The Spinders

Most of see them and ignore them even some going into an extent of killing them. Spiders exist in all over the world, both venomous and non venomous. In your adventure safari holiday is a must encounter bust most are unnoticed .Spiders form   a large and diverse group. They vary in size from tiny species less than 1 mm across, to giant exceeding 15 cm. spiders usually have unsegmented abdomen, strongly constricted at the end. With a group of finger-like spinnerets at the head. Spiders can be divided into two groups namely: mygalomorphae which are primitive and contain the big hairy spiders and Araneomorphae the true spiders. The difference between the two is the way the jawswork. The jaws of the mygalomorphae strike downwards, whereas the jaws of the araneomorphs oppose each other.

Spiders can live for a long time without food as long as they have access to water. External digestion takes place with use of venom ,which serves the function of immobilizing the prey and pouring digestive enzymes on them. These enzymes gradually digest the prey ‘s internal organs and the spider then sucks up the liquid. In order for successful mating to take place, the structure of the male palp has to be complementary to that of the female epigyne, much like a lock and key mechanism. 

Spiders produces silk which are produced by the abdominal silk glands and at least seven different kinds are known to exist. It is proteins with amazing properties, for the strongest types have a breath taking strain of that of steel wire of the same diameter. The silk produced can stretch to roughly double its length before it breaks. Spiders often recycle the protein by eating their silk before they rebuild a web. It has been shown that some species eat the silk as pollen gathers on it, as food source. Silk is produced as a liquid and is emitted from the spinnerets much as tooth paste from the tube. The spiders may climb to some point, lifts up its abdomen and releases a stream of silk which is called ballooning. This is caught by wind and the spider floats gently away. 

The longest lived spiders are those of the trap doors which may live for up to twenty years. Some common seen spiders in your Kenya safari adventure includes; of Araneidae family, cteniziade, eresidae and scytodidae.many varieties  exists in the world with black window spiders seen most with most  . They have a varying colour and other minor details but all of these species have similar lifestyle and all are dangerously toxic. Next time when you are in your safari holiday, have a look at them also since they are very interesting insects.

JNK- Camping  in kenya

Hope Mission Tours

The Pioneer grazers

The plains zebra (Equus quagga, formerly Equus burchelli), also known as the common zebra or Burchell's zebra, is the most common and geographically widespread species of zebra. It ranges from the south of Ethiopia through East Africa to as far south as Angola and eastern South Africa. The plains zebra is mid-sized and thick bodied with relatively short legs. Adults of both sexes stand about 1.4 meters (4.6 ft) high at the shoulder, are approximately 2.3 meters (8 ft) long, and weigh around 220–322 kg (484–708 lb). 

Males may weigh 10% more than females. Like all zebras, they are boldly striped in black and white, and no two individuals look exactly alike. They also have black or dark muzzles. The natal coat of a foal is brown and white. All have vertical stripes on the forepart of the body, which tend towards the horizontal on the hindquarters. The Plains zebra's range stops short of the Sahara from southern Sudan and southern Ethiopia extending south along Eastern Africa, as far as Zambia, Mozambique, and Malawi, before spreading into most southern African countries. 

Plains zebras generally live in treeless grasslands and savanna woodlands  but can be found in a variety of habitats, both tropical and temperate. However they are generally absent from deserts, dense rainforests and permanent wetlands. Zebras also live in elevations from sea level to 4,300 m on Mount Kenya. They rely on rainfall for food and water, and go on great migrations to follow the rains. The zebras will migrate up to 700 miles (1,100 km) for food. Unlike many of the large ungulates of Africa, the plains zebra does not require (but still prefers) short grass to graze. 

It eats a wide range of different grasses, preferring young, fresh growth where available, and also browses on leaves and shoots from time to time. Zebras have a simple stomach which allows them to digest and assimilate larger amounts of forage during a 24-hour period. Thus, zebras are less selective in foraging, but they do spend much time eating. The zebra is a pioneer grazer and prepares the way for more specialized grazers like blue wildebeests and Thomson's gazelles, who depend on shorter and more nutritional grasses. The plains zebra's major predators are lions and spotted hyenas. 

Nile crocodiles are also great threats during river crossings. Wild dogs, cheetahs, and leopards also prey on zebras, although the threats they pose are generally minor. Hyenas, dogs, cheetahs, and leopards mostly attack zebra foals. The plains zebra is highly social and usually forms small family groups called harems, which consist of a single stallion, several mares, and their recent offspring. 

The adult membership of a harem is highly stable, typically remaining together for months to years. Groups of all male "bachelors" also exist. Mares exist in a hierarchy, with the alpha female being the first to mate with the stallion and being the one to lead the group. When new mares are added to the group, they are met with hostility by the other mares. Thus, the stallion must shield the new mares until the aggression subsides. Zebras communicate with each other with high pitched barks and whinnying.

A zebra's ears signify its mood. When a zebra is in a calm, tense or friendly mood, its ears stand erect. When it is frightened, its ears are pushed forward. When angry, the ears are pulled backward. When surveying an area for predators, zebras will stand in an alert posture, with ears erect, head held high, and staring. The stallion mates with all his mares. Mares may give birth to one foal every twelve months. The birthing peak is during the rainy season. 

At the moment of birth, a mother zebra keeps any other zebra away from her foal, including the stallion, the other mares, and even the previous offspring. Later, though, they all bond. Plains zebra foals are protected by their mother as well as the head stallion and the other mares in their group. Young male zebras eventually leave their family groups. This is not because of sexual maturity or being kicked out by their fathers, but because their relationship with their mothers have faded after the birth of a sibling. 

The zebra is revered in some African cultures as a symbol of beauty. In the dances of the Karamojong tribe of Uganda, women would paint themselves in zebra stripes and act like them. The Dube tribe of South Africa features a zebra on its totem. Zebras also appear on the coat of arms of Botswana.

 JNK- Kenya safaris

Hope Mission Safaris

Kenya Usain Bolt

Scientific Name: Acinonyx jubatus
Size: 30 inches at the shoulder
Weight: 110 to 140 pounds
Lifespan: 10 to 20 years
Habitat: Open plains
Diet: Smaller antelopes
Gestation: 90 to 95 days
Predators: Changing habitat, eagles, humans, hyenas, lions

The cheetah is the world’s fastest land animal. Over short distances, it can sprint up to 70 miles per hour. Built for speed, it has long, slim, muscular legs, a small, rounded head set on a long neck, a flexible spine, a deep chest, special pads on its feet for traction and a long tail for balance. Distinctive black "tear tracks" running from the inside corner of each eye to the mouth may serve as an antiglare mechanism for daytime hunting. The cheetah is basically a solitary animal. 

At times, a male will accompany a female for a short while after mating, but most often the female is alone or with her cubs. Cheetahs do not roar like lions, but they purr, hiss, whine and growl. They also make a variety of contact calls - the most common is a birdlike chirping sound. Cheetahs usually prey on small antelopes such as Thomson's gazelles and impalas, but also hunt small mammals and birds. Once the cheetah closes in, it knocks the prey to the ground with its paw and suffocates the animal with a bite to the neck. Once a cheetah has made a kill, it eats quickly and keeps an eye out for scavengers—lions, leopards, hyenas, vultures and jackals will steal from this timid predator. 

Unlike most other cats, the cheetah usually hunts during daylight, preferring early morning or early evening. A shy creature that roams widely, the cheetah is not seen as easily as some other cats. The name cheetah comes from an Indian word meaning "spotted one." The young cub has a long gray-blue coat and a black underbelly that rapidly lightens and becomes spotted. Early peoples trained cheetahs for hunting, and many civilizations depicted them in their art and in written records. Cheetahs were so popular that Akbar the Great of India was said to have kept a stable of about 1,000.

JNK- kenya safari

Hope Mission Safaris

The most dangerous mammal on earth

The African buffalo, affalo, nyati, Mbogo or Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is a large African bovine. With a mature male weighing about 500–900 kg, and reaches a height of  up to 1.7 metres high, 3.4 metres long. Owing to its unpredictable nature which makes it highly dangerous to humans, it has not been domesticated, unlike its Asian counterpart, the domestic Asian water buffalo. The front hooves of the buffalo are wider than the rear, which is associated with the need to support the weight of the front part of the body, which is more powerful than the back

Savannah type buffalo have black or dark brown coats with age. Old bulls have whitish circles around their eyes. Female tend to have more reddish coats. The horns of African buffalo are very peculiar. A characteristic feature of them is the fact that the adult bull's horns have fused bases, forming a continuous bone shield which can not always be penetrated even by a rifle bullet. From the base the horns diverge, then bend down, and then smoothly curved upwards and outwards. The distance between the ends of the horns of large bulls is more than a meter. The young buffalo horn "shield" forms fully only upon reaching about the age of 5–6 years. 

The African buffalo is one of the most successful grazers in Africa. It lives in swamps, floodplains as well as mopane grasslands and forests of the major mountains of Africa.Herds have also been found in open woodland and grassland.While not particularly demanding with regard to habitat, they require water daily and therefore depend on perennial sources of water. When feeding, the buffalo makes use of its tongue and wide incisor row to eat grass more quickly than most other African herbivores. Buffalo do not stay on trampled or depleted areas for long. Herd size is highly variable. The basic herds consist of related females, and their offspring, in an almost linear dominance hierarchy. The basic herds are surrounded by sub-herds of subordinate males, high-ranking males and females and old or invalid animals. 

The young males keep their distance from the dominant bull, who is recognizable by the thickness of his horns. Adult bulls will spar in play, dominance interactions or actual fights. A bull will approach another lowing with his horns down and wait for the other bull to do the same thing. When sparring the bulls twist their horns from side to side. African buffalo make various vocalizations. Many calls are similar to those of domestic cattle but are generally of a lower pitch. 

Buffalo emit low-pitched 2–4 seconds calls repeated at 3-6 second intervals to signal the herd to move. Buffalo mate and give birth strictly during the rainy seasons. Birth peak takes place early in the season while mating peaks later. Males leave their mothers when they are two years old and join the bachelor groups. The African buffalo is widely regarded as a very dangerous animal, as it gores and kills over 200 people every year.in African savannah you can see it south Africa,Botswana,Kenya  Uganda and Tanzania.

JNK-Kenya safaris

Hope Mission Safaris