Kenya: Fahari Yetu

24/03/2024

Warthogs mainly live in families/groups known as “Sounders” and have a strange and funny behavior of kneeling on their front knees during feeding.
This is because they have long necks and short front legs.

21/11/2022

16/09/2022

The Maa Trust is providing an internship in the administration department. It is a live out position, and so the candidate would need to make their own way to/from HQ each day. If you are interested, please see more details and application information below.

16/09/2022

After resting, before setting off for hunting lions often yawn repeatedly to increase the level of oxygen in the blood to provide for any strenuous activity that might occur

12/01/2022

12/01/2022

09/01/2022

10/11/2021

Here are ten fascinating facts about African Jacana! Interesting

Jacanas can walk on water
Jacanas are also known as Jesus birds because of their ability to walk on water with their slender legs and curiously long toes. In fact, they technically walk on floating vegetation, which gives the impression that they are walking on water.

A second nickname
This ability earned them their other nickname – lily-trotters. Many bird photographers capture jacanas walking on waterlilies where they spend most of their days searching for food such as aquatic insects and larvae, worms, snails and other arthropods.

Jacanas are good swimmers and divers
When foraging, they swim over open water from one vegetated area to another. They can also swim underwater to avoid predators.
Jacana chicks can swim just as well as their parents
In dangerous situations, the chicks can hide underwater with only the tip of their bills sticking out above the surface.

They are weak fliers
As already mentioned, their flying ability does not match their ability to walk on water. The African jacana usually only flies short distances with their wings curved, legs hanging or held horizontally behind.
Jacanas have … uhm, peculiar breeding habits
Jacanas have an unusual mating system called polyandry, meaning that one female mates with multiple males.

The females lay their eggs in different males’ nests
… and do not even blink before moving on to the next one. Females can lay up to ten successive clutches of eggs in one season.

The female is the protector
The female is the protector of the territory. This is probably directly linked to the fact that she is double the size of her hubby (or rather, hubbies).

The males raise the chicks
The males are expert single dads, as they care for the chicks alone. They tend to all nesting duties from nest building to bringing up the chicks.

Their nests are loose floating islands
Nests are built on small loose floating islands of marshy vegetation over deep water. They are partially submerged, with about 2 centimetres appearing above the surface.

04/11/2021

Interesting facts about Ostriches!
•Ostriches have three stomachs. Since they lack teeth, they swallow small stones to grind their food, and an adult ostrich carries nearly one kilogram of pebbles in its stomach.

•Ostriches can go without drinking for several days, absorbing moisture from the food they eat, but they do enjoy water and will even bath in it if there is enough.

•As ostriches can’t fly, when threatened they’ll run, and can reach speeds up to about 70km/h (43mph), covering up to 5m in a single stride. Their powerful, long legs can be formidable weapons, capable of killing a human or a potential predator with a forward kick.

•Ostriches’ wings reach a span of about two metres, and are used in mating displays, to shade chicks, to cover the bare skin of the upper legs to conserve heat, and as ‘rudders’ to help them change direction while running.

•Territorial fights between males for a harem of two to seven females usually last just minutes, but they can easily cause death because they slam their heads into their opponents.

•What follows is a complex mating ritual consisting of wing beats, poking on the ground, and then the male will violently flap his wings to symbolically clear out a nest in the dirt. The hen runs circles around the c**k with lowered wings, and he will swirl his head. She drops to the ground, and mating can commence.

Regards!!!!
Douglas Adaka

20/08/2021

INTERESTING... Bijagos tribe...
The Bijagos are a matriarchal and matrilineal society in which women choose their husbands and which is guided by female priests. Traditionally a hunter-gatherer society, they were famous for their almadias, large ocean-going canoes that could hold up to 70 people.