Ready to go on safari? No promises, now. When you’re on safari, you just see what you see. You can’t make wild animals appear at a command, as if by magic. After all, we are visitors in their world. Africa does have an incredible variety of wild animals, though, so I’m sure we’ll run across some exciting ones.
While most monkeys live in trees, baboons spend most of their time on the ground. Looking at this fellow, it’s no wonder most scientists believe that people and monkeys have common ancestors that lived millions of years ago. This baboon looks at least as intelligent as most of the people I work with!
Now, why are there snakes on all my tours? I don’t believe my contract said anything about this! Well, at least this is not a threatening one. If you told this snake to “go suck an egg”, it would be more than happy to accommodate! Now, fortunately, this serpent has no venom, so it isn’t considered dangerous. Unless, of course, you’re an egg farmer!
Oh, no! Why me?! These two snakes are very dangerous indeed! The puff adder sucks in air to make itself look even fatter than it is. And you’d do well to heed its warning, because its next move is a deadly bite. The Gaboon viper holds two records in the serpent world: it’s the largest viper on the continent of Africa, and it has the longest fangs of any snake on earth. …What’s that? Oh, no! I’m sure none of us really want to see the snake’s fangs! You’ll just have to take my word for it! Give them a wide berth!
Now, here’s a creature that’s happy to see snakes! When a secretary bird spies a snake slithering through the grass, the bird leaps on it and does a rather impressive tap dance on the serpent with its clawed feet. Once the snake has been stomped into a suitably flattened form, the bird rips it apart with its sharp beak, and gulps it down. Not a pretty picture – at least from the snake’s point of view!
What a monster! Any secretary bird that tries to stomp this giant rock python is going to end up with sprained feet! Or worse, as the snake’s dinner! Rock pythons can weigh as much as several grown men, and they’re solid muscle. Don’t antagonise this one! We don’t want a wrestling match!
No visit to the savannah would be complete without a glimpse of a cheetah, the fastest animal on land. Well, these particular cheetahs don’t look too swift, do they? Well, like most cats, cheetahs spend more time lying around sleeping than they do hunting. This mum looks like she could use a long nap! Six cubs can slow down even the fastest feline!
Here are two savannah cats that don’t get nearly the publicity that cheetahs do. That’s probably because they’re smaller, so they’re not so easily spotted among the tall grasses, and they do most of their hunting at night. This serval, and especially this caracal, don’t look too happy that we woke them up, do they? We’d better drive on, before they’re fully alert!
Ah, nature’s bulldozers! Did you know that elephants help to keep the savannah a wide-open prairie? Elephants strip leaves and bark from acacia trees, sometimes knocking the trees down to get at the uppermost branches. But they don’t just destroy trees: they also plant new ones, by distributing the seeds in their dung. Without elephants, the savannah would soon become a forest, and the animals that depended on the grasses would be in trouble.
Now, what spooked these warthogs? I didn’t think we were that intimidating! These animals get their name from the big warts on their faces. I don’t see any warts on this side, though.
Ah-ha! Look up, and you’ll see what the warthogs are running from. These leopards look pretty tranquil at the moment, but they have been known to leap out of trees, onto animals passing below. I always say, when tramping through the African bush, keep one eye on the ground (remember those snakes), one eye straight ahead, and another trained on the limbs above. …Well, that makes three eyes, doesn’t it? What I mean to say is, just keep a lookout in all directions!
And here’s one of the reasons why. Some snakes climb trees as well as slither across the ground. This is a black mamba, one of the fastest and most dangerous snakes in Africa. Uh-oh! Is it looking in our direction? Quick, let’s get out of here and head down to the river! It’s normally a peaceful spot. No serpents dropping out of trees there!
There are often predators here, having a drink or waiting for dinner to stroll by. These two mother lions look as though they’ve come down to give their cubs a good dunking, although I’m sure that’s not the case. Like all cats, lions wash their fur with their tongues. Imagine having to wash your entire body with your tongue! Why, my feet would never be clean! Not to mention… other parts! I’m glad we have washcloths and towels, aren’t you?
Hear that? That’s our signal to clear out! The hippos are coming out of the water for their nightly grazing, and they’re not keen on sharing their territory with people. I’ve seen those jaws reduce a large gourd to pulp in a single chomp! I don’t even want to think about what they could do to people!
But what’s that rumbling noise? Is that dust rising over the hill?
Stay in the vehicle, or you’ll be trampled! Wildebeests are rather single-minded creatures, and when they’re migrating, they often plunge through barriers of all kinds, including through roaring rivers, over cliffs… or through a group of tourists on safari!
This is only the beginning of the great migration. But it’s the end of this tour. We’ve seen hundreds of grazing animals, quite a few of the big predators… and, of course, those ever-present snakes.
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