Tanzania 11 - Ngorongoro Crater - Mammals

19 - 20 December 2014

Most people go to Africa to see the large mammals -- especially the pachyderms and big cats. But the abundance and diversity of grazing animals is another spectacle as well.

Herbivores

These wildebeest are all facing the same direction in an effort to keep rain out of their faces. In the background are zebra, also facing with their backs to the wind. (If I took a picture from the other side of the vehicle, where they were facing us, then I was facing into the rain, getting spots on my camera lenses.)

A wet wildebeest. Note the drops of water on his horns and ears.

Wildebeest on the run.

Where there are wildebeest, there are usually zebras as well.

Zebra and young.

That must be some tasty grass!

Do you think I need to see a dentist?

Cape buffalo join wildebeest and zebra on the Ngorongoro plain, along with the ubiquitous cattle egret. I loved the stupid, snooty look on this buffalo's face as he munches on grass.

Grants gazelles.

Male Thomsons gazelle.

Female Thomsons gazelle

When you see a line of vehicles like this, you can be sure there's something interesting to watch nearby. (In this case it was a black rhinoceros.)

The black spec in the middle of the photo is a rhino. The photo below shows the original pixels.

 It would never make National Geographic, but it's definitely a rhino -- in an impressionist setting.

This is the rhino all the vehicles were stopped for. Again, it was at a long distance and lying on the ground. Rhinos are heavily poached -- prized for their horn-- so their numbers are close to extinction.

Yet another long-distance rhino.

Hippos actually are the number one wildlife killer of humans -- mostly because they don't get the respect their 3 to 4 ton bodies deserve.

Carnivores

Spotted hyena.

Golden (or common) jackal. The other species we saw more commonly is the black-backed jackal. For more on jackals and hyenas, see the previous two posts.

We've moved up the food chain to the top predator in the Ngorongoro crater -- the lion.

This was the only adult male lion we got a good look at in the entire trip.