200 different Animals for a Non-birder on a Winter Trip?

[Flutterby]

Unique way of doing a TT.

You seem to have seen everything on this trip...eland, sable, roan and even suni!!

[Pumbaa]

Spectacular presentation, Toko,

and on top informative

Keep it coming

[Toko]

Nile crocodile Crocodylus niloticus


Kruger National Park, 29 August 2014

One of the largest of all crocodilians, the Nile crocodile is a supremely adapted aquatic predator, with a streamlined body, a long, powerful tail, webbed hind feet, and long, powerful jaws, ideally suited for grabbing and holding onto prey. The eyes, ears and nostrils are located on top of the head, allowing the crocodile to lie low in the water, almost totally submerged and hidden from prey. A special valve at the back of the throat allows the mouth to be opened to catch and hold prey underwater without water entering the throat.
In addition to a good sense of smell and excellent night vision, the Nile crocodile also possess sensory pits in the scales along the side of the jaw, used to detect movement and vibrations in the water. Like all true crocodiles, the enlarged fourth tooth on the lower jaw is clearly visible when the mouth is closed, a feature which distinguishes this group from other crocodilians, such as alligators.

Total length: up to 6 m. Hatchling length: c. 31 cm. Weight: up to 1000 kg

The Nile crocodile shows a shift in diet with increasing body size. Young individuals usually feed on insects, small fish, amphibians and crustaceans, the diet changing to include more vertebrates, including fish, turtles, birds and mammals, as the individual matures. The largest Nile crocodiles are capable of taking prey up to the size of antelope, buffalo, zebras and wildebeest, dragging the prey into the water and spinning the body around to tear off chunks of flesh.

Like other reptiles, the Nile crocodile controls its body temperature by entering the water when hot and basking in the sun when cool, and basking crocodiles are often a common sight along riverbanks. It may also dig dens, which it uses to retreat from adverse environmental conditions. The Nile crocodile has quick reflexes and is a surprisingly fast runner on land, though it may tire quickly.

Breeding usually takes place during the dry season. Mating takes place in the water. The nest is a hole, up to 50 cm deep, dug by the female into a sandy bank, several metres from the water. The female Nile crocodile is an attentive parent, and, after laying up to around 60 eggs, will cover the nest with sand and guard it for the entire incubation period, around 90 days.

Sex in the Nile crocodile is determined by the temperature at which the eggs are incubated, with females produced below 31 degrees Celsius, and males at above 31 to 34 degrees Celsius. When about to hatch, the young make a “peeping” noise, which encourages the female to excavate the nest. The female then gathers the hatchlings in her mouth and transports them to the water, where they remain in a group for several months, protected by the female. However, despite this care and vigilance, nests may be raided by a variety of other animals, and hatchling crocodiles are very vulnerable to predation.

[Mel]

The way the gender is determined, is fascinating I think. Is this unique or are there other animals that have temperature as the determinant?

[Toko]

Not super unique, Mel. Temperature-dependent sex determination is most prevalent and common in turtles and alligators. One reason why global warming could lead to extinction of some marine turtles

Leatherback turtles are already on the brink of extinction and higher sand temperatures during egg incubation lead to disproportionately higher numbers of female turtles.

[Mel]

Thanks for the info!

And about the leatherback turtles. Of course, there will be a disproportion between the genders when it's getting warmer and warmer.
Didn't think before

[Toko]

Gemsbok Oryx gazella


Mapungbwe National Park, 22 August 2014


Length: 198 – 216 cm
Male weight: 240 kg
Female weight: 210 kg
The most distinctive features of this heavily built antelope are its long, rapier-shaped horns and striking black and white facial markings. The body is fawn-grey with a black stripe along the side separating the upperparts from the white underparts, and there are extensive black areas on its upper legs. The gemsbok has a long, horse-like tail, and whilst both sexes possess the impressive horns, those of the male are shorter and more robust than the female’s. Gemsbok calves lack any black body markings.

Gemsboks are gregarious animals, usually found in herds of up to 30 individuals. Gemsbok feed primarily on grass but when this is not available they will browse on shrubs, trees and herbs. During periods of drought, they obtain moisture from roots and tubers which are dug up with their hooves.
From the age of five or six, male gemsboks establish territories. These territories are around 25 square kilometres and may be defended for up to three years. During this period, the male rounds up herds of females and young gemsbok into his territory to gain sole mating rights with receptive females. Single calves are born to females older than two years, after a pregnancy of around 264 days. The calf remains hidden during the day, but may venture out at night with the mother to a new site. At three to six weeks of age, the calf will join the herd. Gemsboks have a lifespan of around twenty years.

The gemsbok has an extensive, although patchy, distribution in south-west Africa, occurring in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. It also occurred in Angola, although is believed to be extinct there now.

Adapted to waterless wastelands uninhabitable for most large mammals, Gemsboks inhabit semi-arid and arid bushland and grassland of the Kalahari and Karoo and adjoining regions of Southern Africa. They are is equally at home on sandy and stony plains and alkaline flats. It ranges over high sand dunes and climbs mountains to visit springs and salt licks.
Although they are predominantly grazers, they broaden their diets in the dry season to include a greater proportion of browse, ephemerals and Acacia pods. They drink water regularly when available, but can get by on water-storing melons, roots, bulbs, and tubers, for which it digs assiduously. The gemsbok is remarkably adapted to its arid environment; particularly noteworthy is its ability to survive without drinking water for most of the year. It conserves water within its body by lying in the shade during the hottest part of the day, and restricts activity to early mornings, late afternoons or the cool nights. The gemsbok does not waste precious moisture on panting or sweating, but instead allows its body temperature to rise by a few degrees above normal on hot days.

[Mel]

Beautiful antelopes they are!

And funny as well... Although it was really, really wet in the Kalahari when we were there, we often found Oryx occupying the waterholes.
But they weren't drinking, they only dug for minerals to lick.

[Lisbeth]

How come that there are oryx in Mapungbwe, which is certainly not arid nor semi-arid

[Toko]

Mapungubwe has different habitats, I haven't found many Oryx there. usually only one or two sightings on a trip and always in the dry Mopani shrubland. I think, they don't go down to the river valley