For some strange reason, I really wanted to see a hyena in Africa. As it turned out, we saw several and - as I should have guessed - they are quite beautiful in real life. The animal in the top two photos was encountered very close to a hunting leopard and he was trying to sneak up on the cat, possibly to steal her meal, while keeping a close eye on us as well.
Despite their resemblance to dogs, hyenas are not canines. They form their own family: Hyaenidae, which has four members including this one, the spotted hyena.
The animal in the last three photos was large and he came up behind us as we were sitting in the jeep watching the elephants at a watering hole, startling both the guide and the tracker. As soon as the elephants caught sight of him they charged him, en masse, causing him to turn and run as you see in the last photo.
Although we did not see the large herds of zebra encountered during migration in the Serengeti, we did see quite a few small groups, mostly as a distance. These particular animals are Plains Zebras. One way of identifying this species is the presence of "shadow stripes", light grey lines that appear between the black and white stripes.
Thanks for reading!
ReplyDeleteOh, Kathy. I envy you. Someday I hope to do a similar trip. The animals and terrain are quite different from Wyoming or Oregon, where I live. It breaks my heart and frustrates me to no end what is happening with the elephants and rhinos. Your words were sobering regarding the rhinos. You will have to tell me all about it in Little Rock next year--in between judging of course.
ReplyDeleteKathi, It truly was the trip of a lifetime! I can't wait to discuss it more and look forward to seeing you in LR!
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