Twalumba

06/09/2026

06/09/2026

06/09/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EYEYtXAKD/

05/09/2026

The magnificent Bateleur, perched proudly in the Kruger sunshine and looking every bit the regal raptor.

Naturally, when presented with the opportunity for a nice clean photograph, the African bush immediately provides the obligatory branch directly across the bottom of the frame.

I suspect the Bateleur didn't get the memo about the obstruction. Either that, or he simply regards it as part of the furniture.

Still, with that striking plumage, vivid red face and rather splendid coiffure, he's not exactly struggling for attention.

Kruger National Park

📷 Si Cunneen - 'Wild By Nature Photography'

05/09/2026

05/09/2026

ENJOY BEAUTIFUL, BIODIVERSE MARLOTH THIS WEEKEND

It is 𝗩𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘆. These magnificent, unfairly maligned birds are critically endangered worldwide, due to habitat loss and persecution. Yet they are not predatory and are vital to the ecosystem. They are ‘nature’s cleaner-uppers’ and still today provide ‘sanitation services’ to some rural villages and even bigger towns and cities in Africa and India. Why is this?
• Their acidic stomach destroys deadly natural pathogens: anthrax, botulism, rabies, brucellosis. (They are susceptible to synthetic, human-made poisons though.)
• By rapidly eating carcasses they prevent population surges and spread of rabies via scavengers like rats and feral dogs.
• Their digested organic matter returns nitrogen and calcium to the soil, and by removing rotting meat they stop toxic run-off to fresh water bodies.
• Other scavenging ‘cleaner-uppers’ like jackals and hyena see them gathering in the sky and quickly find carcasses, speeding up habitat sanitation.
The vultures in the collage were photographed in Lionspruit. From top left: Lappet-faced, White-backed, White headed and Hooded vultures.

Donate to Vulpro, dedicated to African vulture conservation: https://www.vulpro.com/. Visit their Hartebeespoort facility to revise negative feelings you may have towards these wonderful birds!
𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘍𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘢.

04/09/2026

04/09/2026

𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘄𝗵𝘆𝗱𝗮𝘆!?

Do flap-necked chameleons hibernate in winter?

It is officially spring and HR Miemmie Byrch snapped this phone shot of her ‘first of the season’ chameleon, 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘴. But does this common chameleon, in fact, ‘go to sleep’ for winter?

According to different sources, such as 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘦 *, they do not, but they do become much less active and so are harder to spot. They will come out to bask on a sunny winter day. This reptile behaviour is known as brumation or semi-hibernation. In this picture the animal is rather dark which makes sense, as, “They also change colour to regulate body temperature, for example darkening the body to absorb more solar radiation.”* When darker they are also harder to spot.
Sources:
• https://herpetoculturenetwork.com/flap-necked-chameleons-a-hardy-species/
• *https://ingwelala.co.za/archives/fauna-flora/chameleon.html
• https://www.facebook.com/safarigaronga/posts/during-the-cold-and-dry-winter-months-flap-necked-chameleons
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFCWdBTXYGM&t=99s Hibernation, brumation and aestivation


-necked chameleon