Africa is, after all, where humans, and life as we know it, seemingly originated. The wild life here is what early humans faced and overcame. They learned from the wild life, and the rest was passed on to us via genes (unless you believe that we came from Mars, Venus, or someplace out there.)
The wild life in Serengeti is still much like it was back then - survival of the fittest. The unwritten laws of the Jungle are so obvious to them, and way simpler than those we humans have created for ourselves. It is "to each its own" way to make it here - or pay the price. Simple as that! No "everybody is created equal;" No first amendment rights, No bullying, hate crimes, misogyny, phobias, alimony/child support, domestic violence, - only survival of the fittest.
Lifestyle:
Most predators here are solitary with the exception of lions, who live in prides consisting of multiple related females and their dependent offspring along with two or three unrelated males. A typical pride has about 15 members. Female lions do the hunting (usually in groups) while male lions stay back and watch over the pride. The males, however, are first to eat when the female lions come up with a kill.
Lions have higher cognitive ability because of their social structure. Cubs are never left alone. One or two babysitters will always keep constant watch while the cubs play, and other females hunt. They will even nurse cubs not their own - having synchronized reproductive cycles help. Males are out protecting their territory.
Non-predators (Prey) typically live in groups, small and large - from the Big Five (Elephants, Hippos, Giraffes) to the hoofed animals (wildebeest/gnu, zebra, gazelle, impala), and others. All hoofed animals have learned how to play the numbers game by staying in large groups as a defense against predators. All together, 1.5 million wildebeests, zebras and gazelles in Serengeti instinctively follow a 1800 mile clockwise migratory route year after year, while living their lives.
Most of these animals have dominant males, with the notable exception of elephants being a matriarchal species. Impalas have harems, with one dominant male guarding 25-50 females and their off-springs; Gazelles don't. As an exception, Dik Dik antelopes mate for life - so much so that if one of them dies, the other remains single. Otherwise, most animals are not monogamous.
Sexual behavior is for the most part reproductively motivated - often termed as mating. It occurs at estrus or when the female is "in heat," which increases the chances of successful impregnation. Because it's all about reproduction and not pleasure, for the good of the species, mating are quick. After all, it is a dangerous world out there, and it is not a survival advantage to be caught "with your pants down" while predators are lurking.
Some animal sexual behavior begins with competition - fighting between multiple males. Females often select males for mating only if they appear strong and able to protect themselves. The male that wins the fight may also have the chance to mate with a larger number of females ("harem") and pass on his genes to their offspring.
Incest, rape or homosexuality are generally not observed in the animal kingdom. Social hierarchy is understood and followed - and the penalty for not following could be harsh. What humans would consider bullying is just the way of life in Serengeti.
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| This NOT bullying; it is learning life skills. Mom is OK with that. |
Though it may seem cruel, when a dominant male takes over a new pride or harem, he kills off young ones from the previous male. Only then the nursing females come in to "heat" so the new male can propagate his genes quicker. Lions are (un)famously known for this behavior, but it is observed in others such as zebras as well.
When young reach a certain age, either the mother or the father will chase them out to find their own way in the world. No 26 year olds on parent's health insurance plans, or in mom's basement!
Size and appearance - In most species, males are larger - sometimes substantially so, whereas in other cases like Zebras, it is difficult to tell. Unlike lions where the females hunt, in humans, the physically stronger men did the hunting in almost all cultures, .
For the most part, males are the flashier of the two sexes in the animal kingdom. Prime examples include male lions and deer family males with antlers . Bird species like Ducks and Mallards, apes such as Baboons, and lots of other species also exhibit “sexual dimorphism,” scientific term for when males and females in a specie look different. Beauty is, of course, in the eye of the beholder. What humans would consider beautiful/handsome e.g. Peacock, may not be how a Peacock would perceive.
Typically, females are very choosy about which male they mate with. That means the male has to woo (perform, show off, or otherwise prove his worth) to be accepted by female(s.) Are us humans any different?
The handicap principle at work here is that animals, particularly males, evolve traits that are actually threatening to their survival. However by surviving, they show their strength and fitness and attract mates. Females are better being drab because they are less likely to get caught by predators. If that all makes sense!
Rearing Young:
Raising baby animals in the animal kingdom is not an easy task - for predators and prey alike. Shelter, sources of food and protection from predators (even predator babies have to watch out for other predators in early stages) are top priorities for rearing young. This responsibility falls on the parents of the offspring -- mostly on mothers. Dads often have little to do with rearing their offspring.
Among predators, whether solitary (leopard, cheetah) or not (lions), cubs are raised by mothers almost entirely. Other lionesses (aunts and sisters) do help out even with nursing, but males of the pride play no direct role except for providing protection to the entire pride.
The same goes for most of the prey animals as well. Baby animals are with their mothers until they are weaned. So often they follow their mothers like their shadow. It is hard to even see them separately - certainly for the predators. Luckily, on this safari, the animals was very close to us - 50 feet or less for the most part. These animals are not afraid of the Jeeps, which they treat as part of the landscape like rocks and trees, making it easier for us to observe up close..
In Serengeti, most animals have babies between Jan and Mar, during the rainy season when the food is plentiful. Predators tend to have a multiple babies, whereas most prey animals rear only one young at a time.
Because the father does not typically play a role after mating, these prey animals work as a herd to care for their young, so much so that they synchronize their reproductive season each year -- more than half a million wildebeest are typically born between February and March - within one week of each other. The calves are ready to walk and join the herd in as little as six minutes, run as fast in two days, and they shadow their mothers. If they get separated, no other mother will adopt them.
We visited in January (the main wildebeest event was a bit later), we saw babies - some very young - of all animals. At the same time, we also saw zebras and wildebeest males come in to rut and began fighting for the right to mate.as soon as it rained one day. Lions have no specific mating season, so we were able to witness that as well. I guess nature plays its role in ways we may not fully understand.
Survival techniques:
To protect themselves, Prey remain keenly aware of their surroundings at all times, and will watch each other's backs. They take short naps standing up unless they feel it is safe to sit down.
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| I'll watch your back while you watch mine. Any signs of danger, they will call out to everyone. |
They also know how much safe distance to keep between themselves and predators as you'd notice in You are not prey, if the predator is not hungry! Zebras, Wildebeests Impalas and Gazelles are not only fast, they also have great stamina, which allows them to outlast predators they cannot easily outrun - as long as they have enough head-start.
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| Watch the predator until they go far away! |
Predators (lions, leopards and cheetahs) can run fast too, but only in short bursts. They use up all their energy after the run, and must rest before trying an attack again. Hence, they rely on ambush by getting as close to the prey without being noticed. Even then, only one in five attacks are successful.
From time to time, mainly mid-day on a hot day, all animals need to get to a water hole for a drink. Prey know that it is the most dangerous part of their lives, and best opportunity for predators to make a kill. All the kills we saw were around water - by crocodiles in the water, and by lions when approaching a water hole.
This is how it worked. Wildebeests and zebras would gather on one side of a water hole safe distance away. Depending on the size and shape of the water hole - and the safe side, if any - a small group of animals would approach the water, stand still to let the mud to settle down so they can drink clearer water on top, and then walk, run or stampede away to the other side to wait for the rest of the herd. No traffic lights or cops to control how many animals at a time, or who goes first!
The theory is that these animals benefit from the eyes, ears and nostrils of others in the group to alert them to the presence of predators. Sometimes, zebras even cavort with other species, such as wildebeests and baboons, to increase their chances for detecting predators in advance. Additionally, the black and white stripes of the zebra make it hard for predators to single out any individual animal. We saw zebras and wildebeest mingled together everywhere, as if they were the same species.
If all this theory is true, then I was baffled. Watch the end of the sequence below and notice how close the lioness is to zebras/wildebeests approaching the water hole.
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| Lioness ready for ambush |
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| See how close the lioness is to zebras/wildebeests walking to get a drink of water. Under the large tree on the other side not too far were four male lions resting. |
If they were looking, they would have seen the danger signals visually. If by smell (don't know if prey could tell the difference between male and female lion smell), we were told that the male lion smell kept them away from the tree, which made sense. The female (lioness) also waited same distance away until she was ready to pounce.
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| Several Zebras and Wildebeests have already made it to the other side safely. |
Don't recall if zebras on the other side were sounding alarms. Even if they did, everyone still has to drink and then continue their migration forward. There was no alternative. May be it was fait accompli and someone would die (or not.) With so much food around, lions surely would not go hungry - it's just a matter of time.
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| Even hyenas know that a kill is imminent and are waiting for the spoils. |
If they were looking, sights of hyenas all around would have been another clue as to impending danger. And if nothing else, presence of our Jeeps - sight, sound and smell all combined - should be a sure sign of a pending lion ambush - wonder if Serengeti's Prey animals would ever figure that out!
Or, may be, they were just playing the odds. If it's my time to go, so be it; otherwise, I'll live another day. Life goes on...
To complete the story, the hunt failed. Lioness went for a zebra, but couldn't pick one in time. Lioness then went for a drink of water and then wandered away to rest like she did previously. If there was a second lioness around, the results could have been different. Hyenas now would have to wait longer for food. They also drank water and moved on.
Prey ran back where they came from. (Those who had finished drinking went to the other side.) They would wait for some time before returning to water. Little did they know that NOW was the safest time to drink - there was no more danger at that moment.
Who's on first - hierarchy of the Jungle:
Lions may be the undisputed king of the Jungle - they certainly are, but there are limitations.
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| King of the Jungle - nothing to fear! |
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| But the King still has to watch his kill... |
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| otherwise someone may try to take a bite or two. |
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| When someone larger passes by, move out of the way (and watch!) |
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| When a lion appears, leopard has to leave its meal on the ground and run up the tree (hiding, not visible) |
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| Smaller crocs and Marabu Storks must wait until mother croc is done eating |
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| When hyena is eating, vultures must wait |
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| Only then vultures get a free hand at whatever remains. |
Other interesting observations:
- Like many other predators and even humans, lions track movement so if you remain still, you are probably OK. Prey typically freeze ("deer in headlights") and watch the predator and run away if they feel threatened.
- Along the same lines, most adults - impala, gazelle, zebra, wildebeest, buffalo - who happen to be on the dirt road, had figured out how to escape approaching vehicles simply by taking off to one side or another and get out of the harms way. Only young ones occasionally tried to out run our vehicle until they wised up. That was certainly a good survival training against their real predators.
- Because the entire area is covered with ash from surrounding volcanoes like Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya, combine that with low rains, makes the landscape more suitable for grasses than trees. Acacia trees have shallow roots and therefore they can survive in this environment as well. Giraffes and elephants eat acacia leaves. Most others (including elephants) eat grasses and shrubs.
- Forest fires serve the purpose of rejuvenating the landscape by returning nutrients back in the soil. Because grass grows from the roots not at top, fire doesn't kill it. As soon as it rains, grasses reclaim the landscape - as we all know.
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About Zebra babies - Like their mothers, baby zebras have stripes from birth. Unlike their mothers, however, baby zebra stripes aren't black and white, but rather brown and white. This changes gradually and by the time the young zebras have reached their full size, they'll be completely black and white, just like the rest of their herd. All zebras have unique stripe patterns -- a little like human fingerprints -- which can help mothers recognize their offspring, and vice versa, even within large groups.
- Baby zebras need their stripes from birth as a camouflage - the pattern rather than the color - that helps them hide from predators. Lions, the main predators of zebras, are colorblind, so if a zebra stands still among tall grass, she's often not even spotted. Their stripes can also confuse potential predators. When they travel in herds they stick close together, and the pattern of one zebra's stripes appears to become merged in with the stripes of the zebra next to her. This makes it harder for predators to pick out an individual animal to attack.
- Just came across a YouTube video which encapsulates just about everything we were able to witness during our safari. Of course, NatGeo did a fantastic job compared photos and descriptions I compiled here, but there is no comparison between watching a video and Being There!
