Maasai Mara : Buffalo And Antelopes

You can click on any photo to start the slideshow.

In addition to the 2 million strong population of zebras and wildebeests, there are many other grass feeders in Maasai Mara. The Cape Buffalo is considered one of the "Big Five". It is indeed very massive, but what has made it famous is its dangerous nature. They unite together to extract revenge on the attackers, be it lions or human hunters. Entire herd joins in to ferociously protect their young.

The face has a clear expression, 'Don't you mess with me'.

The white spots below the eyes indicate that it's an older buffalo.

Birds are happy eating the insects on their back, and buffaloes are happy to get rid of the pests. A mutually beneficial relationship.

This was the largest heard we saw.

For more photos of the buffalo see the set of Flickr.

Then there are many species of antelopes. We got to see all the major ones. Maybe the biggest is the waterbuck. It's a misleading name, as they don't spend much time in water.

Hartebeests are also a large antelope, and generally very clam.

Topi is very similar to the hartebeest, but much darker in color. I do not have any photos of just the topi, they were always together with some other animals.

Smaller than these, is the impala. With a beautiful golden brown coat and stunning horns, which is a very distinctive feature and makes it easy to identify them. My favorite of all antelopes.

Look at this beauty!

Smaller than impala, is the Thompson's gazelle, the absolute favorite food of the cheetah, due to its small size. They have distinctive black stripes across their body.

All these antelopes are often found together in the savannah, in various combinations.

Zebras, topis and impalas.

Zebras, impalas and gazelles.

And all of these together!

The smallest and the shyest of them is the definition of cute. It also has a funny name : Dik-dik.

All these animals are abundant in the Serengeti / Maasai Mara area. For more photos of these antelopes, check the set on Flickr.

Other posts related to Kenya
Maasai Mara : Zebras And Wildebeests
Maasai Mara : Elephants And Monkey
Kenya : Giraffe, Hippo, Crocs and "Hakuna Matata"
Kenya : Birds
Maasai Mara : Lions and Cheetah
Kenya : Plants
Kenya : Rural Images