The Intrepid Tourist: NGORONGORO CRATER NATIONAL PARK, TANZANIA, Guest Post by Karen Minkowski

Young male lions, Ngorongoro Crater National Park, Tanzania.

My friend Karen Minkowski has visited Africa many times and has contributed often to The Intrepid Tourist, sharing her beautiful photographs and insights about animals. She recently went to northern Tanzania, visiting four national parks: Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and Tarangire. This is the third of her four reports of that trip.

As we descended into Ngorongoro Crater, four or five young muddy male lions were emerging from a cloud of dust whipped up by Land Cruisers on the Crater floor below us. We assumed they were part of a “coalition”, a group of related and sometimes unrelated males who have been forced out of their natal pride(s) or have chosen to leave. They will probably form their own prides, giving them a greater chance at reproductive success.

They chased each other and tussled, full of energy in the cool morning. I love how their tails are flying.

Some of the males had short manes, others had not yet begun to grow them.

After the lions moved on, we spotted two Serval cats, well-camouflaged in the tall, dry grass. Here’s one of the pair. Among the wild cats, Servals have the highest rate of hunting success, feeding on rodents and other small mammals.

Serval.

This Golden Jackal, now called the Golden Wolf, first got our attention with its high-pitched howl.

Golden wolf (golden jackal).

Very recent DNA studies show a closer relationship to grey wolves and coyotes than to the Golden Jackal of Europe and Asia.

Golden wolf (golden jackal).

The Secretary Bird, a relative of eagles, hawks and other raptors, eats just about anything on the ground it can catch but prefers snakes, including venomous ones. The bird stomps its prey to death with its strong legs and feet.

Secretary bird.

On a relatively cool morning, it’s not rare to see hippos grazing until the sun sends them back to the safety of the water.

Hippos.

Grant’s Gazelle lowering itself to a sitting posture.

Grant's gazelle.

A herd of buffalo at rest. These are females; the males were off to one side. You can see the difference in horn structure between females and males (below). The males have a thick, boney base on top of their head where the horns have fused. This “boss” protects the head when they fight other males for dominance.

Female buffalo.

These old male buffalos may be a threesome or a part of a larger bachelor group. They’ve separated from the mixed herd of adult females, their young, and the stronger, dominant males, who may have kicked them out. Though these three are well past their prime, I saw, years ago, a small group of these old guys fend off a lioness. Their massive horns are intimidating and can inflict serious injury or death.

Male buffalo.

The Northern Anteater Chat.

Rosy-throated Longclaw, probably a female, well-camouflaged in the dry grasses.

Hippo aggression? In the first photo below, a wet (dark) hippo walks toward the resting hippo on the left. In the next picture the hippo has stood up and looks threateningly at the one on the right. About fifteen seconds later (third photo), the aggressor moves closer to the wet hippo, its face thrust out; the wet one seems to be cowering a bit, but a fight did not ensue.