The gazelle versus the impala

The Masai Mara is crammed full with Thomson gazelles and impala, similar looking antelopes that are hard to distinguish at first.

They are the most jittery of the animals we encountered -- almost the only ones that prance away when our vehicles approached.

The gazelles have a black stripe on the belly, while the males have long, straight horns.

Impala are just a plain sandy colour, and the males have very long scimitar-like horns (females have none, and look like deer). One impala dominates a whole herd of females – the other males live apart, waiting for a chance to challenge the leader.

Hippos in the Mara River

It was baking hot by the time we reached the Mara River, the tree-lined watercourse that threads through the heart of the Masai Mara. 

Basking happily mid-river, protected from the mid-day heat, were several clusters of hippos; heads emerged with a snort, and the hippos seem to yawn, teeth glaring before disappearing beneath the muddy water. 

As their heads dipped, their huge grey backs emerged, like large hunks of rock in the river.

On the other bank, a couple of two-metre crocodiles were sun-bathing – no threat to the huge hippos!

 

Mischievous monkeys

Most safaris stop for a picnic lunch near the Mara River, and the local residents always come out to play; vervet monkeys. 

Over the years they’ve learnt that if they see humans here, food is close behind; the cheeky, nimble little pests have become skilled at creeping up behind an unsuspecting picnicker, and grabbing their lunch. 

Oranges and bananas seem the favourite snacks (they don’t eat meat), and the monkeys can be quite brazen – Carrie’s picnic box was marauded by a particularly audacious monkey, who snatched an orange virtually out of her hands! 

Luckily, brandishing a long stick in their direction usually is enough to keep these cheeky monkeys at bay.

Warning: Vultures in action

We came across this group of nasty-looking white-backed vultures on the side of the track, pecking over the remains of a wildebeest. It was a grim but fascinating scene; the vultures are HUGE, with curved, ugly looking beaks and razor-sharp talons. As they ripped at the rotting flesh, they snapped and hissed at each other – a greedy and nasty bunch!