Ngorogoro, one of Africa's most famous attractions. From the top of the crater-rim at
3.000 m asl, you have to get down the walls, about 600 m , and you will find a plase like
the Garden with every type of animal you would hope to see in East Africa.
That is Ngorogoro Game Reserve, one of the last places where you can find so many
different wild animals at one place, about 75.000 of them at present.

The Game Reserve is situated in the northern part of Tanzania, and covers about 6.000 km².
The center of the reserve lies, as told, in the bottom of a large caldera that was once an active volcano.



Flamingos are large wading birds with very long legs and neck, an abruptly turned-down bill,
and an unfeathered face. They are found in Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, and the Caribbean area. Flamingos are white, pinkish white, or vermilion, with black flight feathers (remiges); they stand from 90 cm to 1.5 m (3 to 5 ft) tall. Flamingos feed on minute animal
and vegetable matter, such as algae and diatoms, or on small molluscs or crustaceans. When feeding, the flamingo places its head and bill upside down below the surface of the water.
Using its thick, fleshy tongue, the bird forces muddy water through the serrated edges of its bill, thus straining the water and trapping the edible material in it

Thanks to a lake of soda, a volcanic left-over, which for some reason attracts the flamingos, is believed to give the flamingoes their rose colour (?). But most wild animals down here in
the crater, are animals, like the Zebra:

The zebra is a distinctly striped, hoofed mammal in the genus Equus (which includes the horse
and the ass) of the family Equidae. The head and body are about 2.3 m long, with a 56-cm
tail ending in a tuft of hair. The height at the shoulder is 1.2 to 1.5 m ; the weight reaches up
to 346.5 kg. The smooth whitish or tawny coat is marked with striking dark brown or black
bands or stripes, which have a distinctive pattern in each of the three species of zebras.

The zebras inhabit open grassy plains and some mountain areas in eastern, central, and
southern Africa.Zebras form their own herds or mingle with other peaceful grazing animals
such as antelopes, wildebeests, and ostriches. A zebra stallion gathers together a small harem
of mares with their foals. When stalked by a lion or leopard--their natural enemies--zebras
can run at speeds up to 60 km/hr. Extensive hunting for their skins has reduced their numbers.

Unsuccessful attempts have been made to domesticate them for use as mounts and work
animals and to cross them with horses to produce a draft animal. But the zebras have to
share the gras with many other animals, like the Gnu:

The wildebeest, or gnu, of the genus Connochaetes in the family Bovidae, is an antelope with down-curving horns from the grassy plains of central and southern Africa. Body length is up to 2 m , shoulder height is about 1.4 m , and weight is up to 270 kg.

more pictures of african animals :   click here!

The text in this section is mainly Based upon The New Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia,
and author is believed to be Everett Sentman.
All the pictures are copyright © Knut Petter Ellefskås