Starting Sept. 22 or so, readers should consider sending me wildlife photos when I’m in Poland, so that these posts can continue (I do have a backlog, but one never knows. . )
Reader Bob Lundgren takes us back to where some species of hominins evolved: the savannas of Africa. And here are our evolutionary cousins in the same area. (Remember that “gnus” is just another name for “wildebeest”.)
Attached are some photos of the wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) migration in Tanzania with Burchell’s zebras (Equus quagga) thrown in. These were taken in the northwestern corner of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is located southeast of Serengeti National Park and hosts the migration during the winter months when the “short rains” occur greening up the short-grass plains. The migration happens throughout the year and moves in a roughly clockwise direction following availability of water from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area/Southern Serengeti in January to the Masai Mara Nation Reserve (Kenya)/Northern Serengeti in August/September. The famous dramatic photos of the wildebeest crossing the Mara River – crocodiles in wait – are from the August/September portion of the migration. But the migration can be encountered any time of year and it is impressive wherever it’s encountered. Here is a website with monthly maps that explains the migration in more detail.
The first three photos show the general scene when the migration is encountered – wildebeest as far as you can see in all directions. Just imagine panning the camera. The scene is the same wherever you look. It’s difficult to describe what it is like to be in the middle of this – noise, dust, the ground shaking a bit. I tried to imagine a similar scene on the western North American plains when the bison still roamed in huge numbers.
The third photo shows a portion of the herd on the move crossing a dry waterway. You can see zebras in the herd. Zebras and wildebeest commonly travel together in what is described as a symbiotic relationship. I’m not sure if these descriptions have scientific veracity or if they are “bush” legend, but the relationship has several aspects. According to our guide, wildebeest have a well developed sense of smell, particularly when it comes to sensing water sources including the direction of rainstorms. Zebras have good eyesight. As a result wildebeest help zebras find water and zebras help alert the wildebeest to potential nearby danger from predators. I’ve also seen claims that the zebra tend to lead the herd eating the longer grass and tougher vegetation allowing the wildebeest to get at the shorter more tender grasses that they prefer. Perhaps there are some wildlife biologists out there who can set us straight on these claims. It is true, though that these two species seem to have a close relationship. It isn’t only wildebeest and zebras in the migration – antelope (many species), giraffes, and all manner of predators are also represented encompassing a vast nomadic community.
This photo is a wildebeest herd we encountered in a forested area in Ngorongoro near the border with the Serengeti. “Forested” areas in the Serengeti ecosystem tend to be a fairly open concentration of trees, rather than the denser forests we might think of in other parts of the world.
This last photo is of a wildebeest youngster. The wildebeest calving season occurs in February. We were lucky to see a few early calves in January. February (along with August/September) is considered a high tourist season in Tanzania. A lot of that has to do with the high predation of wildebeest by cats and crocodiles during these times of year not the weather. We humans love a bit of “Nature, red in tooth and claw”.
An aside regarding this fifth photo: When my wife and I got home and went through our photos we realized that we didn’t have a single photo showing an individual adult wildebeest. We were so distracted by the multitude we forgot about focusing on any one individual. Perhaps there is some evidence there regarding the safety of the crowd. I did so want a photo of the sunlight filtering through a wildebeest’s beard. though.We did, however, get some photos of zebras on their own. The last photo is a mom and a youngster. I was a bit surprised by the small size of zebras. Occasionally an ostrich and a zebra can be seen close to each other. The ostrich towers over the zebra. That’s another photo to go back for.
As I understood it, the massive herds of Bison bison were a comparatively late phenomenon, probably, as it was allowed to proliferate filling niche gaps with the extinction of other large herbivores on the North American continent, and of many predators, but do correct me tif that is out-of-date!
According to Charles Mann in 1491, the predator whose demise triggered the bison population explosion was Homo sapiens. On this theory, Native Americans managed the prairie ecosystem and kept the herds in check until the arrival of European diseases reduced the human population to perhaps 5% of its pre-Columbian peak, allowing bison (and passenger pigeons) to proliferate.
Very interesting… I think Tim Flannery may have been where I read it…but I forget. The Eternal Frontier: An Ecological History of North America and its Peoples
Assuming that these wildebeests are free from any delusions of higher (that is, supernatural) beings, then I think it’s safe to say that I am pleased to see such large gatherings of fellow Gnu Atheists!
Where is Torquay?
These are beautiful scenes — thank you!
This is totally awesome. What an adventure it must have been to see one of the natural wonders of the world.
Exactly!
Hi Jerry, I would love to send you some pictures but I can’t find any email address to send i to!
Just Google my name and university name and it will take you to my webpage that has my email address, which is the one you should use.
In unrelated gnus, scientists recently counted all the antelope in Africa. They found gazelleons of ’em.
Zebras aren’t very large because they are actually asses, which are a short equine species.
Anyone with Netflix and an interest in wildebeest migrations should check out Speed Kills. It’s a three part series about high speed predators. The scenes of the Nile crossing showing crocodiles preying on wildebeest and zebras were stunning.
Cat food on the hoof for two of the larger members of the felidae
Terrific beesties! Thanks for the in depth commentary too. I must visit Africa one day…on the list.