Springbok
Springbok is the national animal of South Africa. The white apartheid teams had this as their rugby mascot so many people feel that it should be changed. There are no springbok in the Okavango Delta. They are found more in mountainous areas.
Impala
The Impala has black marks on their hind legs above the hoofs. This animal releases pheromes to tell others to follow. There is a black M on their rear. It looks like McDonald’s. They are like fast food and every predator wants to eat them, especially leopards. They are found in the wooded areas.
Impala will combine herds when it isn’t mating season. Males can be identified by their horns and have a harem of females. Male impala will form a bachelor herd if they don’t have harem.
Sometimes during the rut or mating season they will make an alarm sound to get the females to come closer.
Eland
All jumpers such as kudus and eland have a shoulder hump to soften the landing.
Steenbok
Steenbok are the smallest antelope. Steenbok are seen only in pairs when mating which occurs right before the rainy season. They are able to survive during the dry season because they eat the rhizomes of the plants.
The steenbok covers its feces like a cat trying to throw predators. The male has horns. Steenbok have black on the tail and weigh about 35 pounds.
Greater Kudu
Greater Kudu has the largest horns. They don’t use their horns to fight but to impress the females. A male kudu’s antlers when it is full grown make 2½ turns. The horns of the male kudu are used as a shofar (musical horn).
Kudu make a loud warning and flip up their white tail when there is danger. Impala and kudu are the bush meat most served in a restaurant.
Each greater kudu has its own stripe pattern much like a fingerprint.
The male kudu comes around only during mating season. Females stay together. Kudu seem to have red ears because the blood in the capillaries are close to the skin.
Lesser Kudu are found in East Africa. They have more pronounced stripes.
Rhebok
Rhebok are small and often seen in pairs. Rhebok are found in reeds and grasses. They look much like an impala. We aren’t sure which of our pictures is a rhebok. TBD
Red Lechwe
Red lechwe are a little bigger than impala, have long splayed front hooves with webbing, and are good jumpers. They spend most of their time in the water where they feel safe from predators. They are more red than an impala and have wide horns. They are from the same family as the waterbuck. Their back hind legs are longer than their front legs.
Waterbuck
Waterbuck are always found close to the water. They have a white circle on his butt sometimes referred to as a lion target. We think that it looks like a toilet seat. Actually, it serves as a follow me sign to other waterbucks. The female does not have horns.
Bushbucks
Tsessebe
Tsessebe is a good protector of prey as he is a lookout for the impala. He warns them of any danger. Tsessebe is the second fastest animal after the cheetah. (It is the fastest antelope so he can outrun predators.) Its springy legs allow him to reach speeds of 45 miles per hour.
Roan Antelope
Roan Antelope are difficult to find and will run away. They are an inland antelope species that likes open grasslands. They have long faces with a fluffy tail with white underneath. There is a black dot under the ear.
Sable Antelope
On our way out of Chobe National Park, we come upon a sable antelope. According to our guide, they are very shy and rarely seen. This male did not get the memo as he was posing in profile, straight on with a little runway walk and then he turned around and repeated the routine on the other side. Sable were hunted for their black skin and beautiful horns.
The male is darker. Lions don’t mess with them because their long ringed horns can pierce them by tilting their heads back.
Sable antelope is the national animal of Zimbabwe and their football team is called the Sables. Zambia’s team is the Eagles.
Pulu
Pulu is a type of antelope. It is only and rarely found in the Chobe National Park, but Zambia has many pulu. Pulu is about the same size as the impala but without the markings. Also, the shape of the horns are different. We didn’t see one so no picture. Sorry!
Giraffe
Giraffes are browsers which means that they eat leaves. Giraffes are smaller when there is a lack of food.
Yellow oxpeckers and red oxpeckers help keep ticks off the giraffe.
It is unusual to see a giraffe alone, however, they have a very loose social structure. They form no strong relationships but the greatest is between the older sister and the babies.
I have seen giraffes many times, but I never noticed the distinctive way that they walked until another traveler pointed out that both legs on one side move together.
The lifespan of a giraffe is around 28 years. Their color darkens with age. The coloration on the butt of the giraffe sometimes fades due to the tail constantly brushing away flies.
Male giraffes have thick dark tuffs on their ossicones (horn-like structures on their heads) but the top has no hair. They are bald from fighting. Males are bigger with thicker necks. The ossicones of a female are thin.
The giraffe is a slow runner. The lion trips the giraffe, then bites its neck.
Each day when we have dinner, it starts with the chef coming out to announce the menu to each table. The menu consists of a starter, main, and dessert.
The chef has a dangerous job. They must be careful preparing food and dealing with leftovers as animals have a nose for food. A honey badger will break open the frig. Vervet monkeys will steal food right off the grill.
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