Mara reserve is 10x larger than the Serengeti at 15,000 square kilometers. While we spent hours driving around, I’m sure we were just barely scratching the surface of all there is to see on the Mara Reserve. Most people come to the park looking to see the Big Five: elephant buffalo leopard rhino lion. They are called the Big 5 because they are notoriously difficult to kill and as it turns out, they are pretty tricky to spot too. I ended up getting to see 3/5 of them. I missed out on the rhino and the leopard. Keep scrolling for some of the furry, feathery, and ferocious friends I met in my safari....
Also, I apologized for the quality of some of the pictures. They were all taken on my phone and the lighting wasn’t always great. So here are a of the animals that I saw:
This is a male impala. Typically there is 1 male and dozens of females that live together. The male is very territorial of his females and the land they live on and doesn’t hesitate to fight off other male impala. Impala are very observant in keeping watch of their surroundings because they are prey for all the jungle cats.
This is a wildebeest. Each year nearly 1.5 million of them migrate across the Mara river. They can run super fast and this helps them avoid the crocodiles as they cross the river. Even the young run fast too. Our Safari Guide told us that within 10 minutes after birth the wildebeast calf can run as fast as the mom.
This is a crowned crane. I’ll bet you can’t guess why.... it’s distinctive for its golden crown as well as the black and white patches on its face.
The giraffes were my favorite! I learned that as they age their coloring becomes darker. Did you know they are capable of killing lions? Apparently they can because of their strong bones.
Elephants are matriarchal and have impressive memories. They can communicate with one another and have special ways of mourning their dead. Elephants are always eating and consume around 260 kg per day of food.
This is a baboon. They have super cute babies and are always on the run from the leopards who hunt them.
Did you know that zebra stripes are as distinctive as a human fingerprint? No two are the same! Sometimes they fight by butting heads. I got to witness this on day 3.
Lions are hunters and prey on many other safari animals. Despite their reputation as hunters, they only hunt for 100 meters before giving up and taking another nap. After a meal they can spend up to 4 days sleeping while their bodies digest the food. Each morning the male lion urinates around his territory to protect his pride. No pride territories overlap.
Ostriches are such quirky creatures. Males (like the one pictured above) tend to have black and white coloring while females tend to be grey.
Hippos spend most of their time in the water because their skin is sensitive to direct sunlight. At night they wade out of the water and into the grasslands to graze and return to the water by sunrise.
Did you know that crocodiles have lots of sharp teeth but no tongue? They wait along the riverbank until gazelles come to drink water and then they attack.
I met lots of wart hogs along the journey. I’m sure Pumba was among them. They are funny looking pigs with long snouts, tiny tails, and impressive mullets.
These are cheetah. Sometimes people confuse them with leopards because of their similar costs. You can tell the two apart by the teardrops in the corners of their eyes and the shapes of their bodies. They are ground dwellers and like to sun bathe. I also met lots of other animals, but the pictures I took of them didn’t turn out so well: * Mongoose * monkeys * antelope * gazelle * topi * go away bird * buffalo * White butterflies * Ground hornbill * hartebeast * stork * Water bucks * and the lilac breasted rollerbird (nation bird of Kenya) I’m sure I missed out on lots of little creatures like bugs and birds that help keep the safari ecosystem going too. What an incredible opportunity to take in the breathtaking beauty of each precious creature made by our Creator! ~ Nell in Nairobi