Flavour of the month - Nov/Dec 2018: S132 and Letaba River Road

[Lisbeth]

A pity that there is no

[Richprins]

Some Oct. 2013 pics of the road south of the bridge:

























viewtopic.php?f=46&t=5725&start=110

[Richprins]

And looking at fish nests from the bridge:


We stopped on the Letaba High Bridge for quite a while, and I did what I loved...checking out fish!



My eagle eye spotted this depression through the clear water..a kurper or tilapia breeding hole, IMO?











They make these things and hang around there while mouth-brooding...quite an unusual fish thing!



Reproduction

In the first step in the reproductive cycle for Mozambique tilapia, males excavate a nest into which a female can lay her eggs. After the eggs are laid, the male fertilizes them. Then the female stores the eggs in her mouth until the fry hatch; this act is called mouthbrooding. One of the main reasons behind the aggressive actions of Mozambique tilapias is access to reproductive mates. The designation of Mozambique tilapias as an invasive species rests on their life-history traits: Tilapias exhibit high levels of parental care as well as the capacity to spawn multiple broods through an extended reproductive season, both contributing to their success in varying environments. In the lek system, males congregate and display themselves to attract females for matings. Thus, mating success is highly skewed towards dominant males, who tend to be larger, more aggressive, and more effective at defending territories. Dominant males also build larger nests for the spawn. During courtship rituals, acoustic communication is widely used by the males to attract females. Studies have shown that females are attracted to dominant males who produce lower peak frequencies as well as higher pulse rates. At the end of mating, males guard the nest while females take both the eggs and the sperm into their mouth. Due to this, Mozambique tilapias can occupy many niches during spawning since the young can be transported in the mouth. These proficient reproductive strategies may be the cause behind their invasive tendencies.

Male Mozambique tilapias synchronize breeding behavior in terms of courtship activity and territoriality in order to take advantage of female spawning synchrony. One of the costs associated with this synchronization is the increase in competition among males, which are already high on the dominance hierarchy. As a result, different mating tactics have evolved in these species. Males may mimic females and sneak reproduction attempts when the dominant male is occupied. Likewise, another strategy for males is to exist as a floater, travelling between territories in an attempt to find a mate. Nevertheless, it is the dominant males who have the greatest reproductive advantage.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozambique_tilapia




More nests!



























And then a predator! The infamous Great Brown....rarely seen in the Letaba!













https://www.africawild-forum.com/viewto ... &start=130

[Richprins]

A scenery pic from just south of the camp:

[Flutterby]

That's a very clever pic!

[Richprins]

It won a month prize back in 2015, didn't it?

[Lisbeth]

For sure it is intriguing for a moment

[Richprins]

Kruger Sightings
‏Verified account @LatestKruger
52m52 minutes ago

8:45 am
1 Honey badger On the move
S44, 1km N of Olifants lookout
5/5
Near Olifants
Tinged by Cindy
(Photo)

[Richprins]

Kruger Sightings
‏Verified account @LatestKruger
1h1 hour ago

9:00 am
10 Southern Ground-hornbill stationary
'Two more groups of ground hornbills on either side of the dam wall.'
S46, at the Engelhart Dam
Near Letaba
3/5
Tinged by Graham K

[Lisbeth]