. The antelopes are often overlooked in photography even if one sees them far more often than the Big Five.
Over the last few days I have introduced the five antelope species, which I am seeing most on my game drives: Impala, Wildebeest, Nyala, Kudu and Waterbuck.
In this collage I have included the other seven species living on Thanda. Some of them are not seen so often, but they are around.
1 Greater Kudu *
2 Waterbuck *
3 Blue Wildebeest *
4 Nyala *
5 Common Reedbuck
6 Impala *
7 Southern Bushbuck
8 Mountain Reedbuck
9 Common Duiker
10 Natal Red Duiker
11 Steenbok
12 Suni
> Listed in order of weight/size
* = Commonly seen on Thanda
LOCK DOWN PHOTOGRAPHIC SAFARI XXXXVII
Today’s lock down safari is a five minute speedy video around the savanna. Just click on the link and enjoy the ride 😊 and stay safe!
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ANTELOPES!
Today: Blue Wildebeest or Striped Gnu
Sometimes people forget that Wildbeest are antelopes. With their funny looks – they are one of the Ugly Five – they appear a bit like lean and upset cows 😊.
Their social interactions are rather unusual for antelopes. The males are territorial and the females are nomadic. This means that if the ladies like the local place holder they will stay with him for a while. And if not they will move on to the next contender’s area.
That is the reason why a friend of mine calls single Wildebeest bulls the losers. When ladies approach a male’s territory then he will move to a high point in his area and start displaying for them. It can look rather odd. That is the reason why the Zulu word for Wildebeest is iNkonkoni, which also means crazy.
Have a good day and stay safe!
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ANTELOPES!
Today: Waterbuck
Of all large antelopes at Thanda Waterbucks are the shyest. They are specialized to live in wet environments like marshes and they secret a greasy, smelly substance into their pelt to repel water. It smells so bad that even Oxpeckers will never sit on Waterbucks! The ointment also helps with their hooves. Unlike other hoofed animals they do not get foot rot when staying on very wet ground for a long time. Only the males have beautiful straight horns.
Have a good weekend and and stay safe!
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ANTELOPES!
Today: Impalas
Impalas are the most common antelope on Thanda Safari. They always look immaculate because they practice allo-grooming. This means that they groom each other with their special comb like teeth in places they cannot reach themselves.
Male and female look very similar except that the males are larger and have horns. We are currently in the rutting season when males fight for their mating rights. During that time they also make incredible loud grunting noises to get ride of rivals and – I assume 😊 – to attract the ladies.
Enjoy your day and stay safe!
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ANTELOPES!
Today: Nyala
Nyalas are predominately browsers which means they mainly eat leaves of trees. They are the most sexually dimorph antelopes on Thanda Safari. Once grown into adulthood the male changes its color from red-brown to grey. Female and male look so different from one another that it is hard to believe they are of the same species.
And the males usually do not fight with their horns, as most other antelope species do, but perform a slow walk with back arched and their white hairs standing up – almost a dance – around one another. I have never been able to determine why one of the two ‘dancers’ is the looser and the other the winner.
But as they often both mate with females after such dances it probably does not really matter 😊 Have a good day and stay safe.
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STAY-AT-HOME MONDAY
A White Rhino bull was posing on the Thanda Safari savanna in front of the Lebombo Mountains.
This mountain chain stretches from South of Thanda for 800 km (500 miles) all the way to the Limpopo province in the North. The famous Ghost Mountain near Mkuze is part of the Lebombos.
Have a good week, stay safe!
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HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY 2020
With this picture of a Thanda Lioness and her cub I wish my mum and all the mothers around the world a very Happy Mother’s Day.
May all of you have a good day and stay well!
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