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.

I may be interpreting this hippo interaction completely incorrectly!

Lesser flamingos in Lake Magadi, on the Crater floor.

African Wild Cat on the outer slopes of the Crater.

Note: Karen's final post about her Africa trip--Tarangiri National Park--will appear next week.

 

SUMMER AFTERNOON AT THE LOS ANGELES ZOO: Giraffes, Gorillas and Much More

 

Masai Giraffe, Los Angeles Zoo, Los Angeles, CA

We recently visited the Los Angeles Zoo, for the first time since the pandemic. It was good to see the animals again. We missed them. When the zoo was closed to visitors during the pandemic, the animals apparently missed seeing people too! Some adaptations have been made for social distancing since the zoo reopened, but most of the exhibits are open.

Male baby Masai giraffe, 3 months old. Born to Zainabu (mother) and Philip (father)

Highlights of our visit included koalas, cassowaries and other Australian animals, a new baby giraffe (born April 8th and already nearly 7 feet tall!) and a rambunctious young gorilla named Angela (born Jan 2020) playing in her enclosure, not unlike an energetic human two-year-old.

Southern Tamandua, a South American anteater.

Our first stop was the Winnick Family Children’s Zoo, not far from the zoo entrance, where we watched a Southern Tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla) wake from its nap and explore its enclosure.

The path to the main part of the zoo passes the meerkat colony, and the animals were on alert, just as they are in the wild of southern Africa, where they are on the constant lookout for predators. If one meerkat spots a hawk soaring in the sky above, it emits a warning and the rest of the animals scurry to safety in their underground burrows. Although the meerkats are presumably safe in their zoo exhibit, they still watch out for large birds soaring overhead.

Caribbean flamingos.

Soon after the meerkats we passed the flamingos—both the bright pink Caribbean species, and the smaller and more delicate colored African flamingos. In both enclosures the birds were busy honking and jostling one another in minor disputes.   

Rock wallaby.

It was a warm day and many of the animals were resting in their enclosures. But in the area with the Australian animals, large trees supplied plenty of shade. We spotted an echidna scurrying around a kangaroo and under two koalas tucked into the branches of one of the trees. Other Australian animals on exhibit included a rock wallaby, a cassowary with its brightly colored head crest, and inside the reptile house, an enormous lizard--a perentie.

Perentie.

The perentie (Varanus giganteus) is the largest monitor lizard or goanna native to Australia. It is the one of the largest living lizards on earth. On our several trips to the Australian outback we had always hoped to see one (from a distance, of course), but never came closer than viewing some tracks. The perentie on exhibit at the LA Zoo looked to be at least five feet from nose to the tip of its tail. They can grow to up to  eight feet in length. The striking pattern of its scales resembles elegant designer fabric, but in the wild would likely be effective camouflage.

Angela, a young lowland gorilla.

Our final stop was at the gorilla enclosure. While the older animals appeared to be napping, the youngest member of the family, a young female named Angela, romped around the enclosure, playing with sticks, jumping from rocks, and turning somersaults, as she entertained herself and the crowd. 

As always, a visit to the zoo is potluck--you never know which animals are going to be active or visible in their enclosures.  We had an enjoyable afternoon, saw lots of animals, and didn't even have time to visit all of them.

For a map of the Los Angeles Zoo and information about planning your visit, click HERE.