9 February 2015 ~ Buffalo and Rhino

Listening to: Van Morrison ~ Talk is Cheap (7/15/2003, Arena Santa Giuliana - Perugia, Italy)

Our first safari drive. We didn't know what to expect, but had high hopes.

The Cape Buffalo is the only species of wild cattle that can be found in Africa. It is a large animal that can reach 6.8 to 11 feet in length, 3.2 to 5.6 feet in height and weight between 660 and 1900 pounds. Males have longer and thicker horns. They have poor eyesight and sense of hearing, but their sense of smell is excellent. Males that are not part of the herd can form bachelor herds, or live a solitary life. We primarily came across bachelor herds.

A common mistake is to call the Cape Buffalo a Water Buffalo, but they are completely different species. The horns are completely different and the Cape buffalo has a very aggressive nature and for this reason has never been domesticated. It is the exact opposite for the water buffalo, they have been domesticated and bred for their milk and meat for thousands of years.

Note the Oxpeckers  in the video. They will sit on certain mammals and target the ticks and other small parasites found on the skin and in the coats of these animals. Oxpeckers' bills are especially adapted to their lifestyle. The bills are pointed as well as laterally compressed which helps the birds work their way through the coats of the mammals in a comb-like fashion and to pry out well embedded parasites. 

At one stage it became extinct in South Africa, but in recent times it has naturally re-established itself from the north into the Kruger National Park and its environs. Oxpeckers are monogamous unless a mate dies, at which time the bird will take another mate.

 http://youtu.be/oavifuix1PU


Continuing on our drive we found White Rhinos. The only predator is humans, so these animals are precious and highly protected. The white rhino's name derives from the Dutch "weit," meaning wide, a reference to its wide, square muzzle adapted for grazing. The white rhino, which is actually gray, has a pronounced hump on the neck and a long face.

http://youtu.be/8RyEvc86O3Y


Well, we weren't disappointed as you can tell by those behind me in the jeep.

What tidbits can I share on these human species? I can vouch that these particular humans are prone to gin drinking and are a LOT of fun to hang around.