With its striking yellow (golden) breast this is one of my favorite small birds.
Golden-breasted Buntings are regularly seen at the waterhole near my home on Thanda.
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ECTOTHERM MONDAY – DUNG BEETLES
Ants are commonly observed lifting heavy objects, but they are not the strongest members of the insect world.
Dung Beetles are known to lift weights up to over 1,000 times their own body weight—a load equivalent to a human lifting over 80,000 kg (~180,000 pounds).
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PICTURE OF THE WEEK – ELEPHANT BULL
This impressive African Elephant bull followed a breeding herd away from a local waterhole.
In the background is the Intibane Lodge, the home of Ulwazi Research, which is Thanda Safari’s Volunteer Program.
In case you are interested in volunteering: https://www.ulwaziresearch.com
Enjoy your week!
… and as a bonus picture the family group he followed …
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MAMMAL FRIDAY – SLEEPING LION
Last night I was at the right place at the right time!
I was able to take this ‘fairy tail’ picture of one of our male Lions at one of Thanda Safari’s waterholes.
An hour later the skies opened and we got 50mm of much needed rain.
When I got home I very much resembled a drowned, but happy, rat.
Enjoy your weekend
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BIRD WEDNESDAY – LITTLE BEE-EATER
Five Little Bee-eaters were snuggling up for a good night’s sleep as I took this picture during a night safari at iSimangaliso Wetland Park.
With an average length of 15–17 cm, this species is the smallest African Bee-eater.
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ECTOTHERM MONDAY – CHAMELEONS
There are 19 species of formally described Chameleons within South Africa, 17 species of Dwarf Chameleons and 2 Typical (Large) Chameleons.
The specimen in this picture is a Flap Necked Chameleon, a large chameleon, reaching 35 cm (14 in) with colors ranging through various shades of green, yellow, and brown.
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Bad news for the bunnies! Great news for Thanda Safari!
This week an additional female Cheetah was released onto the reserve. The young cat, which came to Thanda with a serious leg injury in October, spent four months in a boma (=fenced-in area) to recover.
But she obviously lost none of her skills. Less than an hour after her release she gave a Scrub Hare a run for its money. She almost caught the nimble creature. And on the day after her release she made her first kill and even climbed a tree to mark the occasion of her recovery.
We wish her all the best in her new home and hope she will meet our Cheetah gentlemen, soon.
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MAMMAL FRIDAY – SOUTH AFRICAN GIRAFFE
Giraffe male on the way to a waterhole at sunset.
Giraffes are multiple record holders. They are the tallest living terrestrial animals and the largest ruminants. They feature the longest tails and the largest eyeballs compared to all other land mammal.
Enjoy your weekend!
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BIRD WEDNESDAY – EASTERN GOLDEN WEAVERS
… are found in eastern and south-eastern Africa.
Alternative names used are Yellow Weaver, Olive-headed Golden Weaver, and African Golden Weaver.
Males use their beaks to weave nests and the females choose their mates based on the males’ weaving skills.
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ECTOTHERM MONDAY – LEOPARD TORTOISES …
… are very attractively marked and are one of the *Small Five* (Ant Lion, Leopard Tortoise, Elephant Shrew, Rhino Beetle and Buffalo Weaver).
They are often seen on roads just before or during rain. This morning I took this picture with my iPhone, just a few hours after last night’s rainfall.
Unlike most land tortoises, which tend to sink when they fall into water, this species actually likes to swim.
They are one of my favorite *Ectotherms*!
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