Shot of the Month – June 2009

I have a collection of photos on my wall at home and at work.  At times visitors or friends come by and walk along the wall and review the collection.

Some of the images provoke “ooohs and ahhhs.”  Others make people laugh or smile.  Some get an “eewwh” – well, some lion shots can get a little bloody, for example.

When people discover this image it tends to induce a small skit:

1. Slowly walking, glance at the photo.  Small recoil followed by a double take.
2. Walk back and get in close for a good look.  Squint a bit.  Peer from the right.  Now from the left
3. Turn and look back at me: “What in the world is that?” or “Is that real?”

Yep, it is indeed real, and no, I did not shrink his head using some software tricks.  It is all genuine and it is a Gerenuk.

Gerenuks are a type of antelope that lives in the arid regions of East Africa, typically found in eastern Kenya and Ethiopia, and parts of Somalia.  The word Gerenuk comes from the Somali and means “giraffe-necked.”

What we have here is another example of keen adaptation to one’s surroundings.  Changes in their spine, muscles, and bone structure allow the Gerenuk to stand up straight on its hind legs.  This unique behavior, and that long neck, allow the species to exploit a very precise feeding niche.  Giraffes have the tops of trees covered, while shorter antelopes and gazelles like Dik Dik, Thomson’s Gazelle, and Impala eat at the bottom half of bushes.  Gerenuks saw an opportunity and adapted – by standing up and stretching their necks they can reach leaves that are six to eight feet off the ground – a feeding zone that few others can reach.

Gerenuks live in arid regions where water is scarce.  Turns out that they can go months without drinking water by being very selective about what they eat.  Gerenuks only eat the newest shoots and most succulent leaves of bushes and trees, often reaching into the middle branches to find the finest morsels.  They also eat buds, flowers, and fruit, but they do not eat grass.  This fastidious diet allows them to get all the moisture they need without drinking water and thrive in habitats where few animals can.  Smart (and tasty).

While many are shocked to learn of such a beast, it seems that they have been around for a long time.  Although European scientists did not discover the Gerenuk until 1898, drawings of these otherworldly creatures can be found in Egyptian art from 5600 B.C.

Hmmn, alien-looking creature.  Found in Egyptian art.  Some people think the pyramids could only have been built with the help of aliens.  Do you think that maybe Gerenuks were, well, you know…..ok, never mind.  Forget I mentioned it.

Be like a Gerenuk – find your niche and prosper.

Shot of the Month – May 2009

This image captures a life-and-death struggle – at least for the frog.  I almost missed this epic battle – we originally stopped the vehicle to observe the spectacle of a hawk plucking and dining on a bird it had recently caught.  After watching the hawk for a few minutes I started to scan the horizon – I have learned over the years that any time you stop, always take the opportunity to take in the 360° around you.  You never know what you might find.

As I looked behind the vehicle, off in the distance I saw a group of Southern Ground Hornbills approaching.  These large birds, about the size of turkeys, travel in groups of 2 to 7 and spend much of their time walking along looking to eat any small reptile, insect, or mammal they might scare up.  The ground hornbill stumbled upon this frog and prepared to have lunch.

But the frog was not going down without a fight.  If you look closely you will see that the frog has inflated himself.  In this state the bird cannot swallow him – the frog is too big.  Undeterred, the hornbill threw the frog to the ground and pecked at him a few times.  He was trying to poke a hole in the frog’s skin so the “frog balloon” could not fill with air!

He picked the frog up.  The frog puffed himself up again.  No luck.

Try again.  Peck.  Peck.  Peck.  Pick up the frog.  Inflate.

Peck.  Peck.  Peck.  Inflate.  Peck.  Peck.  Peck.  Inflate.

This marathon battle lasted a good 5 to 7 minutes.  Alas, at last, all the pecking had taken its toll on the frog and he could no longer inflate himself.  Ironically, just as this happened, one of the other ground hornbills in the group walked over, snatched up the frog off the ground, tossed him in the air, and swallowed him whole.  Gulp.

The interloper had snatched defeat (or in this case, “defrog”) from the jaws of victory.

(moan)  🙂

Shot of the Month – April 2009

Ever had friends come over to the house and they just wouldn’t leave?  You just wanted to go to bed but they just keep chatting away, having a grand ol’ time.  The look on the hippo’s face reminds me of that exasperated feeling.

“Shhh, don’t look, but are they gone yet?”

So, what is going on here?  Why is this hippo out on land?  Why by himself?  And why covered in, uh, birds?

I came upon this hippopotamus near the Luangwa River in South Luangwa National Park, Zambia.  This gigantic male is lying on a sandy flood plain above the water surface – in the rainy season he would actually be underwater, but at this time, during the dry season, the river has descended into its deepest channel and is a good 20 feet below where he is resting.

Why is he out on land?  Turns out it is not as uncommon as most postcard images would have us think.  Every evening hippos emerge from the water and walk up to five miles to graze on short grass across the countryside.  Hippos will also bask in the sun during the day for short periods (gotta break up all that napping somehow).

Why is he by himself?  Although the classic African scene is that of a group of hippos, a “pod” for those of you keeping track, lounging along the river’s edge, it turns out that hippos are not social animals.  They do not develop social bonds with the other members of the pod and scientists don’t really know why they huddle together.  Perhaps, they are just following the old adage of “safety in numbers.”

And why is he covered with birds?  These are Red-billed Oxpeckers.  Despite the somewhat annoyed look on the hippo’s face, he actually welcomes their presence as they provide a valuable service.  Oxpeckers pick off ticks and other annoying insects that can’t be reached otherwise.

But there is more to this story.  Hippos are very aggressive and males often fight each other for dominance.  If you look closely this huge male is covered in fresh, open wounds.  My hunch is that he was in a vicious brawl the night before and didn’t fare too well.  Exhausted, bloodied, and bruised he took refuge up on the raised bank of the river to rest and heal in peace.  The oxpeckers, looking for a free meal, will continually check the wounds for insects and help keep them pest-free.  Everybody wins, right?

Well, some scientists now believe that the oxpeckers, in fact, may also peck at the wounds to keep them open so they can drink the blood directly, thereby delaying the healing process.  So, depending on the situation, the hippo-ox pecker relationship may be “symbiotic” and in other situations “parasitic.”

Or in less zoological terms, sometimes oxpeckers act like Florence Nightingales (get it?) and other times they act like feathered vampires.  At this point, no one knows for sure where the truth lies.

Life is complicated……

Shot of the Month – March 2009

You gotta respect the attitude of this colorful fellow.  It’s as if he is glancing over at us and cooling asking “And what, exactly, are you doing on my rock?”  This would be attitude a la Agama – agama lizard to be precise.

Unlike many creatures on my website, agama lizards are far from being endangered.  I have seen them in Gabon in West Africa, in Kenya and Tanzania in East Africa, and in most places in between.  There are 31 species of agama lizard spread out across Africa.

In my first visit to Africa, as a Peace Corps volunteer, we called them the “push-up lizards.”  Why?  Well, the males, that would be the colorful ones, have this habit of running hither and thither, stopping abruptly,  and for what seemed to be for no apparent reason would start to do push-ups.  Of course, we all know now that this is all about boys being boys – the males were trying to show off to the lady lizards and/or scare off rival males.  By bobbing up and down they were trying to appear larger than they really are.

Agama lizards live in a very hierarchical world.  In a given space the most colorful agama will be the dominant male or “cock.”  Subordinate males adopt a dull brown color.  A dominant male can have up to six females in his territory for breeding.  We’ve all seen lizards splayed on rocks basking in the sun–even this has its rules in Agama land.  You will find the dominant male at the highest position on the rock, followed next by the sub-males, and lowest on this literal totem pole you will find the females.

Male agama lizards will fight each other to hold or take over a territory.  A challenger will present himself in full splendid Technicolor  – a visual cue that he is here to rumble.  It is a scene many of us can recall from high school dances or from often repeated scenes at the local bar.  First, the two rival males make eye contact – brows furrow.  Soon there is a lot of huffing and puffing at a safe distance.  Then the head bobbing thing.  Then full body push-ups.  If the challenger has not fled away or returned back to monochromatic servitude then the dominant male will charge closer to within a few inches.  More bobbing.  Finally the two charge each other, and then, well, and then they flip around in opposite directions.  Have they lost their nerve?  No, facing away from each other, tail to tail, allows the sword, uh, tail fighting to begin.  They lash at each other until one is sufficiently pummeled and flees.  Apparently, some biting can also occur, but that seems rather unmanly to me.

So there you have it, the glorious, albeit ridiculous, agama lizard – the life form that high school jocks come back as in their next life.  (For those who believe in reincarnation)

Until next month… 🙂

Shot of the Month – February 2009

This month I offer a scene emblematic of the primary holiday of the season (sorry to disappoint all you Ground Hog Day fans) – Valentine’s Day.

In this romantic scene, we have the male Kori Bustard courting a female.  As part of the courtship, he provided her with a steady stream of grasshoppers.  He seemed quite adept at this as I saw him give her 3 tasty morsels in just a few minutes.  Apparently, some males offer snakes as large as 2.5 feet in length as gifts!

Kori Bustards have dramatic courtship rituals where the male will stand straight as an arrow on the top of a small hill and inflate his esophagus to create a brilliant white plume around his neck, as shown on the left.