Plenty of photographs from the safari which I experienced at Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya back in 2015 had yet to see the light of day; so I thought I would share some more photographs of the elephants which I saw while I was there.
More Photographs of Elephants From a Safari
I had no idea that the Savanna elephant — which is a subspecies of African elephant — is currently the largest animal walking on our planet.
A mature elephant can weigh as much as six tons and can vary between 19 feet and 24 feet in length; and shoulder height is typically eleven feet tall.
The Savanna elephant — which is also known as the bush elephant — is identified by the way its tusks curve outwards from its trunk.
This mother elephant nurses her calf…
…while this pachyderm desperately scratches an itch on a sensitive area of the body against a lone tree.
The large ears of African elephants serve an important purpose — especially for those whose habitat is near the Equator: they are used to radiate excess heat from the elephant.
Elephants are quite social animals, as they are parts of herds or parades.
Two playful elephants interact with each other.
The elephants in this family portrait are three of approximately 415,000 elephants roaming in the wild — but their status is still considered vulnerable primarily due to poachers who break the law by killing them for the valued ivory tusks.
That elephants appear to be smiling fascinates me.
Summary
I truly enjoyed watching animals in their native habitat going about their lives — such as when I was unexpectedly treated to witnessing a cheetah surprising its prey, killing it and feasting on it; or when I simply hung around with the awkward but graceful giraffes.
Watching zebras and their sometimes quirky behavior was interesting to me. There was the viewing of the lion with one eye with his lioness companion. I enjoyed hanging out with elephants at a watering hole and seeing a huge herd of Cape buffalo up close.
Observing playful vervet monkeys; watching an olive baboon nursing her young; and spotting a lone black rhinoceros crossing the road — all at Lake Nakuru National Park — were quite interesting…
…and let us not forget the different varieties of birds which I spotted while on safari in Kenya.
There are more photographs of different animals on deck from that safari to be highlighted in future articles — including but not limited to hippopotami and white rhinoceros — so please stay tuned.
All photographs ©2015 by Brian Cohen.
