Three of the “Big 5″

An animal joins the Big 5 if it is known to kill humans. The African big 5 consist of lion, cape buffalo, elephant, cheetah, and rhino. (Why is the crocodile not in this group?) You certainly don’t want an intimate encounter with any of these dangerous critters if they are hungry or lusty. That’s why the driver/guides get very nervous if a passenger steps out of the vehicle while animals are around.

Interesting, 3 of the big 5 are herbivores. Guess which ones. I heard tourists brag about getting photos of all 5. “Big effin deal, I can grab any pitcher offa this here Internet thingy!” –tourist from Florida who substituted beer bottles for a camera …

Top o the food chain -- pretty lazy, too much to eat

Cheetah brothers in the Serengeti

Elephants, cooling off in some water

Cheetahs are the fastest land animals, reaching speeds of up to 70mph.

Other African carnivores include leopards, hyenas, warthogs (see detailed description below), vultures, crocodiles, chimps (they eat other monkeys), baboons (maybe?), african wild dogs (didn’t see any of these).

Hyena pair waiting for the lion to serve dinner

Birthplace of Homo Sapiens

Homo sapiens (that’s brainy all-knowing us) first walked upright in Oldu-pai (Olduvai) Gorge, in the Serengeti (endless plain). Oldu-pai means sisal plant, important for building huts, roofs, baskets.

It was there that Mary Leakey, after more than 30 years’ field work, discovered the first, fossilized footprints of homo erectus, our direct forebears, thought to exist over 2 million years ago. She and her husband Louis Leakey established once for all the answer to the question “Where did man originate?”

Unmistakable Rock Formation at Olduvai Gorge

The parade of hominid fossil footprints are preserved in powdery volcanic ash from what scientists believe to be an eruption of the 20 km distant Sadiman Volcano. Soft rain cemented the 15 cm thick layer bearing the imprints without destroying the prints.

The Leakeys braved punishing conditions (dust, heat, no water) and financial ruin to conduct their research in Olduvai Gorge. (I visited the dig on a very hot and dusty day so I admire their dedication.) Their discoveries proved that earliest homo erectus lived more than 2 million years ago, although this timeline is disputed. The Leakeys also discovered tools that were made by homo habilis, the toolmaker, that are even older. The Leakeys established that more than one branch of the human tree flourished and then died out, leaving homo sapiens as the survivors. And so here we are.

For more about the Leakeys, Wikipedia has details and Amazon has book suggestions. If you enjoy reading about academic intrigue, backbiting, and posturing surrounding formidable discoveries, the Leakeys have been at the center of it for decades.

By the way if you are planning to go on a safari, let me know, because caveat emptor (buyer beware). I’ll give as much information as I can about my safari, each company is different. They are all pretty interested in your dollars/euros/pounds.

Africa, the Ineffable Land

It is impossible to capture the impact Africa had on me. Africa possesses mystery, humor, tragedy, joy, unimaginable beauty, frightening danger, and mesmerizing tranquility. My stress and worries evaporated, vaporizing in the Amsterdam evening as soon as I boarded the flight to Arusha. KLM’s cabin stewards know how to welcome passengers (they are all natural blondes), the seat was very roomy, and they didn’t block the aisle with a drinks cart. After landing at Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO) about 8 pm, the hundred or so of us from the flight got through customs quite efficiently, even though some travelers didn’t have their visas and the electricity in the airport failed three times. My lovely driver/guide Robert was waiting with a huge smile and pretty fluent English. He drove me to a lodge called Rivertrees, where I had a snack and a couple of Ambien.

Animals Abound

No matter where you start in the US, you won’t see a wild animal until your third day. But then, zowie! I said to Robert, that I would love to see an … ostrich! and around the next bend, there he was, a tall regal ostrich, strutting like a lord! My first sighting. They are huge! The Masai also believe they bring good luck. I don’t believe the adult ostriches have any predators either, since they have some ability to levitate, but it is their huge, powerful feet that can deliver a killing blow to the head of a big cat.

Ostriches are mostly feathers and gristle, one of the creatures I called “spare parts” collections. This ostrich is about 7 feet tall with a big poufy tail and white wingtips. When the ostrich flares his wings out he looks about 6 feet wide. The males display like that when courting or when chasing another animal. I imagine any carnivore would consider an ostrich egg a rare delicacy, if it could get close enough to grab one.

African ostrich

Another “spare parts” combo is the warthog, and now I know where Bette Midler found her prancing stage toddle, that’s exactly how the warthogs trot. Fat round buttocks, erect curlycue tails, and tiny legs and hooves but with huge heads and 2 pair of nasty tusks (not describing Bette!!). I am sure the carnivores find them quite tasty if they can get past those tusks. They are about the size of a small pig–140lbs or so–and know how to procreate because all the parks have huge warthog populations.

African warthog, Tarangire NP

Digression: All the animals have tails, except for chimpanzees. They are the closest to homo sapiens. There are only 8 chromosomes’ difference between us and chimps. Jane Goodall’s station, Gombe on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, is where she studied chimps for more than 30 years. She observed chimps making tools in order to remove termites from their mounds. This caused a seismic change in the known beliefs about primates’ intelligence. If you get an opportunity, by all means attend a lecture by Dr. Goodall or see a film about her work. Admirable!