I know, two posts in a row with no discernable animals, but I promise you, there were plenty of hippos in this swamp. The photo was taken first thing in the morning right outside of my tent in the Linyanti swamp area of northern Botswana
Not much gets left behind in the Kalahari after the lions, hyena, jackals, vultures and all the rest take their share of the feast.
Here’s another of the African wild dogs that I saw in the Linyanti Swamp area of Botswana. There were probably 12 or so dogs in the pack. They all have the painted spots on their coats and very large ears. Like most members of the dog family, they pursue their prey in a long open chase. 80% of the time, the hunt ends in a kill (compared to only about 30% for lions).
For those who have been receiving my posts for a while, you might remember these guys. This is a Verreaux’s sifaka lemur from Madagascar. They prefer to stay in trees, but when on land they perform a bit of a ballet dance when traveling from one tree to another.
Most of the black-backed jackals that I saw in Botswana ran away as soon as I approached, but this one was much less wary and much more curious. I came across him several times and each time he cautiously approached, stopping to sniff the air every now and again before coming closer. I was able to get out of the safari vehicle and down on the ground to get nice eye level portraits. This photo was taken first thing in the morning as the sun was just beginning to rise.
Of course, wherever there are fornicating grasshoppers, there’s sure to be a nice romantic double rainbow nearby. This was taken Sunday night in the Fakahatchee Strand area of Big Cypress National Preserve in southwestern Florida.
I had to be in Florida on Friday for work so I figured I’d stay the weekend and search for newly hatched baby alligators, Florida panthers and the state’s spectacular birdlife. What I ended up with were fornicating grasshoppers. These three inch lovers are called eastern Lubber grasshoppers, or, as they are more commonly known, Florida giant orange grasshoppers. Â They move quite awkwardly and slowly and can only jump short distances. They are, however, toxic to most predators and their bright coloration acts as a warning sign.
We were on our way to go visit the meerkats one morning in the Makgadikgadi Pan area of the Kalahari Desert when we came across this baby steenbok blocking the road. From the photo, it’s tough to get a sense of scale, but this guy was tiny. Not much bigger than the average housecat. We couldn’t see the mother, but she was most likely hiding in the bushes somewhere nearby.
Looks like a bit of a domestic squabble here between these two lions. Laying in the grass behind them were six cubs – three belonging to this mating pair and three belonging to another mating pair in the pride.
This is a red-knobbed hornbill from Tangkoko National Park in Sulawesi, Indonesia. From the top of the head to the tip of the tail, these hornbills can be four to five feet long. It was quite a sight to see (and hear) them flying through the forest. Usually timid of humans, this particular bird allowed me to take quite a few photos before flying off.