Masai Mara National Reserve

Masai Mara National Reserve is a large game reserve in Narok County, Kenya, contiguous with the Serengeti National Park in Mara Region, Tanzania.

 Masai Mara National Reserve is a large game reserve in Narok County, Kenya, contiguous with the Serengeti National Park in Mara Region, Tanzania.

It is named in honor of the Masai people (the ancestral inhabitants of the area) and their description of the area when looked at from afar: "Mara," which is Maa (Masai language) for "spotted," an apt description for the circles of trees, scrub, savanna, and cloud shadows that mark the area.

It is globally famous for its exceptional population of lions, leopards and cheetahs, and the annual migration of zebra, Thomson's gazelle, and wildebeest to and from the Serengeti every year from July to October, known as the Great Migration.

The Sand, Talek River and Mara River are the major rivers draining the reserve.

Wildebeest, topi, zebra, and Thomson's gazelle migrate into and occupy the Mara reserve, from the Serengeti plains to the south and Loita Plains in the pastoral ranches to the north-east, from July to October or later. Herds of all three species are also resident in the reserve.

All members of the "Big Five" (lion, leopard, elephant, cape buffalo, and rhinoceros) are found here.

 

Hippopotami and crocodiles are found in large groups in the Mara and Talek rivers.

Hyenas, cheetahs, jackals, and bat-eared foxes can also be found in the reserve

Antelopes can be found, including Grant's gazelles, impalas, duikers and Coke's hartebeests.

 The plains are also home to the distinctive Masai giraffe. The large roan antelope and the nocturnal bat-eared fox, rarely present elsewhere in Kenya, can be seen within the reserve borders.

More than 470 species of birds have been identified in the park, many of which are migrants, with almost 60 species being raptors.

Birds that call this area home for at least part of the year include: vultures, marabou storks, secretary birds, hornbills, crowned cranes, ostriches, long-crested eagles, African pygmy-falcons and the lilac-breasted roller, which is the national bird of Kenya.

MASAI TRIBE

 ** Masai have maintained the way they live for decades and are one of the few tribes in Africa to stick to their cultural practices and traditions.

**Although the Maasai have strongly gripped their traditional beliefs, their culture is uniquely transforming over the years.

Most of them live in Kenya and  Tanzania.

** Traditionally, the Maasai do not bury their dead bodies, they simply thrown to the wild forests for scavengers. Burials are believed to harm the soil and is reserved only for some community chiefs. 

In fact, in some occasions, the dead would be smeared with fat so as to easily attract wild animals to eat the bodies.They believe that once someone is dead his journey is over.

They believe that their God, Enkai, gave them all the cattle in the world when the sky and earth split, and cattle rustling is just an activity of taking back what belongs to them.

A man’s wealth is also determined by the number of cattle he owns  and the children he has.

When a man sires only girls, he is expected to prevent one of his daughters from getting married. 

The young woman was then authorized to have children at her father’s home, with any man of her choice. If she gives birth to a male child, he was pronounced the heir of the old man’s property.

No one in the traditional Maasai community was allowed to inherit land, only cattle could be inherited. 

The elders of the tribe drink fresh cattle blood to alleviate hangovers after a night of drinking alcohol.

Maasai families live in an enclosure called a Enkang which typically contains ten to twenty small huts. The enclosure is protected by a fence or bushes with sharp thorns.

Masai huts are very small, with usually only one or two rooms and not high enough for these tall people to stand.

Serengeti National Park

Serengeti National Park is a Tanzanian national park in the Serengeti ecosystem in the Mara and Simiyu regions.

It was first established in the 1920’s and was made a National Park in 1951.

The park covers 14,750 square kilometers (10 times bigger than Masai Mara) of grassland plains, savanna, riverine forest, and woodlands.

With elevations ranging from 3,000 to 6,500 feet.

Great herds of buffalo, smaller groups of elephant and giraffe, and thousands upon thousands of Antelops like eland, topi, kongoni, impala and Grant’s gazelle are resident at any time of the year.

All three big cats are easily seen. Lions are everywhere and are often found on a kill. Cheetahs are very common on the southeastern plains, while leopards can often be found lazing in one of the big trees along the Seronera River.

There are many more animals in Serengeti National Park including: hippos, rhinos, 

hynas, jackals, wild dogs, 10 species of primate and Nile crocodiles…

And a million wildebeest…

The Serengeti is famed for its annual wildebeest migration, when some six million hooves cross the open plains, as more than 1,000,000 wildebeest, 200,000 zebra and 300,000 Thomson’s gazelle join the trek for fresh grazing.

The annual migration is one of the most impressive natural events in the world.

About 250,000 wildebeest die during the journey usually from thirst, hunger, exhaustion, or predation.

The Park also hosts one of the largest and most diverse large predator-prey interactions worldwide, providing a particularly impressive aesthetic experience.

The park also boasts about 500 bird species, including ostrich, secretary bird, kori bustard, crowned crane, marabou stork, martial eagle, lovebirds, and many species of vultures.

The park is usually described as divided into three regions: Serengeti plains, Western corridor and

Northern Serengeti.

Serengeti plains: the almost treeless grassland of the south is the most emblematic scenery of the park. This is where the wildebeest breed, as they remain in the plains from December to May. Other hoofed animals – zebra, gazelle, impala, 

hartebeest, topi, buffalo, waterbuck – also occur in huge numbers during the wet season.

Serengeti plains is dotted with a number of granite and gneiss outcroppings known as kopjes, which are large rocky formations that are the result of volcanic activity and they are great observation posts for predators, as well as a refuge for hyrax and pythons.

Western corridor: the black clay soil covers the swampy savannah of this region. The Grumeti River is home to Nile crocodiles, colobus monkeys, hippopotamus, and martial eagles. The migration passes through from May to July.

Northern Serengeti: the landscape is dominated by open woodlands and hills, ranging from Seronera in the south to the Mara River on the Kenyan border. Apart from the migratory wildebeest and zebra (which occur from July to August, and in November), the bushy savannah is the best place to find elephant and giraffe.

The usually warm and dry climate is interrupted by two rainy seasons — Feb to Aprik, and a shorter season in October and November.

Because of its biodiversity and ecological significance, the park has been listed  as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Serengeti National Park is at the heart the larger Serengeti ecosystem, which is defined by the area covered by the annual migration.

The Maasai people had been grazing their livestock in the open plains of eastern Mara Region, which they named “endless plains”, for around 200 years when the first European explorer, Austrian Oscar Baumann, visited the area in 1892.

The name “Serengeti” is an approximation of the word used by the Maasai to describe the area, siringet, which means “the place where the land runs on forever.”

The Serengeti offers great wildlife viewing throughout the year.  July, Aug good for seeing the migration and February is the best month for the wildebeest calving. The dry months from May to October offer the best general game viewing.

More than 90,000 people from around the world visit the park every year.

GIRAFFE

Giraffes are the tallest mammals &  Longest neck on Earth. Their legs and neck are bout 6 feet and above.

They can run as fast as 50 kmph over short distances or 10 Kmph over longer distances.

A giraffe's neck is too short to reach the ground. As a result, it has to awkwardly spread its front legs or kneel to reach the ground for a drink of water.

Giraffes only need to drink once every few days. Most of their water comes from all the plants they eat.

Giraffes spend most of their lives standing up; they even sleep.

The gestation period for a giraffe is  15 months, generally only a single baby is born. Giraffes give birth standing up and their baby fall about 6 feet to the ground at the time of birth and the calf can stand up and walk after about an hour. .

Despite the females’ attempts to stand over their calves during attacks by lions, spotted hyenas, leopards and African wild dogs, many calves are killed in their first few months.

A giraffe’s spots are much like human fingerprints. No two individual giraffes have exactly the same pattern.

Both male and female giraffes have two distinct, hair-covered horns called ossicones. Male giraffes use their horns to sometimes fight with other males.

Giraffes only need 5 to 30 minutes of sleep in a 24-hour period! They often achieve that in quick naps that may last only a minute or two at a time.

Whilst it was thought that giraffes did not make any sounds, this is now known to be untrue, as giraffes bellow, snort, hiss and make flute-like sounds, as well as low pitch noises beyond the range of human hearing.

Giraffe has 3 species Masai, Reticulated and Rothschild

LEOPARD

Scientific name for a leopard is Panthera Pardus.

Leopards are in the cat family.

Leopards live mostly in Africa with some living  in India, Malaysia and China.

Leopards are solitary animals meaning they like to live alone.

Leopards can be 4.5 ft. – 6ft long with a tail that is 3.5-4.5 long. Leopards are between 2-3 ft tall. They weigh between 80-200 pounds.  .

Leopard’s color and rosettes patterns go with their habitat.

Leopards are great climbers and great swimmers. They can leap up to 20ft. .during the day leopards are often seen resting in trees. Often times they will watch their prey from up in the trees where they can blend in with leaves. Then they will pounce down to surprise their prey. After a leopard catches their prey they will sometimes carry it back up the tree to hide it in the leaves.  They do this to keep it away from scavengers in between feedings.

Leopards are agile meaning they are able to move quickly and e  They are fast runners and can run 36 miles per hour.

Leopards hunt whatever they can catch.  Some animals they eat are boars, deers, impalas, gazelles.  Sometimes they will eat  fish, birds and rodents.

Leopards are mostly nocturnal meaning they are more active at night.

Female leopards give birth to usually 1-2 cubs. Cubs are born a grey color with very faint rosettes. Cubs are born blind and start to see in 10 days. Cubs live with their mothers for 2-4 years.  Mother leopards teach their cubs to swim, climb, hunt and how to protect themselves from predators.

CAPE BUFFALO

Cape buffalo is known as a one of the "Big Five in Africa" with Lions, Leopard, Rhino and Elephant 

  

Cape buffalo are known to kill lions, and can seek out and kill lion cubs — preventative punishment.

A buffalo is powerful animal, according to research by Dr. John Conde — he tested their pulling strength. This explains why they are able to tip a motorcar.”

A full grown buffalo can weigh upto 600 kgs, its triple than Male Lion

 The adult buffalo's horns are its characteristic feature; they have fused bases, forming a continuous bone shield across the top of the head referred to as a "boss".

Cape buffalo are widely regarded as very dangerous animals, as according to some estimates they gore and kill over 200 Masai People every year , thayswhy they known as "Widow Maker"

Cape buffalo have exceptional memories. They have been known to attack people that have harmed them even years after the event.

They are reported to kill more hunters in Africa than any other animal. They are known to ambush hunters that have wounded or injured them. 

Buffalo are capable swimmers and often cross deep water in search of better grazing

The hide on a bull buffalo’s neck is as thick as 2 inches in places, which protects it during battles with other bulls for dominance.”

Lion

The lion has forever been a symbol of strength, power and ferocity. 

 

*African lions are the most social of all big cats and live together in groups or “prides.” A pride consists of about 15  to 21 lions.

*Male lions defend the pride’s territory while females do most of the hunting. Despite this, the males eat first.

*These majestic cats are threatened by habitat loss. The lion is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

*The lion was once found throughout Africa, Asia and Europe but now exists only in Africa with one exception. The last remaining Asiatic lions are found in Sasan-Gir National Park in India, which was primarily created to protect the species.

*A lion’s roar can be heard from as far as 5 miles away.

*A lion can run for short distances at 50 mph and leap as far as 36 feet.

*Even though the lion is sometimes referred to as the “king of the jungle,” it actually only lives in grasslands and plains. The expression may have come from an incorrect association between Africa and jungles or may refer to a less literal meaning of the word jungle.

*A good gauge of a male lion’s age is the darkness of his mane. The darker the mane, the older the lion.

*A lion’s heels don’t touch the ground when it walks.

*A lion may sleep up to 20 hours a day.

* Gestation Period of Lioness is 3 and half months

*life of Lions is 15 -18 years

*Weight of Male Lion 230 to 250 kgs and Female 130 to 150 kgs

* Serengeti and Masai Mara has approx 3700 lions all together

Rhino

Rhino is one of the BIG FIVE Animal of Africa

** There five species of rhinoceros – the black rhino, the white rhino, which live in Africa, and the Sumatran, Javan and Indian (or greater one-horned) rhino, which inhabit the tropical forests and swamps of Asia.

** These brilliant beasts are known for their awesome, giant horns that grow from their snouts – hence the name “rhinoceros’, meaning “nose horn”. Javan and Indian rhinos have one horn, where as the white, black and Sumatran rhinos have two.

** These incredible creatures are some of the biggest animals in world. Height is approx 6 ft and and weigh a massive 2,500 kg.

** Despite their huge size and strength, these bulky beasts are herbivores, and instead like to munch on lots of grass and plants at night, dawn and dusk.

** During the heat of the day, these magnificent mammals can be found sleeping in the shade or wallowing in muddy pools to cool off. They love to get mucky, in fact! Mud protects their skin from the strong sun (like a natural sunblock) and wards off biting bugs, too.

** For the most part, rhinoceroses are solitary animals and like to avoid each other. But some species, particularly the white rhino, may live in a group, known as a ‘crash’. These crashes are usually made up of a female and her calves, although sometimes adult females can be seen together, too.

** Males Rhino, on the other hand, like to be left alone, unless in search of a female to breed with. They’re very territorial, too, and mark out their area of land with, believe it or not, poop! In fact, rhinos often use pongy piles to communicate with each other, since each individual’s dung smells unique.

** They may rarely hang out with each other, but they spend a lot of time with their feathered friends! Rhinos are often seen with Oxpeckers (or ‘tick birds’) perched on their back, which live off the pesky parasitic insects living in the rhino’s thick skin. The birds’ loud cries also help alert their big buddies of potential danger, too!

** Because of their huge bodies, strong horns and thick, armour-like skin, rhinos have no natural predators.

** Sadly, it’s estimated that there are only around 29,000 rhinos left in the wild, compared to 500,000 at the beginning of the 20th century. The main threat to these beautiful animals is illegal hunting

ELEPHANTS

In Africa, the Big Five game animals are the lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo.

The term was coined by big-game hunters those days and refers to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot.

ELEPHANTS

** Elephant is one of the member BIG FIVE animals of Africa 

** There are three distinct species of elephant left in the world: The Asian elephant and Africa has the Forest Elephants and Savannah Elephant species.

** The word “elephant” comes from the Greek word “elephas” which means “ivory”

** The elephant’s gestation period is 22 months, longest than any other land animal in the world. A new born baby can weigh up to  125 to 150 Kgs. The baby can stand up shortly after being born.

** The average lifespan of an elephant is from 50 to 70 years. 

** In Africa Mail & Female both has Tusks, The tusks of an elephant are modified incisors that grow throughout an elephant’s lifetime. An adult male’s tusks grow about 7 inches a year. Tusks are used to dig for salt, water and roots, to debark trees, to clear a path and occasionally in fights. 

** The elephant’s trunk is a fusion of its nose and upper lip. It is the elephant’s most important limb. The trunk is sensitive enough to pick up a blade of grass and strong enough to rip the branches off a tree. The trunk is also used for drinking – the elephant can suck up to 14 litres of water at a time and then blow it straight into its mouth, When bathing, the elephant sucks water to spray on its body. It will then spray dirt and mud on its wet coat, which will dry and act as sunscreen.

** Elephants have two gaits – a walk and a faster gait that is similar to running. They cannot jump, trot or gallop, however they can swim and use their trunk as a snorkel.

**  The elephant’s very large ears are used to radiate excess heat away from the body.

** Elephant behavior is associated with a unique animal intelligence that displays grief, altruism, compassion, self-awareness, play, art and music

** There is a structured social order in the elephant’s lifestyle. The females spend their entire lives in tight family groups made up of mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters and daughters. The eldest female normally leads the group. Adult males prefer to live a bachelor lifestyle.