Jul

15

Winner by a Nose – July 2011

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Shot of the Month – July 2011

For five days and nights, our wooden boat worked its way up the Sekonyer River through the oppressive heat and pallor of the Kalamatan jungle on the Island of Borneo. (If you can remember Martin Sheen’s trip up the Nung River in the Cambodian Jungle in “Apocolypse Now” you will have a good sense of what the conditions were like – though, luckily, without the gunfire.)

The primary goal of the trip was to see orangutans but along the way, we spotted this homely fellow, a Proboscis monkey, among the trees along the river’s edge.

Pro-what?  New word for Michael.  For you other non-scrabble players:

Proboscis:  /proʊˈbɒsɪs/) an elongated appendage from the head of an animal, either a vertebrate or an invertebrate, e.g. the trunk of an elephant or the feeding tube of a butterfly.

Scientists aren’t sure but they assume that the larger the nose, the better the luck in attracting the lady monkeys.  Go figure.  The females also have largish noses but they are not as pronounced as in the males.  Proboscis monkeys have the largest noses of any primates.  The male vocalizes through the nose with a kee honk sound.  Really, I couldn’t make this stuff up.

And a gentle reminder, it is not polite to stare.

Adding to the Homer Simpson look, the Proboscis monkey has a pot belly.  Their stomachs are large to accommodate several compartments that use bacteria to digest the cellulose of the leaves of mangrove and pedada trees.  When full, the stomach can represent 1/4th of the animal’s body weight!  These leaves represent 95% of their diet.

Dining primarily on leaves allows the monkeys to remain safely high up in the trees and avoid predators lurking on the ground.

Proboscis monkeys are agile climbers but they are also quite at home in the water.  They can often be spotted walking upright across stretches of water in the mangroves.  Fishermen have even spotted the monkey swimming up to one mile offshore in the ocean.  Proboscis monkeys actually have partially webbed feet – a testament to how much time they spend in or near the water.

In Indonesian (Borneo is part of Indonesia) this monkey is named orang belanda which means “Dutchman.”  Seems the locals thought the Dutch, who colonized this part of the world, often had large noses and pot bellies like their local monkey.  Sounds like payback if you ask me.

There you have it, the web-footed, pot-bellied, elephantine-esque primate otherwise known as the Proboscis monkey.  Another beautiful, uh, well, striking sight from the natural world.

 

Jun

15

Dressed to Kill – June 2011

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Shot of the Month – June 2011

This month we visit with the (Southern) Pale Chanting Goshawk (SPCG).  Doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, does it?

I had never heard of such a bird and I was surprised when I first spotted this striking fellow while visiting the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in Botswana.  SPCGs are distributed across southern Africa and prefer dry, open semi-desert environments.  That would explain my lack of exposure to this fellow — I had not visited many southern African countries and I had explored even fewer game parks located in or near the deserts of these countries.

You can see in this lower photo the dapper marking of this raptor.  Take note of the fine striped chest and leggings.  His chest is an exquisite, delicate grey.  And throw in a striking dash of color with those orange legs and black and orange beak.  On several occasions, I almost injured my neck as I snapped my head around as my eyes were drawn to an orange beacon at the top of a tree or bush.  Each time it was an SPCG.  In the late afternoon light, already rich with hues of orange from the sun, his beak and legs seemed to glow with an other-worldly force.

SPCGs dine primarily on lizards, but will also eat small mammals, birds, and large insects.  When hunting the SPCG will often land near his prey and then chase his victim down on foot.

It’s a ridiculous sight really, watching such a large bird sprint from here to there and back again like something out of a keystone cop film. The effect is even greater given that the bird is gussied up like some gangster from the 1940s.  Throw in a pair of suspenders and his retro mobster look would be complete.

And who says that Mother Nature doesn’t have a sense of humor…?

 

 

May

15

By Any Other Name – May 2011

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Shot of the Month – May 2011

 

Many would look at the image above and say that it was a picture of a giraffe.  While this statement would be generally correct, it would also be unfair, or at least unsatisfyingly vague.  Many might not realize that there are in fact 9 types of giraffe in the world (all living in Africa) and each is a bit different than the others.  The specimen above is a Reticulated Giraffe and is only found in northern Kenya, Somalia, and southern Ethiopia.  I photographed this one in Samburu National Park in Kenya.  The Reticulated Giraffe is one of the most common varieties found in zoos.

The creature having a drink below is obviously also a giraffe but his/her markings are clearly different.  This is a Thornicroft Giraffe that I photographed in South Luangwa National Park in Zambia.  There are only about 1,500 Thornicroft Giraffes left in the world and they all live in eastern Zambia.

“Giraffe” also includes:

Nubian Giraffe:  Only about 250 remain in the wild and they are found in eastern Sudan and northeastern DR Congo.

Smoky Giraffe:  About 20,000 are left in the wild and they are found in southern Angola, northern Namibia, and parts of Zambia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe.

Kordofan Giraffe:  Less than 3,000 remain in the wild and they are found primarily in Chad, Central African Republic, and Cameroon.

Maasai Giraffe:  These are the giraffes that most people see if they go on safari in East Africa.  There are about 40,000 left in the wild and they are found in Kenya and Tanzania.

Rothschild Giraffe:  Less than 700 remain in the wild though they are zoo favorites so there is a good chance you have seen one there.  In the wild they live in Uganda, parts of Kenya, and in southern Sudan.

South African Giraffe:  Less than 12,000 are left in the wild and they are found in South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique.

West African Giraffe:  These are the rarest giraffe in the world with a population of less than 220 left in the wild.  They are found in southern Niger.

Each sub-species of giraffe has a unique size, color, pattern, and distribution.  The next time you see a “giraffe” be sure to dig a bit deeper to find out which particular natural gem you have discovered.

🙂

 

Apr

15

Hoopoe – April 2011

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Shot of the Month – April 2011

Do you have someone in your family or perhaps a friend or two in which everything about them seems bigger than life?  The way they dress, the way they act, how they talk, the stories they tell, the situations they seem to find themselves in?  Well, if you were a bird, your buddy the Hoopoe would be that over-the-top pal. The one shown here was photographed in Botswana.

Check out his dramatic style.  His wings and back are painted with striking black and white markings.   The head and neck are adorned in a beautiful hue of gold.  And then there is that headdress.  When excited he will snap it open with great flair and may bob his head up and down to ensure that all take notice.

And these guys really get around.  They can be found in Europe, Asia, North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar.  Like true jet setters, those from Europe and north Asia will migrate to warmer temperatures in the tropics during the winter.

Fly in a straight line like the rest of us birds?  No, too pedestrian.  The hoopoe has a distinctive style – by closing his wings every few beats his undulating flight pattern bobs up and down much like how a cast-away bottle rises and falls with the ocean swells.

Birds spend their time in trees, right? Well, the hoopoe spends much of his time on the ground foraging for something to eat.  He uses that long, slightly curved bill to detect and extract insects, particularly insect larvae and pupae, from the soil.  Hoopoes are fond of crickets, locusts, beetles, cicadas, and so forth but will occasionally dine on small reptiles, and frogs and may partake in seeds or berries.

And then there is the fighting.  Hoopoes are very territorial and the males get into brutal fights and will try and stab each other using those long bills like daggers.  Some birds have been known to be blinded during such battles!

Other over-the-top behavior?  Oh, there’s more.  Female hoopoes raising young produce a foul-smelling liquid that they rub over themselves while in the nest.  The young, mother and the entire nest smell like rotting meat.  Scientists posit that this wretched liquid deters predators and may act as an antibacterial agent.

And the hoopoe chicks have a very endearing trick up their sleeves.  From the age of six days, nestlings can fire streams of feces at intruders and they can hiss like snakes to try and scare off would-be attackers.  (Thanks, but I’ll pass on babysitting those little darlings)

And hoopoe are such hobnobs — humans seem to be fascinated by these starlets.  Egyptians considered them sacred and their likeness can be found on ancient tombs and temples.  Hoopoes are mentioned in the Bible and Koran alike.  In Persia hoopoes were a symbol of virtue and they were prominent in the Persian book of poems “The Conference of the Birds.”  And they are the national bird of Israel.  Harrump.  Show-offs.

Such flair, energy, and panache.  Yes, hoopoes and their ilk can be tiresome at times.  But, I think we all need a few hoopoes in our lives to remind us to dare to be bold and embrace life.

Until next month.  🙂

 

Mar

15

Nothing Lesser about this Cat – March 2011

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Shot of the Month – March 2011

While all felines are apex predators and rest comfortably at the top of the food chain, most of our attention and admiration go toward the “Big Cats” – lion, tiger, leopard, and jaguar.  These are the largest members of the feline family and they are the only ones that can roar.  Some folks add the snow leopard, mountain lion, and cheetah to the Big Cat list.  (For the record, none of these classifications have any scientific standing)

Then we have the 35 species of “lesser cats.”  A term I would find insulting if I was among this group as each of them is quite spectacular in their own, diminutive way.  The serval, as photographed here from Botswana, is one such wonder.

Servals are shy and normally out at night so they are rarely observed.  We found this one just as the sun was about to rise on a crisp morning in Botswana.  Given that servals only stand about 2-3 feet tall they are especially hard to see in tall grass.  That is, however, unless they are hunting.

During one safari in Namibia I was slowly driving along when I heard the loud chatter of angry birds.  The clatter finally broke through my consciousness and I remembered that sounds can be an important tool in finding wildlife.  Why all the racket?  Why were these birds so upset?  I stopped the car and listened.  I followed the sound to the enraged birds and watched as they hovered above the tall grass.

BOING.  A serval exploded from the grass in an amazing vertical leap.  He leapt up and forward—most likely trying to land on an unsuspecting mouse.  BOING.  Another amazing vertical leap.  BOING…One of my favorite safari memories.  Ever.

Servals specialize in locating and eating rodents with their exceptional hearing and sight.  And with that amazing jumping ability.  Servals can use this skill to leap 10 feet into the air from a sitting position to catch birds in flight!  They also dine on fish, lizards, frogs, and insects.

And these cats are good at what they do.  Lions are only successful about 30% of the time when they hunt.  Serval hunting success rate is 50%.  Take that Big Cats!

The mighty serval –the Tigger of the savannah.



 Until next month… 🙂