… 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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… 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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One of my favorite pictures taken this week: A *Lioness* having an evening drink.
Enjoy your Sunday and have a good week!
… and a few extras from the same sighting …
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A few days ago I took this picture of a male Lions as he was resting on the road crossing our savanna.
A ‘King of the Animals’ pose by one of my favorite cats.
Enjoy your weekend 😊
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As we were observing one of our male Lions I spotted two small birds coming and going just off the side of our vehicle.
As I follow the female with my binoculars I saw two orange spots on the ground. To my surprise these were two little Chestnut-backed Sparrow-lark chicks wanting food.
For the next 15 minutes we observed the birds around the nest, ignoring the ‘king of the jungle’ 😊
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Have an enjoyable Sunday and a good week!
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This Red-billed Oxpecker was ‘baby sitting’ and probably having lunch on top of this small Cape Buffalo.
An adult Oxpecker will take docents of blood-engorged ticks, or thousand of larvae in a day.
But their preferred food is blood. That is the reason why they often peck on mammal’s wounds to keep them open.
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A newborn African Elephant weighs about 90kg / 200lbs and is about 1m / 3″ tall.
At first, Baby Elephants don’t really know what to do with their long noses, sometimes they even step on them.
They will suck their trunks just as human babies will suck their thumbs.
Have a good weekend!
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The flehmen grimace is a rather comical sight produced by many male mammals. The main organ involved in the grimace is the Jacobson’s (vomeronasal) organ, in the nasal cavity just above the roof of the mouth.
The function of flehmen is to identify reproductive status of a possible sexual partners by ‘analyzing’ pheromones in the air.
To accomplish this the male will inhale a lot of air through the mouth which will then reach the Jacobson’s organ.
Have a good week!
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Plains Zebras (Equus quagga) are the most common and geographically widespread Zebra species (Southern and Eastern Africa).
The subspecies resident at Thanda Safari is called Burchell’s Zebra.
Enjoy your weekend!
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