Sunday, October 23, 2011

Hippos in the Serengeti

Early in our game drive we came upon a set of vultures and eagles feasting on a carcass. A large white-headed vulture moved some of the kill away from the others.


Our primary stop for the day was a large hippo pool. Two rivers converge here and there were well over 150 hippopotamus in the water. They were primarily resting with the occasional tail twisting to flop water on their back. Since we're at the end of the dry season, there is very little water flow, so the water was pretty foul and smelly. Several times, one hippo would switch positions, another would complain and occasionally it would be taken up by most of the wallow. A few would get out of the to warm-up. But out hunt was for the hippo yawn. It took about 45 minutes of watching but, we finally were rewarded. This is actually a display for other hippos of their large canine teeth.


We stopped for lunch and a nature walk at the visitor center, where the ecosystem of the Serengeti was well explained, including the migration, the vegetation, and the soil conditions.

The afternoon was a bust - no predators, more hippos and Maribou Storks, Vervet Monkeys, and the usual Impalas, Gazelles, Hartebeest, Reedbuck, Zebras, Elephants, Giraffes, and Wildebeest. (Interesting how what was exciting 3 weeks ago has become an everyday occurrence.) We did pass another migrating herd of Wildebeest near our camp. The new bird for the day was the Southern Ground Hornbill.

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