Africa - Through the Eyes of Carlos Lopes

Africa

Through the Eyes of Carlos Lopes

Mandrill

Very unusual specimen of baboon... one for the shortlist, endemic to Cameroon, but not easily found. Extremely aggressive and colors on muzzle become more vivid during mating season. In the baboon family, the Mandrill has the biggest and most colorful of the heads. It's diet is similar to the Olive Baboon and it sleeps at night on trees, foraging during the day... unusually, females are mostly arboreal. The longest recorded canine tooth in relation to skull size is the Mandrill's, reaching some 7 cm in length on the exposed part.

Buffalo

Old 'dagga' boys (bush terminalia) are so dangerous that including them in the Big Five selection was obvious. Buffalo are exceptionally aggressive if injured, and found in thick bush. Strangely, these animals prefer old grass to new grass. Gregarious in behaviour, buffalo occur in herds of several thousand elements. The dominant bull is normally the oldest in the herd. When ousted from the throne, it then becomes extremely solitary and bad tempered - and not shy to put it's 800 kgs build and massively built horns to use on anything that moves.

Springbok

The only true gazelle in South Africa (the impala is not a gazelle), inhabits the more arid, western parts of the country. They roamed free in their millions in the early part of the 20th century, migrating en masse and rivaling the East African wildebeest migrations of today... a sight to behold (Boers often called it the migrating buck - trekbokke). In the field one recognizes it easily by their graceful and proud trot (a springy high step, accompanied by head shaking). The shape of it's ridged horns is most complex and unusual.

Crocodile

Powerful predator of the rivers of Africa, this pre-historic looking reptilian amazes any discerning wildlife serious student - from the iso organs (the skin based sensory receptors) up to the palatal valve (which keeps water out of the throat underwater), not to mention the nictitating membrane that covers the eye to see underwater... and from an animal with such small brain. Capable of staying underwater for 30 minutes and much more (heart rate drops to 3 beats p/min, and it closes valves redirecting the blood to essential areas only, enabling less usage of oxygen). This one was photographed some 2 kms away from water in the Umhlametsi area.