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.