This past weekend, we went on an excursion to the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve and St. Lucia Wetlands Conservation Parks. We saw lots of animals and beautiful scenery (which the pictures do not adequately give justice). The highlight of our trip definitely were our two Afrikaner guides -- both had previously worked as conservationists (one tracking rhino in the bush for 12-months, the other studying turtle and dolphin behavior in Mozambique). They told use many tales of their own experiences in the bush, and were filled with fun little factoids about the animals and plants around us.
My personal two favorites were about the weaver bird and dung beetles. Apparently, when a male weaver bird wishes to attract a female mate for breeding, he shows his best colors. If the female bird becomes interested, he will then make her a bird's nest which she then inspects carefully. If it is not up to her standards, she will kick the nest off the tree and the male must start over again until she is satisfied. It has been recorded that one male bird had to make up to 12 nests until he finally could get the approval of his future mate!
As for dung beetles, their sole mission in life is to create perfect spherical balls of dung in which to lay their eggs. They then painfully roll this dung into an area of little vegetation and bury it into the dirt. When the eggs hatch, the dung serves as their offsprings' nutrition and in the process, seeds from the dung are left to germinate and grow. Though a good example of mother nature's resourcefulness, I can't help but feel sorry for those little buggers as they have a never ending amount of work spent in animal dung....
-f
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