Nature can be very misleading for a visitor to the Kenyan
Game Parks. Herbivorous animals, such as zebras, antelopes,
wildebeests and giraffes, grazing in close proximity to
sleepy lions, give an impression of peaceful co-existence.
Even the deadly, aggressive crocodiles in the Mara river,
in the Mara Game Park, may appear to show no interest in
the wildebeest swimming across. Nothing could be further
from the truth!
Life in the Wilderness is a constant struggle for survival.
This basically narrows down to two main challenges, namely
eat and avoid being eaten. It is one thing to find food but
quite another to collect and capture it. In the battle for
survival, evolution has created a deadly amour of offensive
and defensive weapon systems, which, when used in
combination, provide strategies that make survival in the
wilderness a real nightmare for both predator and prey.
This article discusses some of these survival strategies
used by animals found in the Kenyan National Parks:
- Stealth, Ambush and Speed: Most predators that can ran
faster than their victims, are unable to maintain the chase
for more than 200 meters or so without rest. They must
therefore get as close as possible to their victims,
unseen, before they attack. The leopard, a member of the
cat family, for example, is an expert in this. Hunting
alone at night, it stalks its victim to within a close
range. Then with a short, fast rash, it attacks. The lions
have perfected this strategy by using co-operative hunting.
They hunt as a team in a very carefully planned ambush. In
this strategy, a lone lioness makes her way unseen to the
far side of a herd of zebra or wildebeest while the rest of
the team hide in the savanna grass. The latter identify a
target, usually a young old or weak victim. Keeping their
eyes locked on their victim of choice,they slowly approach
the victim to within 30 meters (100ft)or so. Then suddenly,
bolting from cover, they drive the chosen victim towards
the lone lioness who promptly busts form hiding to grab the
prey. The rest of the pride then offer assistance to finish
off their victim. Although a lioness can sprint up to a
speed of 60km/hr (37mph), the prey can ran faster, hence
the importance of the lone lioness in this strategy.
Stealth and surprise are vital weapons in this attack. The
cheetah, on the other hand, capable of accelerating from
standing start to 72km/hr (45mph) in 3 seconds and reaching
top speed of 97km/hr (60mph) does not need team work and
hunts alone. With fewer mouths to share the meal , it can
concentrate on smaller, easier to catch animals and still
certify its appetite. For the safety of its food, the
cheetah avoids competition with its nocturnal predators by
hunting during the day, at dawn or dusk.
- Stamina: That spotted hyenas are notorious scavengers
and will steal anything edible is true but they also are
efficient hunters, using their enormous stamina. A solitary
hyena, for example, can chase a wildebeest for 5km (3miles)
at 60km/hr (37mph) and bring the tired victim down alone
using his powerful jaws and strong teeth. They do not need
stealth. Similar strategy is used by African Hunting Dogs,
hunting in relay teams, to exhaust their victims to
submission.
- Camouflage and Speed for defense: Even with these
sophisticated hunting weaponry and strategies, the chance
of failure is very high. Just as the predators use
camouflage to kill, the hunted use it to avoid drawing
attention to themselves. The black stripe on each side of a
thomson's gazelle and the zebra's stripes, break up the
outline of individual animals when they are in a herd,
making it hard for the predator to pick up a single animal.
Besides, speeding predators and prey try constantly to
outdo each other in a race that means life or death. To
their advantage, zebras and gazelles have more stamina than
their hunters. Some antelopes have another trick up their
sleeve in their behavior called pronking. They jump high
into the air and bounce on their four legs repeatedly
before dashing off at high speed in a drama meant to
convince the predators that they are all fit. This makes it
difficult for the predator to select an animal that will be
an easy catch.
- Defensive Daggers: The African porcupine fends off its
enemies using quills. Each quill is cylindrical, formed of
long, tough fibrous hairs, ending in a tip that is as sharp
as a needle. Loosely attached to the porcupine's skin, it
measures about 50 cm (20 inches) long. Contrary to the
common belief, a porcupine cannot fire its quills through
the air but uses them to teach its enemies a painful
lesson. When threatened, the porcupine makes its quills
stand on end, pointing backwards. It then rattles its
quills and stamps its feet to warn the enemy. If this does
not work, the porcupine suddenly reverses into its enemy's
skin. The barbs on the quills lock them in once in the
predators body and this may cause infection to the victim.
As long as it keeps its back to the attacker, therefore,
the porcupine has a high chance of escape. The horns of
the african rhinocerous are another example of deadly
daggers.
- Pretence: The crocodile, floating just below the surface,
looks nothing more than a piece of wood. Only its nostrils
and eyes remain above the water as it watches and waits
near the edge of the river for the animals to come to
drink. Then suddenly, the crocodile bolts out of the water
so fast that the victim has no time to escape. It quickly
kills it by drownig.
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About the author:
Dr Aggrey Marami has special interest in culture and
wild animals. He has also spent a lot of time with wild
animals. For more amazing facts about wild animals and
culture visit :=>
http://www.ammarami.com
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