A Place For Every Species...

In Africa, you find many species of herbivores that eat grasses, and leaves from low bushes. At the other extreme are the elephants and the giraffes that can grab leaves from the tops of trees. And in between there is a special member of the antelope family called the gerenuk. Gerenuks gracefully rear up on their hind legs to reach lower branches on trees and the upper parts of bushes. Isn't it amazing how nature has designed a niche in the web of life for every creature!

I photographed this couple in Samburu National Reserve in Kenya. On my African Safari DVD, you can watch them stand up and reach the leaves. It's an amazing thing to witness.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the GERENUK.

Bee-Eaters

Bee-Eaters are among my favorite birds in Africa! They are extremely beautiful with their bright colors, and they possess charming personalities. We filmed this handsome pair along the banks of the Ewaso Nyro river, which runs through the heart of Samburu National Reserve in Kenya.

Bee-eaters actually eat bees. When they catch a bee, they knock its stinger off by hitting it against a branch and then they eat the bee. It's quite amazing to watch!

Click here to learn more about bee-eaters.

Big Heads and Long Tongues!

CLICK HERE to watch giraffes being hand fed at Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon. The park generously gave us behind the scenes access to shoot this video for the bonus features on our African Safari DVD.

A giraffe's tongue can be as long as 18 inches (46 cm), making it possible for it to reach around the long sharp needles of the Acacia tree to grab hard to get leaves.

Giraffes spend most of their time browsing for food and can eat up to 75 pounds (34 kg) of leaves in a day.

CLICK HERE to learn more about giraffes from the San Diego Zoo.

There Are Nine Sub-Species of Giraffes

Of the nine sub-species of giraffes, I filmed three of them in Kenya.

From left to right, in the photos above, they are the reticulated giraffe in Samburu National Reserve, the Masai giraffe in Masai Mara National Reserve, and Rothschild's Giraffe in Lake Nakuru National Park. The main differences between sub-species is in the coloration and the pattern of their skin and fur.

Answer to last week's question: Giraffes have 9 neck vertebrae, the same number as humans.

To learn more about giraffe sub-species CLICK HERE.

How long is a giraffe's tongue?