The A - Z April Challenge: N

N is for Nile Crocodile

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I was unable to get a good clear shot of a crocodile whilst on safari. The few we saw were on distant banks, usually lolling at the edge of ponds filled with lumbering hippos.
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Never easy to spot, the crocodile is a master of disguise. His nostrils, eyes and ears are situated on the top of his head, so the rest of the body can remain concealed underwater, and his coloration allows him to blend into the environment.

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The crocodile is an agile and rapid hunter relying on both movement and pressure sensors to catch any prey unfortunate enough to present itself near the water. Most hunting on land is done at night by lying in ambush near forest trails or roadsides.

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The Nile crocodile is the largest crocodile in Africa and is its top predator. While illegal poaching is no longer a problem, crocs are threatened by pollution, hunting, and accidental entanglement in fishing nets.

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Much of the hunting stems from his reputation as a man-eater, which is not entirely unjustified…Nile crocodiles live in close proximity to human populations, so contact can be frequent. While there are no solid numbers, it it believed that the Nile crocodile probably kills a couple of hundred people a year, more than all the other crocodiles combined.
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For more A - Z posts, be sure to pop by Arlee Bird's site and see what others have done with the letter N...
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http://www.tossingitout.blogspot.com/2011/01/very-special-and-exciting

And because its' Saturday, I am also linking up with Misty Mawn's Camera Critters...always a great site to visit!
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http://camera-critters.blogspot.com/

The A - Z April Challenge: K

K is for Kori Bustard

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Finding an animal to post for today was a challenge. I use only pictures I've taken myself, and could think of no species we'd seen in Africa that began with a K. Then on my lists of animals sighted, I came across a bird we'd spotted briefly in Kenya...

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 With an average weight of 30 lbs. and a wingspan of eight feet, the Kori Bustard is one of the heaviest birds capable of flight, though it spends most of its time on the ground in search of seeds and lizards to eat. Slow moving and passive, it takes flight only to escape its many predators.

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This bird population is diminishing at an alarming rate. Bustards take several years to mature and have a low success rate with breeding. Human encroachment and hunting threaten it further, and unless stringent measures are taken, the Bustard's future is gravely threatened...

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For more A - Z posts, be sure to pop by Arlee Bird's site and see what others have done with the letter K...

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http://www.tossingitout.blogspot.com/2011/01/very-special-and-exciting

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