Nature can be very deceiving to a visitor to Kenya’s animal parks. Herbivorous animals, such as zebras, antelopes, wildebeests and giraffes, grazing in close proximity to sleeping lions, give the impression of peaceful coexistence. Even the deadly and aggressive crocodiles of the Mara River at Mara Game Park may seem uninterested in the wildebeest swimming across. Could not be farther from the truth!
Life in the desert is a constant struggle for survival. Basically, this comes down to two main challenges, namely eating and avoiding being eaten. It is one thing to find food and quite another to collect and capture it. In the battle for survival, evolution has created a deadly love for offensive and defensive weapon systems that, when used in combination, provide strategies that make survival in the wild a true nightmare for predator and host alike. The prey. This article looks at some of these survival strategies used by animals found in Kenya’s National Parks:
– Stealth, Ambush and Speed: Most predators that are talented with speed lack the stamina to sustain it for more than 200 meters or so. Therefore, they must get as close as possible to their victims, without being seen, before attacking. The leopard, a member of the cat family, for example, is an expert at this. Hunting only at night, it stalks its victim at close range. Then, with a quick, short rash, he attacks. Lions have perfected this strategy using cooperative hunting. They hunt as a team in a carefully planned ambush. In this strategy, a lone lioness makes her way unseen to the other side of a herd of zebra or wildebeest while the rest of the team hides in the savannah grass. The latter identify a target, usually a young, old, or frail victim. Keeping their eyes fixed on the victim of their choice, they slowly approach the victim to within 30 meters (100 feet) or so. Then suddenly rushing from cover, they lead the chosen victim towards the lone lioness who quickly comes out of hiding to grab the prey. The rest of the pack then offer to help finish off their victim. Although a lioness can run up to a speed of 60 km/h (37 mph), the prey can run faster, hence the importance of the lone lioness in this strategy. Stealth and surprise are vital weapons in this attack. The cheetah, on the other hand, capable of accelerating from a standstill to 72 km/h (45 mph) in 3 seconds and reaching a top speed of 97 km/h (60 mph), doesn’t need teamwork and hunts alone. With fewer mouths to share food with, you can focus on smaller, easier-to-catch animals and still certify your appetite. For food security, the cheetah avoids competition with its nocturnal predators by hunting during the day, at dawn or dusk.
– Stamina: It is true that spotted hyenas are notorious scavengers and will steal anything edible, but they are also efficient hunters, using their enormous stamina. As an example, a hyena, with its powerful jaws and strong teeth, can chase a wildebeest for 5 km (3 miles) at 60 km/h (37 mph) and kill it alone. They don’t need stealth. African hunting dogs use a similar strategy, hunting in relay teams, to tire their victims into submission.
– Camouflage and Speed for defense: Even with these sophisticated weapons and hunting strategies, the chance of failure is very high. Just as predators use camouflage to kill, the hunted use it to avoid drawing attention. The black stripe on either side of the Thomson’s gazelle and the stripes on the zebra break up the outline of individual animals when they are in a herd, making it difficult for a predator to take a single animal. In addition, fast predators and prey are constantly trying to outdo each other in a race for life and death. To their advantage, zebras and gazelles have more stamina than their hunters. Some antelope have another trick up their sleeve in their behavior called pronking. They leap high into the air and bounce on all fours repeatedly before sprinting off at high speed in a drama meant to convince predators that they’re all fit. This makes it more difficult for the predator to notice any weak animals.
– Defensive daggers: the African porcupine defends itself from its enemies using spikes. Each feather is cylindrical, made up of long, tough fibrous hairs, ending in a needle-sharp point. Loosely attached to the porcupine’s skin, it is about 50 cm (20 in) long. Contrary to common belief, a porcupine cannot shoot its quills through the air but rather uses them to teach its enemies a painful lesson. When threatened, the porcupine puts its quills on end, pointing backwards. Then it rattles its feathers and stamps its feet to warn the enemy. If this doesn’t work, the porcupine suddenly becomes the skin of its enemy. The barbs of the barbs enclose them once in the body of the predator and this can cause an infection to the victim. As long as his back is kept to the attacker, therefore, the porcupine has a high chance of escaping. The horns of the African rhinoceros are another example of deadly daggers.
– Pretense: The crocodile, floating just below the surface, looks like nothing more than a piece of wood. Only his nostrils and eyes remain above the water as he watches and waits near the riverbank for the animals to come and drink. Then suddenly the crocodile shoots out of the water so fast that the victim has no time to escape. He quickly kills it by drowning.