Mammals - Flora & Fauna

The subspecies of the Wildebeest found in the Maasai Mara is C.t.albojubatus; the Western White Bearded Gnu. There are several other subspecies found throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. This Alcelaphine is synonymous with the Maasai Mara and Serengeti ecosystem, because of the mass migration that occurs all year round in the ecosystem but is particularly spectacular in the smaller area of the Maasai Mara between July and October.

Of all the cats, the Lion is the only one with pronounced sexual dimorphism, where the male starts developing a mane by 2 yrs old and is really in its fullest and the animal in its prime between 5-6 years of age.

The Cheetah is the fastest mammal on earth, able to reach speeds of upto 112 km/h which they can keep up for a few hundred meters. However being built for speed and losing mass and power; they are unable to fend off even some of the smaller scavengers, and so eat as quickly as possible when they make a kill. They are able to consume 14 kgs in one sitting.

Typically males can be distinguished from females by their size and more muscular shoulders. Leopards are the strongest of the cats ‘pound for pound’ and their ability to drag prey of the same weight up trees. This is done so that the meat is not found by scavengers and vultures.

Hippos are highly gregarious in water, during the day and solitary grazers in the grasslands at night. Herds typically number 10-15 animals and get even more territorial as the dry season extends. Hippos lose water from their bodies very quickly and so have to stay submerged (can do so for up to 5 mins) so as not to dehydrate and overheat. They sometimes seem like they are bleeding but in fact it’s a red fluid secreted from the mucous glands (they have no sweat or scent glands), which helps protect them against sunburn and water loss. The bulls control about 50-100 meters of river stretch and can graze for about 5 hours at night, over an area of up to 10 kms. Surprisingly fast on land at 30-40 km/h, they need stable bottoms to ‘gallop’ on in the river.

Unlike its exclusively African (in origin) relative the White Rhino, the Black Rhino originated from Europe in the Pliocene era and is one of only 3 genera that survived from original 30 genus found throughout North America, Africa and Europe. The gestation of the one calf takes 15-16 months and the calf stays with the mother until it’s between 2.5-3.5 years old, and so they breed fairly slowly. So, the poaching of Rhino horn (for use in the Middle East and Asia), has and is a big problem for this animal. There are believed to be only about 4,000 left in Africa. The colour is dark grey and not black. It differs from the White Rhino in that it is smaller, it has a hook lip that it uses to browse on bushes rather than graze.

The name Zebra is derived from the Italian and Portuguese names given to the species in Zaire. It evolved from an early horse line that dates all the way back 60 millions years, but the Zebra only emerged in the early Pleistocene 2 million years ago.

The Spotted Hyena, despite its reputation, is one of the most fascinating and successful carnivores in sub-Saharan Africa. Long considered a ‘hermaphrodite’ the Hyena female has ‘pseudo male genitals’ that have been believed to have developed because of its social structure and an increase in testosterone in its fetal stages. Highly social, based on female controlled clans, the hyena competes with the lion as the ‘super predator’ in savanna systems.

Giraffe have little sexual dimorphism other than males being taller and having heavier straighter horns. The Maasai Giraffe differ from other races in having dark brown blotches as opposed to blocks. Aided by a 45 cms long tongue and a modified atlas-axis joint the Giraffe can feed on most heights of trees, of which Acacias are their favourite; big bulls being able to feed at heights of 19 ft. An astounding number of special features allow this ruminating animal to survive in most ecosystems with appropriate food. They are non territorial and associate in loose herds, the only real bonds being between mother and calf until 1.5 years old.

Size, mass and even colour (due to soil colour) differ greatly with distribution. A highly intelligent animal that can subsist in virtually any habitat, but it is now being restricted by human exploitation, encroachment of nomadic routes and waterholes. Elephants are highly sociable and have similar life cycles to humans. The maternity herd is very protective of young, but males are ‘ejected at 12-15 years old, after which they become nomadic males, often associating with other males. Males tend to have thicker tusks and more rounded foreheads than the females who have thinner tusks and more square shaped foreheads.

Colloquially known as the ‘Tommie’ this short grassland specialist, is often confused with the much larger (38-80kgs) Grants Gazelle, however it is more easily identified by its thicker black tail, shorter horns and more obvious black stripe on the flank.

The African buffalo is a member of the so-called “Big Five” group of animals, with the elephant, rhino, lion and leopard. Once popular trophies for hunters, these large and often dangerous animals have continued to capture the imagination. Buffaloes have earned a bad reputation from hunters and other people who come in close contact with them. They are unpredictable and can be dangerous if cornered or wounded.

Grant’s Gazelle is a large, rather pale, gazelle found in the Maasai Mara National Reserve. They are found in mixed gruops alongside other herbivores, and feed on herbs and foliage of shrubs but in the start of the wet season, they eat the grass while it is young and green.

The topi is a medium-sized antelope with a striking reddish-brown to purplish-red coat that is glossy, even iridescent in bright sunlight. Distinct black patches appear on the face, the upper forelegs and on the hips and thighs. To complete its singular appearance, the topi’s yellowish-tan legs look like they are encased in stockings.

The hartebeest is a large, fawn-colored antelope. It is one of the fastest antelopes and most enduring runners. These qualities gave rise to its name, which means “tough ox.” Its sedentary lifestyle seems to inhibit the mixing of populations and gene flow; as a result, there are several subspecies of hartebeest.

Often in East Africa called the Silver Back Jackal because of the grizzled silver/black stripe down the back of this dog like carnivore. In fact the closest animal to the domestic dog, the Jackal is the quintessential scavenger/opportunistic carnivore in the African bush. They are territorial, monogamous and dominate other jackals in the acacia woodland. They are omnivorous, but importantly to pup survival; ‘helpers’ contribute up to 30% of the meat regurgitations to the pups and the lactating mother (although on a quarter of pups become helpers as opposed to all in golden jackals).

The bat-eared fox’s name comes from its enormous ears, which are large in proportion to its head like those of many bats. The size ranges from 18 to 26 inches long and weigh 7 to 12kg. The body is generally yellow-brown; the throat and underparts are pale. The outsides of the ears, the raccoon-like “face-mask,” lower legs, feet, and tail tip are all black.

African hares are 20 inches long and 4 pounds. The hare’s strong hind foot measures about 4 inches and the mobile ears are as long or longer. The hare can make spectacular leaps of up to 10 feet.
Hares eat leaves, buds, roots, berries, fungi, bark and twigs. And, like rabbits, hares produce two types of droppings — the first is soft and rich in vitamins and is re-ingested for maximum nutrient gain; the second is hard, dry and pellet-like.

Aardvark is a burrowing mammal with a long snout, powerful claws, long tongue, and heavy tail. They are nocturnal creatures that feed on insects. They have an almost hairless body with a strongly arched back.

Aardwolf is a small animal similar looking to a hyena but eats insects, birds and lizards.. It has a very unique mane down the middle of its neck and black stripes on a yellow colored fur. Its teeth and head are very similar to the hyena, although the teeth and tongue are geared toward eating insects.

The Olive Baboon is also know as the Anubis Baboon. They have an olive green/grey coat that covers their bodies and a black face. The males have a mane of hair starting at their head going around their shoulders and gradually shortening towards their back. Males also have large canine teeth where as the teeth of females are much smaller. They move around on all four limbs.

Bush babies are small arboreal and nocturnal primates with large round eyes that are good for night vision and exceptionally fine hearing ability. They are gentle furry creatures that feed in seeds, nuts, fruits, flowers and insects.

The bushback is a sub-Saharan antelope found in rain forests, montane forests, forest-savanna mosaics and bush savannas.

The Caracal in appearance resembles the Lynx in having characteristic dark tufts on its large, pointed ears and is indeed often referred to as the African Lynx or Desert Lynx, however the caracal is not closely related to the true lynx species.

The Civet is a small arboreal mammal with black and white stripes and blotches on their coats. These are as unique and distinct as fingerprints on human beings.

These are small antelopes that live in the bushes. The females are larger than the males. The males have horns about 3 inches long. The upper body is grey-brown while the lower parts of the body are tan.

Duikers are small antelopes found in the bushy areas of the Maasai Mara. They feed on leaves, flowers and seeds.

Impalas are medium-sized antelopes that roam the savanna and light woodlands of eastern and southern Africa. In the rainy season, when food is plentiful, they may gather in large herds of several hundred animals to browse on grasses and herbs, bushes, shrubs, and shoots.

Banded mongooses are small carnivores, similar in look to a weasel or cat, mongooses have brown and gray fur.

The vervet monkey is a small, black faced monkey with a greenish-olive or silvery-gray body, found in the Mara.