Winter is in full swing here on Mabula Private Game Reserve, and the fresh cold mornings and spectacular sunrises are something I cherish during this season. The vegetation has somewhat thinned out, and the brown hues of the bush lead to some spectacular sightings. The dusty roads and game paths have also provided some really great tracking opportunities.
Although most migratory birds have left, the gold hues of winter provide some amazing shades for photographing birds, in particular the lilac-breasted roller which stays on the reserve all year round.
It was in the late afternoon, when we were following up on an earlier sighting of a cheetah coalition. We were fortunate enough to find this beautiful cheetah walking along the road which looked like they were using the opportunity of the clouds to hunt. They found an open area to rest in a rocky and shady spot. Cheetahs are most active in the early morning and late afternoon and spend the rest of the day seeking shelter, waiting for any opportunity to present itself. Despite being the fastest land mammal in the world, they are not the strongest and cannot defend their kills against lions, leopards, or hyenas. This means they must eat quickly before any unwanted guests arrive to steal their meal.
It was fascinating to observe the cheetah’s behaviour, which is typical of the species. Cheetahs are known to be territorial animals, and they use scent marking as a way to communicate with other cheetahs in the area. They often revisit the same spot to check if any other cheetahs have passed through, using their sense of smell to detect if there are any potential threats
Nature can be both awe-inspiring and brutal at the same time. One such example of this duality can be seen when lions hunt and kill a zebra. They will ussually drag it for some distance to hide it away from other lingering predators like vultures, so they cannot detect it.
With their bold and beautifully rhythmical black-and- white-striped coat, zebras stand out as a striking appearance animal on the reserve during this dry season. As grazers, zebras live in the midst of their food, grasses of the savannah. When there is ample growing grass, zebras spend about 14 hours of a 24-hour day grazing. During the dry season, they may spend 19 hours grazing. As we can see, grass is very tough and not easy to digest, but it is abundant, and zebras take in large amounts of grass each day. They prefer the stems and leaf sheaths of short grasses, but will also feed on leaves and grass seeds.
With head lowered to the ground, a zebra stands and walks slowly along as it grazes. Its agile lips, its nostrils, and its large jaws are in constant movement as it clips off the grass with its large incisors. This is one thing I love when watching zebras while on safari here at Kingfisher Villa Suites. With its tongue it brings the food between its massive cheek teeth known as premolars and molars, and in a rhythmical circling motion the grass is sheared, ground, and moistened with saliva before it is swallowed.
No mammal is able to digest cellulose, which is a major component of grasses. All herbivores have developed some organ that provides an environment in which cellulose-digesting microorganisms can thrive. Unlike in ruminants, such as buffaloes or elands, zebras do not have a four-chambered stomach with an expansive rumen housing microorganism, nor does it regurgitate its food and chew cud.
Zebra’s digestive organ that is comparable to the rumen is an enlarged portion of the large intestine called the caecum, situated in the rear part of the digestive tract. Food passes more rapidly through a zebra than it does through a buffalo or comparably sized antelope and is less fully digested when excreted. In compensation for its more rapid and less intense digestive process, zebra takes in more food during the day than a ruminant.
Zebras spend most of the day standing and walking approximately 20 hours a day. They can sleep while standing. Their grazing lives demand endurance in head, digestion, and limbs. Depending on the conditions, zebras may graze in a fairly small area for a period of time or undertake long daily journeys to find good grass to graze.
When moving from one area to another in search of good grazing area, zebras mostly walk, although they can trot, canter, and gallop like horses, which are close relatives. The faster gaits are typically observed when zebras are fleeing a predator, and they often reach a speed of over 40km/h. They have the stamina to outrun lions if they have an adequate head start. After a longer bout of running, a zebra does not collapse in exhaustion, but remains standing and typically begins to graze again. Running is also a primary play activity amongst zebras.
Here on the reserve zebras are the most dominant animals on the reserve. We see them more than any animals and they are doing very well. Interestingly zebra’s newborn foal has proportionally very long legs and a relatively short body. Over the next few years, the torso doubles in length, while the legs grow only half again as much to reach the adult proportions.
The upper part of a zebra’s legs has strong, short muscles that are embedded in the torso. The upper leg bones which are comparable to our human upper arm and thigh bones but do not extend beyond the torso. The markedly elongated lower parts of the legs below the body comparable to our lower arms and legs, hands and feet, have few muscles. This makes the lower leg of the zebra thin and bony and relatively light.
Zebra’s muscles can relax in sleep, but the zebra does not collapse. In a sense, the zebra’s limbs become living architecture. The stability of the zebra limb is connected with the strength of bones, the tight joints, the configuration muscles, joints, and tendons, and, importantly, the fact that the limb has fewer bones and joints than the limb of other land mammals.
The zebra’s forelimbs carry about 70 percent of the body weight. We human beings can rotate our lower arm around its axis; this is only possible because we have two bones, the ulna and radius, that allow this movement. In the zebra, these bones are fused to form one straight, stable bone, which is the longest in the zebra’s body. Below its wrist is formed by eight thick, compressed bones called carpals. These carpals have horizontal surfaces that rest upon one another and provide stability but little flexibility.
The zebra does not stand upon feet with five toes but, rather, upon one enlarged toe that ends in the thick, horned sheath of the hoof. Fewer bones mean fewer joints, the fewer the joints, the fewer the muscles. This all-decreases mobility and flexibility, while the stoutness of the remaining bones, along with the fusion of ulna and radius, increases stability. In other words, the flexibility the zebra loses in the leg is compensated for by the stability and strength it gains by becoming living architecture.
The zebra can stand, walk, trot, and gallop with great endurance, but cannot crouch to the ground, or easily scratch an ear with its hoof. The ability to move at high speed for long distances is intimately connected with the structure of the limbs.
In summary, there is so much to learn about these fascinating animals. Our knowledge will never be “complete;” wondrous riddles will always remain that give a hint at how rich and deep the organic world truly is.
The afternoon safaris ends with incredible sunsets and the golden hour is something that cannot quite be explained. It needs to be felt in the soul.
Until next time…
From Isaiah Banda & Mabula family.
Safari Greetings.