Extended KTP Trip oct 2013

[Toko]

The squirrels are the most beautiful little animals to watch

I hope you saw a Toko

[Mel]

GUESS WHAT ANIMAL WE SAW NEXT????

[Toko]

Do you want it, Mel?

[Mel]

[Tina]

Mel Please don't make him hurry even more. I have a hard time to keep up already.

wonderful pictures of the springbok, Kesheshe

I love the squirrels and the mongoose

regarding the dune - we tried left and failed three times but we managed right at the first attempt

[Lisbeth]

[Kesheshe]

tina no surprised it is a bit of a mess. we went left and got out first time but we have been driving in sand for years. I can understand why people struggle.

Day 8 - 10th October - (Continued)

After stretching our legs at union end we turned around and headed south back towards Grootkolk on arriving at union ends waterhole we had the most surprising sighting. As we turned the corner about 50 – 75 metres away from the waterhole I saw some movement but couldn't not identify the animal type but could see that it was not an antelope.

Remembering that we were on the Nossob river bed I assumed lion as this entire river bed is dominated with lion. We drove up very slowly hoping the animal or whatever it was would not move. This proved to be successful as we reached the waterhole the following was lying waiting for us.

Cheetah

Their deep chests and enlarged hearts, lungs and nostrils help cheetahs take in more oxygen during intense chases. Their high-set eyes have a 210-degree field of view. Non-retractable claws help them gain traction when running on soft ground, and their tails help them balance as they make sharp, high-speed turns while chasing their prey.

Full-grown cheetahs are about 4 feet (1.2 m) long, not including a 30-inch (76-centimeter) tail. They weigh about 75 to 145 pounds (34 to 66 kilograms) and are 2 to 3 feet (0.6 to 0.9 m)tall at the shoulder.

Cheetahs' golden coats are embellished with many small black spots, which helps them blend in with their grassy habitat.


Sobers left, Botham right

Not only did we have cheetah not 2 but 4. It appears to be a mother and 3 older sub adults. They were lying in the sand no more than 5 metres from the road. Can any one help with the ID?


Left to right: Sobers, Botham, Kallis, Kapildev


Sobers left, Botham right


Sobers front, Botham back


Kallis


Sobers front, Botham back


Kapildev


Sobers left, Botham right


Sobers left, Botham right


Kapildev

[Mel]

Botham, Sobers, Kallis and Kapildev.

[Toko]

Aha and who is who?

great

[Kesheshe]

Day 8 - 10th October - (Continued)

It was one of those special times in KTP where we had the animals close calm and all to ourselves. We spend a good 30 minutes with them before they slowly got up and calmly strolled off to a shaded tree about 300 metres from the waterhole.

Cheetah

Cheetahs can breed at any time of year, but they tend to mate in the dry season. Baby cheetahs are born about three months later, at the start of the wet season. There are usually three to five cubs in a litter, and each new born cheetah cub weighs only 5 to 10 ounces (142 to 284 grams).

The mother cheetah hides her cubs until they're five or six weeks old; after that, the cubs follow their mom and share her kills. They wean when they're around three months old and live with their mother for about 18 months. The female cubs then head off on their own, while the males remain together for life in a coalition.

Cheetahs live to be about 12 years old in the wild.


Kapildev


Sobers back, Botham front


Kapildev


Kallis left, Kapildev right


Kapildev


Sobers left, Kapildev right


Sobers left, Kapildev right


Sobers left, Kapildev right


Sobers left, Kapildev right


Sobers left, Kapildev right