Southafricanwildlife

This leopard had apparently had two kills stolen in one day by the same bastard hyena, and then this oaf came charging in. Best give it up, go back to bed, and try again tomorrow mate.

A turkey sized bird with a knife for a face. And despite the name, they can definitely fly.

If grooming is communicating, can active aggression be passive aggression simultaneously?

We’ve been seeing more giraffes that ever before so far on our holiday. From youngsters to grizzled veterans towering over the car with their scars and lion-lost tails. While I’m sometimes used to them, I’m still sometimes struck by what zany nonsense creatures they are. Evolution can take you to really strange places if you’re not careful.

@goflow42 nearly stepped on this beautiful lady just outside the Geelbek restaurant in West Coast National Park as we were walking towards one of the bird hides. This is only the second time @withoutaleaf and I have seen one of these beautiful cats in the wild - they can be spotted anywhere between here and Iran. Caracals are expert bird-ambushers. They can leap to extraordinary heights to pull down birds trying to escape by flight. This one was only slightly bigger than a house cat, but full grown males are considerably larger. ...

Birds of prey. Look at me getting ambitious with some amateurish cutting. These were all filmed in Kruger years ago. Featured birds: African Fish Eagle, the fearsome and mighty Martial Eagle, the Giant Eagle Owl (now called Verreaux’s Eagle Owl), the Bateleur - the skymaster - and the… Wahlberg’s Eagle? Fun fact: I know how to talk to Giant Eagle Owls. That Owl was responding to me talking to it. ...

Young lions being sweet. This is a bit unusual to see. 90% of the time lions do nothing at all. 8% of the time they’re terrifying murder-machines that set our ancient alert system on defcon GTFO. All their other behaviour fits in that last bit. If this seems a weird environment for a wild lion outside India, this is what the bushveld looks like after heavy rains. Kruger is mostly described as, “savannah woodland,” with plenty of large trees. This was in December 2013. ...