Wildlife

VulcanSpirit
Richard & Alison Brunstrom
Sat 2 Jan 2016 18:08
I have just realised that an earlier posting about wildlife went wrong for some reason and the photos did not appear on the blog. I'm trying again; these are photos taken in KwaZuluNatal soon after we arrived in SA:
Firstly, a 3 metre crocodile Crocodylus niloticus lying on a sandbank at the bottom of the water ski club's boat ramp. No-one was skiing.
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And on the other side of the estuary, a pod of hippos, Hippopotamus amphibius. This group are known as the Town Gang because of their habit of wandering the streets at night. Standard advice is to walk away slowly and not to get between them and the water. They know where it is, so you better had too - these are Africa's most dangerous animals despite their cute appearance, responsible for 6000 deaths per year.
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A couple of vervet monkeys, Cercopithecus aethiops. These guys can be really naughty, burgling houses and stealing anything they can get their hands on, from food to underwear:

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A group of Plains Zebra, Equus quagga:

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Female kudu Tragelaphus strepsiceros. The stripes are diagnostic:

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Male kudu. Note the beautiful curled horns:

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Male waterbuck Kobus ellipsprymnus. Note the straight ribbed horns. These horns are used for dominance fights in the rutting season - the ribs ensure that horns can be properly locked with an opponents' to enable a good tussle:

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Female waterbuck:

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And lastly, a male gnu (subject of the marvellous Flanders and Swan song) or blue wildebeest  Connochaetes taurinus:

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Sent from my iPad