Tanzania 2001 - Even MORE Animals

Zebras

We saw zebras in many locations, but didn't get really close to them until Ngorongoro and Serengeti. At one point we were so close to grazing zebra that we could hear the grass crunching between their teeth as they pulled it from the ground.

In Ngorongoro a freshwater stream feeds the saltwater lake. Zebra and other animals come there to drink and cross back and forth.

We saw thousands of zebras on the Serengeti.

Zebras often travel in single file, beating a narrow path into the grass.

Wildebeest

A male wildebeest likes to claim a small territory where he waits for females to wander by and tries to persuade them to stay with him.

The wildebeest all give birth at about the same time in March. The babies were saw were all about three months old.

Like zebra, wildebeest often travel in long lines. Here a group travels across the Serengeti.

Gazelles

Thompson's gazelles are nicknamed "Tommies". They are active and have constantly flicking tails.

Grant's gazelles are larger than the Tommies, and lack the side stripe.

Birds

We saw many interesting birds. This is a kori bustard.

These colorful birds are known as superb starlings. We saw them everywhere we went. At the Serengeti picnic area they were very assertive about begging for food -- or just taking it from people who weren't alert.

An Egyptian goose finds refreshment in the Ngorongoro Crater.

An ibis looks for frogs and other tidbits in the marsh at Arusha National Park.

A lilac-breasted roller in Tarangire.

A crowned eagle in Tarangire.

Little birds among the acacia thorns.

Ostriches

This ostrich seems to have gotten his legs tangled.

This young ostrich still has its baby feathers. It is almost as tall as the adult.

Assorted Creatures

Jackals generally kept their distance from us. We would sometimes see them looking for small rodents in the grass.

A crocodile waits in a small water hole, hoping something thirsty will become his lunch.

After napping all day, this Serengeti cheetah enjoys a good yawn.

Their huge tusks are excellent defensive weapons, not used for hunting. Warthogs eat grass.

When the grass is short, their necks aren't long enough to reach down to it, so they kneel.

A hartebeest in Ngorongoro.

We never got close to the buffalo -- a good thing. They are known for their bad tempers, and they certainly have the ability to inflict great damage on a safari vehicle. They always manage to look a bit sullen. As Hassan said, "These guys never smile."

A hippopotamus prepares to enter a pond on the Serengeti.

This snail, outside our room at Arusha, was about four inches long.

This is the female aguna. We saw many of these small lizards at the lodges and on the rock outcroppings of the Serengeti.

This is the male aguna. We didn't realize they were the same species until our guide explained it to us.

Tanzania 2001 - More Animal Pictures

Monkeys

The blue monkey's fur really does have a blue cast to it when the sunlight hits it.

Arusha was the only place we saw colubus monkeys. Their long fur is beautiful, and at times they have been hunted for it. They were very shy, always dodging behind branches and disappearing into the dense foliage. We could often hear them calling to each other, even though we couldn't see them.

A vervet monkey family plays in a tree.

Baboons

We always saw baboons in groups. In Arusha, they were shy, like most of the other animals, and would melt into the forest when they saw us. In other locations, they were bolder, allowing us to stop and watch them as long as we wanted.

This is a typical scene of a baboon troop feeding and grooming.

A mother baboon nurses her tiny infant.

Baboons make the long climb up a palm tree to get the fruit.

Elephants

The grass in Tarangire was very high! This made it difficult to spot animals smaller than elephants (including baby elephants).

Some young elephants and a baby pause in the road. When the baby was in the tall grass, we could barely see the top of its head.

Compare the size of the elephant to the nearby jeep.

Flamingos

"Greater" flamingos are gray in color. We saw a few in various locations, but never got close enough to take a picture. "Lesser" flamingos are a bit smaller and are the familiar pink color.

Flamingos and gulls like the saltwater lake in the crater.

Giraffes

We always enjoyed seeing giraffes. Their long legs and necks give them an unusual way of moving that is simultaneously graceful and awkward, like tipsy ballerinas.

Of course, their height gives them a great advantage in reaching their favorite food.

They always make me smile.

Hyenas

We were amazed to get so close to hyenas. This group was just resting in the road. They looked friendly and doglike (but we knew better).

They don't look quite so sweet when they show their teeth.

Pack members gather under a tree to plan their next project.

Lions

Believe it or not, there is a large pride of lions hidden in this seemingly innocent grass.

When a few of them roll over or raise their heads, the eye is drawn in for a closer look. Lions often wait for hours, blending in with the terrain, until unsuspecting prey walks right up to them.

Wind ruffles the fur of a large lion, relaxing with his brothers on the Serengeti.

We came across a mating pair of lions dozing in the grass. Typically, they spend about a week away from the pride. The first day, they copulate every five or ten minutes. They slow down as they tire, and by the fourth or fifth day they are in no hurry. These two didn't look like they would ever move again.

But eventually the male stirred. He got up and nudged the female.

It didn't take very long.

The female immediately collapsed back into her nap. Soon the male was snoozing, too.