Hello everyone! Mike could not post this week, so I'll do something different for this week's highlights–the last one of 2023. As I try to catch up with my backlog of this year's nature shots and upload them in iNaturalist, I am transported back to the Ugandan savanna, where I spent a few days after the conference in Rwanda, where we were invited to talk about best practices in nature conservation focused participatory science. You've heard us talk a lot about the importance of that talk and less about the nature I got to experience over there. So, let me share a few moments with you.
Here's a sweet shot of a young calf nursing one late afternoon. This is this time of the day when Ugandan kobs need to be alert for predators.
The Ugandan Kob is a subspecies of the kob antelope found in sub-Saharan Africa (specifically in South Sudan, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo). It typically displays a reddish-brown hue, setting it apart from other kob subspecies. Its robust build resembles that of an impala, with only males possessing lyre-shaped, strongly ridged, and divergent horns. Male kobs are slightly larger than their female counterparts. Ugandan kobs contribute as both prey and grazers and, therefore, serve a crucial role in the ecosystem. Their consumption of grass helps maintain the plains in a state of re-growth, fostering the growth of new vegetation. Additionally, they serve as a vital food source for larger predators such as cheetahs, lions, hyenas, African wild dogs, and occasionally larger snakes. Little trivia: The Ugandan kob is featured on Uganda's coat of arms alongside a grey-crowned crane, symbolizing the country's rich wildlife.
Speaking of predators, not long after, we spotted a few lionesses digesting their dinner. I am going to assume that at least one kob is missing from that area (be reassured: that would be one different from that calf). Can you see that rotund belly?
To end these highlights, here's the fantastic face of a resting hippo. Look at that mustache!
Here are a few interesting things about those river horses (Hippopotamus is an ancient Greek word meaning river horse, despite the fact that the two animals are not closely related). Hippos spend roughly 16 out of every 24 hours in the water. Their eyes, nose, and ears are on the top of their head, meaning they can see and breathe whilst submerged in the water. Hippos are very protective of their group, which is called a bloat. They can open their huge mouths and display their long, curved canines to warn off rival males. One last piece of knowledge: Hippos secrete an oily red substance, which gave rise to the myth that they sweat blood. It's not blood: the liquid is a skin moistener and sunblock that may protect against germs.
A few more African nature shots from that trip? here.
Mike will be back in 2024! No worries, that means next week!
A wonderful New Year to all, and may 2024 be a grand year where biodiversity is given a chance to bounce back everywhere–there in faraway lands and here, in Massachusetts, where most of us live!
