Africa part 3- Masai Mara

It takes a fair a bit of driving to get to the Masai Mara- you just go and go and go. And once you get there it just keeps going- right into Tanzania! It was so great to be there seeing the sheer numbers of animals. As a science teacher I felt like... a kid again. Here are some more critters

The topi- with little topis too.

Charles said this was a guinea hen but I wasn't fooled- that is a direct relation of a dinosaur! 

This is where Luca and Wilder spent pretty much all of the drives.

1 mongoose, 2 mongeese?

Wildebeests: the lawnmowers of the mara. we just missed seeing 100's of thousands passing through to Tanzania- we only saw thousands.

This was cool: we saw many lions during our 3 days but these ladies were snacking on a slow wildebeest. The males had eaten and were sleeping nearby and the cubs were playing and grabbing bites here and there. 

after a bit this guy woke up and noticed a few cars parked watching, so he walked right by us and totally posed.

I guess when you are cool as this guy you can pose anywhere you want!

I am faster than a cheetah...when the cheetah is at rest.

The more we learned about and saw elephants the more we liked them- what magnificent creatures- unless you are a tree- trees hate elephants.

warthogs: so ugly that they are cute.

Luca wanted a pet monkey untill he heard stories of the naughty ones getting into cars and stealing crisps from little boys.

The Mara river- just try to swim across!

Hippopotamus: one of the most fun words to say slowly out loud... try it.

Crocs!

Trivia: what flag is the crested crane on?   (uganda)

The secretary bird- so named because of its showy hair and long legs... and it can type 30 words a minute.

good times...good times

Dik dik's are couples for life and if one dies or is eaten the other will usually die as well in a few days. at least that was what our guide said.

I can't recall the name of this bird but it gets its meals from big piles of elephant poo.

the contemplative vervet monkey

Impalas- yet more of the ungulates.

this was on our last night in the park- the black rhino- quite endangered and very aggressive- was glad that we were quite far away.