Rounding out our unintentional antelope week, this entry is all about the grazers of
Samburu. Since that was such a distinctive and unique ecosystem full of animals we only saw there, it seems right to group them together. Starting off with the Greater Kudu, another large antelope like the Eland. We only saw these 2 females in an early morning drive, though others in our group saw a few closer to the lodge.
More common throughout the area and quite striking in appearance, these Beisa Oryx were a charming sight. We saw several large herds of them as well as groups of babies which they leave in largely unguarded groups in the backend of the desert for most of the day while they go and graze, making Kathryn view them as very unfit parents. Their distinctive horns are quite likely to have contributed to the legend of the unicorn as fragments made their way back to Europe from Africa or Arabia.
Rounding out the set with my personal favorite, the gerenuk is a charming and slender animal. Often called the 'giraffe antelope' these grazers can stand perfectly upright on their hindlegs, balancing against trees with their front legs to graze on higher branches than they could normally reach, their long snouts reaching for leaves between the thorns.
More common throughout the area and quite striking in appearance, these Beisa Oryx were a charming sight. We saw several large herds of them as well as groups of babies which they leave in largely unguarded groups in the backend of the desert for most of the day while they go and graze, making Kathryn view them as very unfit parents. Their distinctive horns are quite likely to have contributed to the legend of the unicorn as fragments made their way back to Europe from Africa or Arabia.
Rounding out the set with my personal favorite, the gerenuk is a charming and slender animal. Often called the 'giraffe antelope' these grazers can stand perfectly upright on their hindlegs, balancing against trees with their front legs to graze on higher branches than they could normally reach, their long snouts reaching for leaves between the thorns.
No comments:
Post a Comment