Ngorongoro Magic

An Endangered Black Rhino in the Ngorongoro Crater

One of my Top 10 favorite safari destinations in East Africa is without a doubt the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania. It is a natural arena where the circle of life plays out daily within the confines of the crater rim and where all animals, live out most of their existence within the walls of this awe inspiring natural theater. There is a healthy and diverse range of wildlife that can be found both on the crater floor, as well in the vast conservation area outside the caldera.

This is one of my all time favorite photographs taken during our last safari there. The black rhino pictured is encrusted with ox-peckers on its back, its expression is priceless as it gazes into the horizon and finally, the textures, lines and colours of the landscape all tell an interesting story of their own. Everything just came beautifully together for this photo.

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Lions Mating Up Close In Kenya

This lion and lioness are mating really close to the road.

The Roughness Of A Lions Tongue

A lions tongue has numerous tiny spines called papillae Pet lovers with a domestic cat at home will relate to this story quite well, as they would have had their hands or fingers licked by their cat's tongue at some point or another. A lion’s tongue is no less different in design to that of a house cats, with the exception that its sheer size and heaviness would make a lions tongue as rough and harsh as sandpaper! But why is the lions tongue so rough and how is this beneficial? The reason for its roughness is that the surface of the lions tongue is covered in many tiny spines called papillae, which are further divided into 3 types namely; Filiform, Fungiform and Vallate papillae. The cats filiform papillae which is located on the tongues dorsal surface, is the main reason for the roughness, and these can also be compared to barbs since they face backwards in the direction of the throat. Having a barbed tongue is beneficial to the lion for a number of reasons. I...

The Unique Looking Guitar Fish

Guitar Fish resting on the sea bed One of the most interesting characteristics about the guitar fish is its unique body shape. It seemingly looks like a cross between a shark and a ray - with its flattened ray like head yet it has a long shark like body with dorsal fins - but this fish is actually a classification of its own and has about 50 subspecies. The guitar fish prefers to remain tranquil on the sea bed, partly covering itself with sand to camouflage itself for any unsuspecting prey such as crabs or small fish that may come past it. Reaching sizes of approximately two meters in length, they are quite docile so can easily be approached by underwater photographers.

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