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| A Gerenuk stands up reaching for leaves during the dry season's in Tsavo |
One of the most unique looking and adaptable of all antelope species in the Tsavo ecosystem is the Gerenuk. Sometimes also referred to as "Giraffe Gazelle" they get this nickname because of their impressive and flexible long neck.
During the dry seasons, Tsavo can become quite uninhabitable. The waterholes dry up leaving behind basins of red sand while the grass disappears and changes from lush green to rusty brown which is un-nutritious and quite inedible. Competition for pasture becomes stiff as the park's different species of antelope and all other herbivores like zebra's and buffalo seek out to finish any available patch of grass. This is when the gerenuk uses an extraordinary adaptation to find food. While thousands of other animals search for grass, the gerenuk looks for thickets and bushes! Standing up on its long skinny legs and stretching out its neck, it is able to reach for the branches of leaves that are much higher up and beyond the reach of other animals. A remarkable adaptation where it literally reachs for the skies to search for its food.
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