MAMMALS AND BIRDS OF SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
Mammals and Birds of Serengeti National Park : Serengeti national park is a park found in Tanzania, which was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site around 1957. Serengeti national park derived its name from the Maasai word “Siringeti”, which means “the endless plains”. Having being equipped with an extraordinary variety of animals and birds species, Serengeti national park serve as one of the most spectacular Tanzania safari destinations sites, especially for offering the best of Tanzania safari wildlife experience.
Taking off with the Predators; these animals on Serengeti feeding on other animals. They depend on others as their primary source of food. They reduce the number of wildebeests, zebras, and gazelles, especially during the Great Migration. Here is a list of known Serengeti predator species for you to digest;
Lion. This is identified easily because it is the most social African cat. They live in groups or families of about 40 animals. The family is under the control of one unrelated male or a group (mostly brothers). Their main preys are usually antelope species and buffalo. They prefer large prey due to their large families. You can be lucky to see them distributing meat among each other.
Leopard. This is highly spotted with a white-tipped tail. The spots are arranged in circles making a superb camouflage that enables it to catch its prey with little chasing. Leopards prefer small prey such as antelope species. Leopards live in very small groups consisting of female and young ones. The males are not responsible for caring for their families.
Cheetah. Some people confuse cheetahs with leopards, mainly due to the fact that both are spotted. Cheetah, being the lightest in weight, is the fastest land animal on earth with 70 mph. It predates on antelopes and other small animals.
Spotted hyena. This is known for its behavior of scavenging nearly any bones it encounters with. It can also chase and kills slowly running prey like wildebeests and zebra for its food.
Striped hyena. This is one of the nocturnal species of hyenas. It is rarely encountered during the day because they are more active at the night and inactive in the day. They are born with stripes. They feed on rodents, bone remains, and partially devoured carcasses.
Wild Dog. Known as the most successful hunter of all large carnivores. It turns most of its hunts into kill as compared to other hunters like lions and cheetahs. They live in groups. They also hunt in packs, scaring the herds to identify the weak prey and chasing it until killed.
The Big Five most preferred animals; lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, and black rhino make the second incredible group of wild animals. Two of these, lion and leopard have been described above, the three others are detailed below;
African Elephant. This is one of the world’s largest land animals. It is also interesting to visitors because it is highly intelligent. They live in a society with a matriarch leader responsible for keeping the herd well as well as leading it to the food and water source.
Black Rhinoceros. It is rarely seen within the park and is one of the endangered species in the world. It is the second heavier animal to an elephant. They are less social and usually live in a family of two to three females with their offspring. You must be careful when viewing this especially if you are on a walking safari because they don’t like interruptions when having young ones to take care of.
Cape buffalo. These live in herds along with warthogs. In these herds, few male buffaloes (bulls) control the herd. Bulls are responsible for fertilizing the females. When one bull becomes aggressive, a fight occurs resulting in the isolation of the defeated one. This defeated bull is always dangerous to human beings; it attacks everyone it encounters with.
Apart from the Big Five and predators, you will spot other animals found in the Serengeti such as herbivores. They include wildebeests, warthogs, antelopes such as eland, giraffes, Plains zebra, dik-diks, and Grant’s gazelles. You will probably be convinced to explore the wildebeest and their famous annual migration.
Wildebeest. It looks so strange. Wildebeests live in large herds amounting to more than one thousand animals. They attract the world’s tourists to the Serengeti due to how they manage to migrate continuously in every season whish are also among the Mammals and Birds of Serengeti National Park.
The Great Migration in nutshell; is the annual wildebeest migration of about eight million wildebeests along with the Plains zebras and the gazelles. The movement begins from the south plains of Serengeti to the northern part close to the Maasai Mara in Kenya and back to Serengeti. On the way to the north, a considerable number of wildebeests are reduced by predators such as hungry crocodiles when crossing the Grumeti River and the mighty Mara River. June and July are the best months for witnessing the crossing of the Grumeti river while the Mara river is always crossed in around September. February is the month when most wildebeests give birth to calves.
Gazelle. Both Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelles exist in the Serengeti. While Grant’s gazelle is adapted to a dry environment the Thomson’s gazelle is not well adapted. Thomson’s gazelle migrates to the greener pastures. Therefore, Thomson’s gazelle escort the heavy migration of wildebeests from the south to the northern Maasai Mara.
Plains zebra. This is one of the nomadic species in the Serengeti, migrating with the great herds of wildebeest within the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. They are beautifully coated with both black and white scorches.
Giraffe. Giraffes come together in small families of the female with their offspring. These beautiful polite long-necked animals are commonly encountered within the Serengeti. They are also called Maasai giraffes.
Birds in Serengeti. About more than 500 species of birds in Serengeti National Park. The uninterested visitors are converted into birders to enjoy the beautiful scene of birds flying to-and-from various places. Some of these species are Tanzania’s endemic ones like Fischer’s lovebird, grey-breasted spurfowl, and Rufous-tailed weaver.
Other species include kori bustard, secretary bird, Usambara barbet, yellow-throated sandgrouse, grey-crested helmet shrike, and Hildebrant’s starling.
There are countless creatures within the Serengeti for you to observe, a few of which I have described above. Some other species include warthog, eland (a largest of antelope), impala, bushpig, bushbuck, waterbuck, topi, springhare (a nocturnal creature not relating to rodent or hare), colobus monkeys, hippopotamus, crocodiles, bat-eared fox, jackal, Mongoose, and aardwolf.
If you want to experience a superb safari to view the countless species of animals in this park, Serengeti provides a variety of activities including walking safaris, hot air balloons, game drives, camping, and air tours. Having a beautiful spot of a lion predating and killing its prey brings some scenes of various animal films into real-life existence. You will also experience a superb view of the herds of wildebeests, gazelles, and zebras, especially during the Great Migration. This is made possible using hot air balloons and air tours, with the former rewarding than the latter. You can also encounter other species such as hiding striped hyenas and other rodents on a walking tour. You can also enjoy the songs and other voices of wild animals during the night in your private camp. Early morning drives reward the eye-catching birds inside their nests, without forgetting the big cats who are also available during this time. Having all your feet in the Serengeti is the best way to explore creatures that are hard to be described using alphabetical words while thrilling the Mammals and Birds of Serengeti National Park.
