The Masai Mara Game reserve is situated in the south western region of Kenya. The area is known for its wide expansive wilderness that measures up t about 1510 square Kilometers of plains. The Masai Mara game reserve is bordered with the Serengeti National park of Tanzania. The Masai Mara has very unique wildlife due to the many years of good conservation efforts here. The area offers the best experience of the big cats with the area being the best location to see the leopard in Kenya. Some of the unique wildlife here include: Lions, Cheetah, Elephant, Rhino, African Buffalo, Wildebeest, Giraffe and Zebra.
The park gets its name from the locals of the area. The great migration of the wildebeest here usually happens between July and September and over a million of wildebeests and other animals like Zebras and some cats move to the Masai Mara from the Serengeti National park. It’s interesting how they cross and make it t this area through all the huddle like the waters infested with crocodiles and the many predators.
There are several activities that you can enjoy while in the Masai Mara game reserve like the game drives, nature walks cultural experiences, horseback riding, hot air balloon safari and bush meals. A flight from Nairobi to the Masai Mara will last about an hour but you can also access this game reserve by road which is about a 3 hours drive.
African buffalo In Masai Mara
One of Masai Mara National Reserve’s “big five” animals is the African Buffalo (Syncerus caffer). Herds are a group of animals that travel together and are among the most deadly in Africa. African buffalo range in height from 1 to 1.7 meters, in length from 1.7 to 3.4 meters for the head and body, and in length from 70 to 110 cm for the tail. Because the front of the body is heavier than the back, the front hooves are wider than the back.
The Masai Mara National Reserve is home to about 28,000 buffalo. Large bulls typically have horns that grow closer together at the base to form a shield known as the boss. The horns mature at the age of five to six years. But the bosses do not fully mature and harden until eight or nine years of age. The horns diverge downward before curving smoothly upward.
The buffaloes exhibit a variety of group behaviors. For instance, when they are resting, the females get up, shuffle, and sit. After a while of rearranging the females, they stop sitting in the direction they believe they should be heading and start moving in that way, which is independent of age, dominance, or hierarchy.
Because the herds keep together, it is difficult for predators to hunt them. The herds constantly center around the calves. When one of the troubled members cries, the others react by trying to save it. Bulls that are adults may spar for amusement, dominance, or real combat. While sparring, they approach one another with their horns down and twist them side to side. Although the ladies don’t spar very often, the calves can also spar.
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