Common Animals to see in Maasai mara national Reserve : Maasai mara national reserve is the best national park in Kenya and one of the best in Africa for wildlife safaris. The park is located in the south-western part of Kenya along the Tanzanian border, and it shares the boarder with the famous Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park. There are many animals to be see in this park and some of them includes lions, cheetahs, elephants, zebras, and hippos. While on safari, the Mara is one of the greatest sites on earth to see the majority of the “Big Five.” In addition to the well-known great wildebeest migration, this region of the world is also home to several incredibly spectacular-looking animals that you might not be familiar with.
Maasai mara national reserve safaris and tour
The popular “Big Five” are what most safari tourists hope to see in maasai mara. Fortunately, the Masai Mara offers frequent opportunities to see lions, elephants, leopards, and Cape buffalo. Although they are notoriously difficult to spot, rhinos do exist. Actually, the phrase “Big Five” has a very sinister history. The difficulty of hunting them has much more to do with it than the size of the animals themselves. Fortunately, people now generally want to take pictures of them. In addition to the “Big Five,” the Masai Mara is home to a staggering array of fascinating creatures. Here’s a quick look at some of the common animal species that inhabit the Mara habitat.
Panthera Leo (Lion)
Due to its power, speed, and reputation, Africa’s “king of the jungle,” the lion, is both impressive and dangerous. The Masai Mara National Reserve and its adjoining conservancies are home to 850–900 lions. One of the best places in the world to see this powerful beast in the wild is the Mara Ecosystem. Lions are one of the friendliest large cat predators. They typically live in prides of fifteen to twenty animals. Up to three male lions, numerous adult females (of whom one is the dominant female), a number of sub-adults, and cubs can make up a pride. Male lions are known to stake out and defend huge tracts of ground that are between 30 and 400 square kilometers in size, Common Animals to see in Maasai mara national Reserve .
The males of this species rarely participate in hunts; it is believed that the females of the lion pride hunt. They are typically called upon to dispatch larger animals. In addition to zebra and wildebeest, which they prefer to consume (outside of the great migration season), they also like to prey on warthogs and buffalo. Twenty hours a day of sleep is thought to be the average for lions. Masai Mara is also home to the “Marsh Pride,” a lion pride made famous by the BBC’s Big Cat Diary and Dynasties.
The African elephant (Loxodonta Africana)
The African elephant is one of the ‘Big Five’ animals that can be seen most frequently in the Masai Mara National Reserve. The elephant is the largest terrestrial animal on the planet. The elephant can reach lengths of up to seven and a half meters, heights of nearly three meters, and weights of up to six tons at its peak. Despite being threatened by poachers seeking their ivory tusks, the population of African elephants in Mara has recently increased. This very social and intelligent animal is renowned for its close familial relationships. They live in communities headed by women because they are matriarchal.
The matriarch is typically the largest and oldest elephant in the herd. She is in charge of a herd of females, and their progeny that spans several generations. Although they occasionally establish smaller groups on their own, mature male elephants mostly live alone. Normally, family groups consist of about ten elephants, but occasionally, several family units come together to form a “clan” of up to 70 elephants that is headed by a single female elephant. Elephants may consume up to 300 pounds of food each day and subsist on a diet of grasses, fruit, roots, and bark.
Panthera pardus (leopard)
Leopards are frequently praised for their grace and stealth, whereas lions are known for their might and regal allure. Although there is a sizable population of leopards in the Maasai Mara, they are one of the species on the IUCN Red List and can be difficult to spot. Due to the destruction of their habitat and human encroachment, they are classified as vulnerable. These large cats prefer to hunt alone and are reserved for nighttime hunters. Leopards that are adults lead lonely lives and only interact with other leopards when mating, Common Animals to see in Maasai mara national Reserve .
Even though they like to live in rocky outcrops and wooded savannahs, there is a very good possibility that you may see one perched in a tree. They hunt from high in a tree, utilizing their keen hearing, vision, and highly developed sense of smell to locate their prey and attack it from above. Baboons and antelopes are their preferred prey. They are known to take their dead prey high into a tree after they have killed it in order to hide it from other predators.
Rhino (Rhinocerotidae)
Both black and white rhinos can be found in Kenya, albeit the white rhino is more prevalent (especially near Lake Nakuru). The black rhino is the more aggressive and slightly smaller of the two species. There isn’t much of a color difference between the two in actuality. It is unlikely that you will see rhinos on your Masai Mara safari, despite the Mara having a rather outstanding black rhino population (particularly in the Mara Triangle area). At any given moment, there are 35 to 50 black rhinos residing in the Masai Mara, but they occasionally enter the Serengeti as well. A majority of black rhinos live alone.
The mother and her calf are the only rhinos with a significant familial bond. Because of their poor vision, it may be possible to understand why they are wired and ready to charge at anything moving for no apparent reason. They do, however, have excellent hearing and smelling senses. In the wild, black rhinos can live for 35 to 40 years. Black rhinos can reach adult sizes of 1.5 meters in height and 3.5 meters in length. They can weigh between 850 and 1600 kg on average.
Cape buffalo, (Syncerus caffer)
One of the most lethal animals in East Africa is the Cape buffalo, also known as the African Buffalo. Males who are alone can be hostile, erratic, and weigh around 800 kg. Buffalo mothers who are defending their babies are also very violent. Buffalo are typically found in herds of at least 100 animals in the Maasai Mara. Especially during the dry season, they are typically located close to water sources, Common Animals to see in Maasai mara national Reserve .
Cheetah
The cheetah is the world’s fastest mammal, capable of reaching speeds of up to 112 km/h, which they can maintain for a distance of a few hundred meters. Several visitors have had up-close and personal encounters with these animals while on Kenya Safari in Masai Mara. The savannas and grasslands of Kenya and Tanzania are home to cheetahs. Cheetahs usually travel in groups of two.
Thomson gazelle
Gorgeous and graceful antelopes include gazelles. The light bodies and curved, ringed horns of gazelles make them agile enough to run and jump away from predators. They belong to the same family as sheep, goats, and cattle. The Thomson’s gazelle, which weighs between 26 and 165 pounds, is regarded as one of the lesser species. They are herbivores and mostly eat grass, leaves, and shoots. These creatures are the cheetahs’ preferred prey in the Masai Mara.
Other Wildlife in Masai Mara national reserve includes:
- Giraffe
- Jackal with a Silver Back
- Hyena
- Warthogs
- Vultures
- Leopard
- Secretary birds
- Hornbills
- Crowned cranes
- Ostriches
