Exploring Tanzania

Looking for a Meal

A wattled starling (Creatophora cinerea) perches on the back of a wildebeest. Lacking the distinctive black and yellow markings on its face, this starling may be a non-breeding male or a female.

Starlings hope to score a meal when hanging with their big friends. Livestock movement can stir up insects or reveal ectoparasites (like ticks, mites, or fly larvae) on their tough hide.

Either way, this bird is hungry and ready to help.

It is a good example of mutualistic symbiosis. Or cast proverbially, why we work better in teams.

Snacks in the Grass

Most of us understand the idea of the food chain in the natural world (this one eats that one and so on and so forth), but are you aware of the 10 percent rule?

The 10 percent rule suggests that as energy is passed from producers to consumers, the bulk of that energy is lost to life processes (like movement or heat production, reproduction, or waste). Only about 10 percent is transferred from one “link” to another. This reality keeps food chains short (maybe five levels?). It also explains why a healthy food system will have lots of producers but only a few top predators.

The clean-up crew pictured below is a critical last stop for energy transfer in the Tanzanian grasslands. Scavengers and decomposers break down the last scraps of carcasses (often inedible to others) and release it back into soil. Plants absorb the nutrients from the soil and the cycle begins again (cue the “Circle of Life” tune from Disney’s Lion King).

This system of the food chain is hinted at in Psalm 104. Contemplate these edible bits from vss 27-31:

“All creatures look to you to give the food at the proper time. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things. . . When you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground. May the glory of YHWH endure forever; may YHWH rejoice in his works.”

We spotted this black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas) and scruffy-looking hooded vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus) cleaning up a kill site in Ngorongoro Crater.

On Tippy Toes

Kirk’s dik-dik (Madoqua kirkii) is a tiny antelope of East Africa. It stands tip-toed, about 18 inches tall.

Toe walking is a feature of ungulates (animals with hooves). The structure of the foot is such that only the toe tips touch the ground; the “heel” is located further up the leg. A hard layer of keratin caps each toe, protecting and strengthening it.

Dik-diks have two weight-bearing digits on each foot (thus, they belong to the “even-toed” or Artiodactyla group).

This foot structure gives this animal speed and nimbleness (they can sprint up to 26 mph and turn on a dime).

Don’t worry if you spot one of these tiny antelope perched high on a rock or on a steep cliff face. They are built for it.

Long and Lanky

Serval cat in the grass. Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania.

The serval is a long lanky feline found in sub-Saharan Africa. It looks like a big house cat, except for its oddly small head and generously long legs.

Its scientific name, Leptailurus, is a combo-pak out of the Greek, meaning "delicate cat." The common name, "serval," is simply Portuguese for "lynx."

This one was spotted on the crater floor at Ngorongoro. We watched it for a while until a group of lions approached. The serval beat a hasty exit.

Perched on the Rim

View from the rim of Ngorongoro Crater.

That tall plant in the foreground is member of the aloe family, perhaps an Aloe arborescenes. On the crater floor in the distance you can make out the outline of the shallow alkaline body of water, Lake Magadi. The steep drop from the rim to the floor is about 2,000 feet (and is a breathtaking experience by 4-wheel vehicle on a switchback road!).

Ngorongoro Crater is world’s largest intact volcanic caldera.

I shot this image on the occasion of my first visit to the region back in 2017.

Spotted Hyena

Spotted Hyena in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

"Whoo-whoop, cackle-cackle" says the Spotted Hyena.

With Christmas in the rear view mirror, we start thinking safari again. Our February 2026 Serengeti excursion is full, but we will soon be opening seats for 2027. Isn’t it time for you to experience one of the last great wild places on earth?

Nomadic, sortof

A "facultative nomad" is a creature that lives a settled life when it can, but moves around when required. The phrase may be applied to birds, bugs, or even people.

The description fits the Yellow-billed stork (Mycteria ibis) of sub-Saharan Africa. This big bird is found around water, particularly in wetlands and mudflats. Because of their wading and feeding tactics, Yellowbills avoid deep water. As long as food is plentiful they hang out. Larger patterns of migration remain unstudied and unclear.

I spotted this gang lingering in some reeds in northwest Tanzania.

Wander over to Africa and safari with us. Our 2026 offerings are full, but we are angling for 2027.

Brain to Body Ratio? Hmmmm.

Brain to body ratio.

While not at the bottom of this category, the ostrich is close. Its 1.5 ounce brain steers a 250 pound bird.

What animal is at the bottom of this list? No one is sure, but answers swerve between the Bony-eared Assfish and the American politician. (I threw this detail in because I simply wanted to type the word assfish a second time).

As Job 39:17 reminds us "God did not endow her with wisdom or give her a share of good sense" (the ostrich, that is).

Here's a big male from the Tanzanian grasslands.

Safari with us and see a silly ostrich for yourself.

Tear Lines

Tear lines give the cheetah a distinctive and adorable face. These marks are dark (in contrast to the tawny fur of this fast feline) and connect the corner of the eye to the mouth. But they are not just for looks.

Specialists refer to these lines as malar stripes. Malar is Latin for "cheek." It is believed that these lines reduce glare (like the lines that football players put under their eyes) and help cheetahs and falcons and other tear-lined creatures spot and pursue prey.

We found this cheetah and (heard her) cubs in the central Serengeti.

If spotting a fast feline in the wild sounds fun to you, join us on an African safari.

The Welcoming Tree

The Boundary Hill Gate is the point of entrance for most safarists to the Tarangire National Park, Tanzania. Growing by the gate is this remarkable baobab, an iconic specimen of the African landscape. It is at least a thousand years old.

Some call the baobab "upside down." If you squint your eyes, you can pretend its branches are its roots.

Others call the baobab the "tree of life," probably because of its longevity and the volume of water stored in its trunk. Elephants eat the spongy bark for moisture.

Tarangire Park is famous for its high density of baobobs and elephants. Join us on safari and see for yourself.

Bullet-proof

Stopping on the edge a hippo pool in the African savannah produces two responses. The first is amazement, especially if there is a group of fifty or more individuals (appropriately called a bloat). They splash, fuss, grunt, and poop. The second response > revulsion > is born of this last action. “Eww! What’s that smell?” someone gasps. We watch in horror as fecal matter is flung from hippo tails rotating like windshield wipers. I respond, “Serengeti perfume.”

Hippos are big. They eat a lot. They also poop a lot. And don’t mind wallering in it.

It is said that hippos don’t digest well. Maybe. But with all that bacteria in the water, their true super-power must be a bullet-proof immune system.

Wry Smile

The eland smiles. Does he know a secret?

The eland is the largest member of the antelope family. It is also the slowest. Because of its size and nature, it can be domesticated by humans (just remember, it is still an antelope, a fence jumping specialist!).

Under spiral horns are the eland's "liquid eyes." These are adorned with long lashes. Such observations flow into the whispered conversation as we sit in our jeep and watch these docile creatures munch Serengeti grasses.

(Note the oxpecker on his back.)

Our safari work continues to attract special travelers. Because of this we have scheduled another return to Tanzania. This one is scheduled for late February, 2027. Reserve your seats now. They too will disappear.

Lappet-faced

It’s almost noble.

When it comes to clothing, a lappet is a fancy fold. It's often seen as a drape in a scarf or head covering.

Check out the folds of skin on the head of this large scavenger. Now you know why it is called a Lappet-faced vulture (Torgos tracheliotos). Fancy-schmancy!

This is Africa's largest vulture. The wingspan of a fully-grown individual can reach 8 or 9 feet!

Unfortunately, this member of the clean up crew is also endangered. Habitat destruction, nest destruction, and pesticide ingestion are problematic. One estimate suggests only 6,500 of these (almost) noble birds survive today. That's a problem.

See a Lappet-faced vulture for yourself. Safari with us in 2026.

Duck-Duck-Goose

If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it must be . . . an Egyptian Goose!

Alopochen aegyptiaca is large waterbird common across Africa (and found as an invasive in more than a few British gardens). It is a member of shelduck sub-family, Tadorninae, and not a true goose at all.

Its build is stocky. Its flight is awkward. Its plumage is colorful: brown, red, and white. It looks sneaky with a "bandit mask" around its eyes.

On safari, we often spot the quackers around water-holes, either on the ground or roosting in trees.

Spot an Egyptian goose for yourself! Join us in Africa in 2026.

Sneaky Drongo

Kleptoparasite.

That's a word you don't hear everyday. It is used to describe a creature that steals food from another. It appropriately describes the behavior of the Fork-tailed drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis), an African bird that mimics the calls of predators. This false alarm is startling and makes it possible for the drongo to steal dropped food.

We used to do the same sort of thing in Junior High.

(See a sneaky drongo for yourself next year on an African safari!)