Plants

Kruger's landscape is made up of allot of different landscapes. These landscapes are made unique by the plants. There are six different echo systems in Kruger these are made up by baobab, scrub, mixed thicket and wood land. In Kruger there are 1,982 species of plants. These exotic looking plants really make Kruger seam like a different world. Plants are the most important part of the echo system as all the animals need them to live. In Kruger there are a wide variety of different grasses which are assaulted every year by draught and hungry animals.

Location

Kruger National Park is located in the southern hemisphere in South Africa and is the largest reserve in the country at 20,000 km2. It is located in north east South Africa, and the nearest city is Johannesburg which is a one hour plane journey from Kruger. Kruger Park is in a remote location, the road into Sabi sands (a private game park beside Kruger) is full of shanty towns, the roads inside the gate are very bumpy and dusty which is caused by the climate and by erosion from vehicle.

Hippos and Crocodiles

Here are some pictures I took of hippos and crocodiles.

This picture shows hippos in the water at a water hole.

These two pictures show hippos grazing on the bank of a river, one is a baby hippo.

Large crocodile basking in the heat.

Note the variety of wild life at the water hole

These are all my pictures. Morgan Colclough

Water Holes

Water holes in Kruger attract animals from miles around to drink. Every type of animal can be seen at a water hole, but water holes are home to two giant animals, hippos and crocodiles. These two animals are very different, one is a mammal (hippo), one is a reptile (croc),hippos are vegetarians and crocodiles are carnivores but both are very dangerous. Hippos and crocodiles live in the same environment. They both spend most of their time in water, be it a river or a lake. Crocodiles are ambush hunters who lie in wait submerged in the water.When a crocodile grabs its prey it pulls it into the water and drowns its prey. Hippos are herbivores who mostly leave the water to grase. The water keeps the hippos cool during the scorching hot day, if a hippo does not have any water to keep cool its skin starts to turn a pinky colour to protect against sun burn. Hippos are most dangerous when a human comes between them and the water, they often attack because they feel threatened. Hippos are often stereotyped as large fat, friendly creatures, this is untrue a hippo is very fast even out of water, faster than any human. Water holes are always full of life, animals can be attracted to this habitat for food, drink or to keep cool. It is not just large animals that are attracted to water holes, but creatures such as insects and king fishers. In Kruger insects are an annoyance to both animals and humans, Kruger is a malaria zone and people should take tablets to prevent them getting sick (especially in the wet season) The next post will contain pictures i took in Kruger of both crocodiles and hippos. The picture above is my picture. Morgan Colclough

Here is a video containing the big 5. This video gives you a good idea into why these creatures are so dangerous. While watching it have a look at all the different habitats.

http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=5-beXM0r7Zkas This video is taken from youtube.

Kruger

Male lion
This picture was taken by me. Morgan Colclough

Here are some pictures I have taken of the big five while in Kruger South Africa.

Two male buffalo.

Male white rhino.

Female elephant with baby.

Female leopard.

These are all my pictures Morgan Colclough

Big Five

This post is about the animals of Kruger Park. There is a wide variety of animals through out Kruger. The most famous of the animals in Kruger are African elephants, Buffalo's, lions, rhinos and leopards these animals are called the big five. The big five can be seen across Kruger in a wide variety of environments. All of the big five are very dangerous. Here are some facts about each of these animals:

Elephant:the African elephant is the largest land animal and can weigh up to 5 and a half tones. Elephants are often pouched for their large ivory tusks. Elephants are herbivores and are very social creatures.
Lions: are large carnivorous cats which live together in prides. Males have large mains which restricts them from hunting, as it stands out. Males can weigh up to 250 kg.
Leopard: is also a large carnivorous cat. It has a spotty coat for camouflage meaning it is hard to spot. They are very elusive cats and the best place to see them is in Sabi sands near Kruger. For example on my visit there I saw six leopards.
Rhino: are large thick skinned herbivores. In Kruger there are two species of rhino, black and white.
Buffalo:are like large cows, they travel in herds and are equipped with huge horns. Males can weigh close to a tone

In South Africa their currency is rand, I find it interesting that there are five notes, on each one is a picture of one of the big five. The next post will contain pictures of these famous animals. When on a safari the big five are the animals you want to see.

Krugers Seasons

Kruger Park is larger than the country of Wales but contains a wide variety of different and exciting landscapes; from dense forests to vast open plains, Kruger is a place of real beauty. This untamed and unspoiled environment lets people really witness wild Africa.

I am interested by many features in Kruger including its unique environment, wildlife and different seasons. The seasons in South Africa differ to that of the European seasons. November through to December, are their summer months. These months are very hot and humid, with continuous rain. In Kruger there is no real winter, but July to September are not as warm as other months and are always very dry. During these months the nights are very cold due to a lack of cloud cover.In there dry season all the roads are passable and it is easy to track animals because of the dust but during the winter some of the roads are impassible because of flooding. Also the trees are full of leaves in the wet season so it is harder to spot animals.


Here are some pictures of Kruger in its dry season and in its wet and humid season.

Kruger during dry season http://www.krugertours.com/23.JPG

Kruger during wet season http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/worldonthemove/image/2/622/451/2/images/kruger17.jpg

These two pictures were taken from google images and are not mine.

Hi my blog is about the amazing geography of Kruger National Park South Africa. It has a wide variety of different landscapes and wildlife and I hope you enjoy my blog.