Only
while being a youngster, the African elephant bull is part of a herd.
When he reaches maturity at an age of about eight years, the older
elephant cows will chase him out of the group. Then the males usually
come together to form their own bachelor groups. Only when the bulls
get old or during the musth, the yearly periodic phase of reproduction
which lasts a couple of days, the male elephants wander around alone. |
The
Spitzkoppe in one of the highest free standing mountains in Namibia and
famous for its remarkable silhouette. Enclosed in the wide planes of
the Erongo region, it towers 700m above the surrounding area, making it
visible even from far distances. Its name suggest the mountain forms a
pointed dome. In fact the Spitzkoppe is formed by two separate peaks
with elevations about 1600 meters. Only the higher one of the two peak
is named due its shape as ‚The Matterhorn of Namibia‘. |
To
be able to drink through its long neck, the giraffe must spread the
legs far away from the body to lower its head deep enough to reach the
source of water. This is not only unpleasant and exhausting for the
giraffe, it also makes it vulnerable for the attacks of lions, leopards
and hyenas. Luckily the giraffe has rarely to drink that way. Normally
the giraffe obtains its hydrate need from the moisture of the acacia
leaves they ingest with their food. |
With
a thundering noise the Cunene river falls into the 40m deep canyon
which the stream has dug over millions of years into the scenery and
covers with its spray the surrounding slopes into a delicate mist. Due
to the year-around presence of humidity, a lush vegetation of palms,
baobabs and other plants has formed around the falls. This is again the
basis for a rich and divers fauna in the area. The foaming water and
the spray gave the name to the Epupa falls: In the language of the
Herero ‚Epupa‘ is a word for foam created by the falling water. |
In
the shadow of the dense scrub of the thorn savanna the lion has taken
shelter from the merciless heat of the midday sun. Here he will wait
for the cooler hours of the night. Cause with the setting of the sun
for the lion starts the hour of his hunt. Nevertheless the lion
attentively watches his surrounding and listens into the scrubland.
Eventually he may be able to overcome an incautious zebra or a lost
gazelle in the bush land. Such an easy prey would a perfect meal for
this opportunist. |
With
its elevation of 278 meters, Swartbankberg is unimpressive small hill
at the northern edge of the Namib desert. However, more remarkable is
what happens behind that elevation. The Kuiseb river, which lies in the
south of the mountain, forms a hard border between the red dunes of the
Namib and the brown and rocky surface north of the river bed. The
irregular floods of the dried up river prevent that the slow moving
sand dunes of the Namib can wander across the riverbed. When they
happen, the floods flush the sand into the ocean. |
An
old saying goes that the ostrich, in case of being threatened, will
bust its head into the sand. In fact, the ostrich can run very fast and
usually times it will escape from threads by running away. But it is
also capable to defend itself with a kick of its sharp claws which may
even kill a lion or a human. Primarily when breeding, it lays down in
case of a thread, putting its neck and head flat on the ground. As from
distance the head and the long neck can no longer be seen, this
behavior may be the foundation of legend of busting the head into the
sand. |
Deep
in the center of the Namib lies the Deadvlei, an arid basin of a former
desert stream which has run dry several hundred years ago. The moving
of the dunes did cut off the swale from the dried out river bed. This
prevented rare flash floods, caused only once in a decade by heavy rain
falls in the hinterland, pouring over the plain. With the permanent
draught the camel-thorn-trees which grew here did die. Only the dead
trunks of the trees, conserved by the extreme draught, did remain and
gave the vlei its name. |
The
zebra mongooses are not picky when it comes to food. Next to insects
they also feed on amphibian and reptiles, small mammals and fruits.
They also fancy carrion or tasty tidbits out the dung of the elephant.
Most times they prowl in small groups through the savanna and dig with
their long claws in the ground searching for food. Their excellent
sense of smell helps them to reliably find their prey in the ground. |
In
the 17th century, when the first white settlers arrived in the
heartland of Namibia, they watched the indigenous people cutting off
branches of the tree, hollowing them out and using then as quivers for
their arrows. That was when the name ‚quiver tree‘ was born. Today the
quiver tree is a symbol for Namibia, emblazoning on many logos and
coats of arms. It is also shown on one side of the 50 cent coin.
However, the social weaver birds, which build their giant nests into
the branches of the trees, don’t care about this at all. For them this
is the tree giving them a home. |
At
noon a herd of zebras has approached the waterhole in the need for
drinking. However, the zebras are cautious. The fear of a surprise
attack of a lion or a leopard keeps them in distance from to the pond.
But the thirst they feel does not leave them a choice. After a while a
single zebra will detach from the group, move to the water‘s edge and
start to drink. From that moment, it will take just a few minutes until
the rest of the herd joins the brave one and all zebras stand in the
water, up their bellies or deeper, quenching their thirst. |
The
setting sun above the horizon of the Namibrand nature reserve heralds
the forthcoming end of the day and immerses the scenery in the golden
light of the evening. The shimmering of the air, which caused the view
to the distance being diffused and blurry during the day, has vanished.
And also the hot wind, which has swept through the pasture of the plain
all day, has settled down and gave way for the cool tranquility of a
gentle evening breeze. But this moment won‘t last for long. Soon, the
sun will disappear beyond the horizon and the pale light of the stars
will immerse the scenery in the dark grey of the night. |
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