The most impressive predatory bird I saw in Africa, the Fish Eagle was spotted near water holes and perched high a top trees alongside rivers.
A powerful looking bird, you can tell by it’s claws that this bird means business! The African Fish Eagle also happens to have been chosen by Birdlife South Africa as the 2012 Bird of the Year.
This particular Fish Eagle photo was taken in Chobe National Park, Botswana.
When it comes to Giant Tortoises, nobody does it better than the Galapagos Islands.
Far from the busy Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island is the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center on Isabela Island.
You won’t find Lonesome George or any other famous tortoises here, nor will you find any crowds. On my visit to the Giant Tortoise Breeding Centre I was the only person there, aside from the workers. It was the perfect, private tortoise experience.
To get there, you need to be staying on the largest island of the Galapagos – Isabela. From the town of Puerto Villamil, it’s an enjoyable boardwalk path around some lagoons and a forest. The walk there is short and simple, about 1km or so. Along the way you’ll see wading and migratory birds, perhaps some flamingos, lava lizards and marine iguanas too.
After the little nature walk, you arrive at the Galapagos Tortoise Breeding Center, which is all business. It is actually quite a large complex, with many different corrals, or holding areas for the tortoises.
Most tortoises here are species from southern Isabela Island and they’re identified by the shape of their shells. Isabela Island has five distinct giant tortoises, each associated with a different volcano and area on the island. Some of them are recognized by their flat, saddleback shells, while others have higher, domed shape shells. The different shell shapes come from the environment they live in and the food available for them to eat.
It is thought that the saddleback shells of the Sierra Negro Giant Tortoises allow them to stretch higher to reach food from the opuntia / prickly pear cactus. Interesting huh?
The feeding time at the center was actually quite amusing to watch. The tortoises gather around large, circular troughs, munching away so you’re left staring at tortoise butts. No stragglers here either, if you’re off in a far away corner at feeding time, you better speed along to get your place at the trough!
When not feeding they’re ambling around with plenty of space, enjoying the good life while the researchers here get them ready for breeding or being sent off into the wild to sustain their populations.
Getting a one-on-one tour around the center and being free to wander around on my own, this was a super relaxed place to enjoy tortoise watching compared to either the Research Centre or Highlands on Santa Cruz. I would say I even enjoyed the tortoise time here more than I did at Galapaguera on San Cristobal Island.
The real highlight was getting to see, and hold, a giant tortoise egg. It was surprisingly light for it’s size and nearly perfectly round. Of course the one I was shown had long since lost it’s chance to become a living tortoise. The researchers at the breeding center take great care in carefully documenting their work here. Even the egg had numbers and markings on it so they knew which tortoise it came from, when it was laid and what other tortoises were hatched from that clutch of eggs.
Now the hatching and incubation areas were largely off-limits here when I visited, but seeing how many tortoises they had already successfully bred and raised and released into the wild was a rewarding experience. If you’re a big fan of tortoises, then I highly recommend spending time on Isabela Island for some private tortoise time.
Happy World Penguin Day!
April 25th is known as World Penguin Day, so for this #wildlifewednesday image I’ve chosen one of my favourite penguin pictures from my travels to Antarctica.
This little guy was photographed near the shore at Deception Island, a popular stop for visitors to the South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula. I found the Gentoo Penguins to be the most ‘friendly’ of the penguins in Antarctica. Chinstrap Penguins had a strangely evil look to them and I thought that Adelie Penguins had some sort of superiority complex about them.
Perhaps that sounds crazy, but if you spent much time with penguins you’d probably go slightly crazy too…!
Black howler monkeys are found in parts of Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil. There are many Howler monkey species that range throughout Central and South America, but these are the ones usually found the furthest south.
As for their colour, only fully mature, adult males are black in colour. Younger Black howler monkeys, and females have a black and gold colour combination.
This howler monkey was photographed in the Pantanal region of Brazil.
So, who is the coolest cat of them all? This list of six big cats represents the biggest, smartest and coolest cats around the world.
Of all the wild cats I’ve seen on my travels, I’ve only seen one from this list – the Lion. Looks like I have to plan some more feline friendly travels? See if your favourite cat made the list.
#6 Mountain Lion (Puma concolor)
You don’t need to travel anywhere exotic to come in contact with a potentially lethal big cat. The Cougar, Panther and Mountain Lion are all the same animal – roaming across the wild areas of the Americas. From the Rocky Mountains to the Andes in South America these are extremely elusive cats that are capable of hunting big prey like Moose, Elk or Deer. Chances of seeing one are slim as they’re weary of humans and prefer to avoid any contact.
#5 Lion (Panthera leo)
Lions used to live in various locations around the world, but now wild lions are only found in Africa and India. The “King of the Jungle” is known for its distinctive mane and strong roar, a key component of big cats. What many people don’t know is that the Asiatic Lion can be found in India. Only around 400 of them remain, so it is an endangered animal and can only be seen in the Gir Forest in Gujarat, India. Over in Africa, the lion is listed as a vulnerable species, but ranges across much of Southern and Eastern Africa still.
#4 Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)
The Cheetah is the fastest of all land animals, travelling at speeds upwards of 100km/hour. How can they run so fast? Well they have semi-retractable claws, enlarged nostrils, lungs and hearts that increase their running capabilities. Quite slender in appearance, these long-legged cat weighs in at 90-140 pounds. They are a vulnerable species that are found primarily in Africa and parts of the Middle East.
#3 Snow Leopard (Uncia uncia)
The elusive and endangered Snow Leopard is a close second to the Cheetah for biggest small cat. For its environment, the mountain ranges of Central and Southern Asia, it is a big cat, weighing 77-121 pounds. White in winter and brown in summer, their fur is probably the best camouflaged of any of the big cats, adding to their elusiveness and stealth capabilities. To endure cold winters, its proportionately large tail doubles as a scarf!
#2 Siberian Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica)
This is the largest cat on the planet, with males weighing in at as much as 800 pounds. The Siberian Tiger is critically endangered with only about 500 left in the wild. The remaining Tigers reside in Northern Asia and Russia. It has larger feet than most tigers to navigate through snow, and has brown rather than black stripes, just to be different!
#1 Jaguar (Panthera onca)
This is the third largest cat, and one of only four “roaring” cats from the panthera genus. It is also the least threatened species on this list. Typically weighing between 124-211 pounds, some have been recorded at more than 300 pounds. This compactly built cat excels at climbing, swimming and crawling. Currently, they live in a range of places from Mexico to Northern Argentina. Jaguars are highly successful hunters with sleek features and are sometimes rumoured to be the only big cat that kills for “fun”.
While these may be my favourite six big cats, the Leopard (Panthera pardus), Bobcat (Lynx rufus) and Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) are also pretty amazing wild cats.
