Kilimanjaro Expedition Dispatch
September 1, 2008 – On Safari: Ngorongoro Crater
Good afternoon, it is Paul and Lisa. It is 4:30 at the Lodge near the Ngorongoro crater. This is our second safari day and we had an awesome day at Tarangire National park yesterday with David. We got to see elephants, zebras, giraffes, huge herds of buffalo and to top it off, three cheetahs. We are looking forward to our day tomorrow. We are going down into the crater; maybe see some more big cats. Having a wonderful time and we are very well taken care of.
Cheetahs are a non aggressive endangered species. They have weak jaws and small teeth which makes it a challenge fighting off large predators and protecting their young. Cheetahs are one of the fastest land species, running up to 100km/hr in short bursts. This gives the Cheetah a flight over (should be: fight) not flight survival strategy.
Giraffes have distinctive individual patterns which can be identified mainly on their necks. In a Giraffe’s long neck, they only have 7 vertebrae. Males have horns(made from thickened bones) which are larger than the female’s horns which are slender and topped with a bit of hair. Females are shorter and lighter than the males.
In a herd of elephants you will find the close family kin. The social system is based in the families; mothers, daughters and grandmothers. Males join the bachelor groups which change composition.