The Dung Wars

We had a lot of rain in the Selous last week which brought out lots of insects including Dung Beetles. With so many of these insects plundering dung piles, the competition was fierce for the choicest morsels.

Dung beetles are very important to the ecosystem, not least because they operate as the bush's sanitation system. To learn more about these insects, check out this fantastic post from Safari Ecology. What caught my attention while watching them was how ferociously they fought to defend their dungballs. Capable of pushing relative boulders ten times their own size, the beetles' strength was never in doubt. Their tactics, however, were fascinating to witness. As a reference, this particular species of beetle is about 2cm long.

This dung beetle is showing excellent rolling technique. They always roll the dung balls with their hind legs while standing on their front legs.



In the cases of competition over the dung, however, what unfolded was a bit more dramatic.

In this sequence, the beetle on the ball uses his American football-style blocking skills to keep the other beetle from ascending the dungball.



The beetle on the ball had spent considerable time moulding giraffe pellets and he wasn't about to let this challenger steal the fruits of his labor.



The challenger sprinted all the way around the ball but the defender never let him get to close.

Eventually, the challenger realized he was just going to have to do it the hard way and he sauntered off to the dung pile to start moulding his own dungball.

In the next sequence, two beetles of the same sex have already climbed onto the top of the dungball. Playing a game of king-of-the-hill, it was only a question of who would be the last beetle standing.



After a brief scrap on the top of the ball, one of the contenders was sent sprawling.



The victor decided to press his advantage and chase the other one off.



In this last sequence, what started as a similarly mild hilltop scuffle quickly took on much higher stakes.





The victor sent his opponent somersaulting 10 body lengths into the air. When he landed, the loser came straight back and got tossed again. This picture depicts the third launching. Who knows, maybe I have it all wrong and they're just performing the beetle equivalent of cliff jumping.

Saying Goodbye to a Legend

Yesterday, Nomad Tanzania honored the life of Brian Darnley Nicholson, a true legend of East Africa. Nicholson, renowned warden of the Selous Game Reserve unitl 1973, expanded the reserve and is largely responsible for its current state. Nicholson's daughter, Sandy, travelled to Kiba Point this week with her two sons to scatter his ashes in the reserve he loved.



Brian Nicholson: 20/06/1930 -- 17/03/2010

 An uncontested member of the Great White Hunter club, Nicholson began his career as a game officer at the age of 19. He was famed for long walking safaris deep into the Selous, often following its river systems miles into the wilderness. In fact, in 1979, it was Nicholson who instilled the passion for walking safaris in a young Richard Bonham, one of the founders of Sand Rivers Selous and Nomad Tanzania. That expedition was immortalized by Peter Matthiessen in his book, Sand Rivers, which gave Richard's lodge its name. It is in the spirit of that expedition that Nomad continues to do multiday walking safaris.

Richard Bonham with Sandy and her family at Nicholson's final resting place

It was a bitter-sweet moment for Sandy, who fondly recalled accompanying her father on many of his long safaris. It was with real pleasure that she was able to introduce her sons to the Selous. Richard Bonham, who accompanied the family, took some time to show the boys what it was like in their grandfather's time.

We may no longer catch 50Kg fish in Stiegler's Gorge the way Nicholson used to, but Adrian still managed to pull out a nice size tiger fish.

Richard also taught the boys how to use a rifle, something Nicholson was a master at as he hunted down problem animals to protect villages near the reserve.



I'm not sure they're ready to face down a tusker like their grandfather used to, but it's a start.

Nicholson will be sorely missed and we at Nomad Tanzania are honored to continue experiencing the Selous that he built.  

Tug of War

In the left corner, measuring 8ft long and weighing in at 500 pounds we have Trevor the Crocodile.



In the right corner, measuring 4 1/2 ft long and weighing in at 150 pounds we have Spotty the Leopard.


In the middle, measuring  3 ft long and weighing in at 130 pounds we have Swala "dead weight" the Impala

Ready. Set. PULL!



It was an epic battle that pitted the power house of an ancient dynasty against a smaller, quicker, more agile opponent. Neither could make much headway with the croc keeping his feet well planted while the leopard struggled valiantly to make any sort of progress.

Soon, Lenny the leopard decided to try some different tactics. First came indifference as he pretended to care more about the spectators than the main event.


Next he tried to intimidate his opponent into giving up.



Finally, he decided that if you can't win, sometimes you just have to change the game.


The leopard realized that he had the tasty end of the impala, so he just sat back and started eating.

Eventually, the croc decided there was no reason to watch the leopard eat when he could be basking in the sun downstream.

Flushed with victory, the leopard stood tall over his prize.



Eventually he picked the impala up, dragged it under a palm tree, and noisily devoured his meal.

A couple weeks ago, Mark over at Chada Katavi wrote a blog about how peaceful the leopards are in Katavi national park. I guess they're just made a bit rougher and tougher here in the Selous.

Narina Trogon

We have been very lucky the last two weeks at KP. A Narina Trogon has taken up residence around the mess and swimming pool, and we are seeing it almost every day. These stunning birds are shy, and have a tendency to sit quiet and still in the undercanopy, rendering them very difficult to see. Hopefully it will stick around for a long time to come.

Back to the Selous

I am just back from a wonderful three weeks of vacation...hence the hiatus from this blog. Living in the Selous, sometimes it's easy to become focues on your immediate surroundings and forget just how many incredible places there are on this continent. Some time off gave me a chance to visit a couple of these places.

First I stopped off in northern Tanzania for a quick safari. Not too far from Lamai Serengeti, I tracked these cheetah for three days hoping to see a kill. But while they spent plenty of time hunting, I never got so much as a chase out of the brothers.

Without any cheetahs here in the Selous, it was a pleasure for me to spend so much time with these felids.

After that I was off to Ethiopia. The highlight of my time there was a visit to the Simien Mountains, famed for the gelada baboons and incredible topography.

It certainly did not disappoint!

The shaggy, 'bleeding heart' baboons graze on the mountain tops but sleep on the sheer cliffs.

Now I'm happily back amidst the familiar screams of the fish eagles!