Tiny, Cute and Ferocious!

On our twice-daily observation drives, as you might expect, we spend a lot of time at the dens, observing hyenas. But their territories are vast, and in our time exploring them, we often come across other mammalian carnivores that are of interest to us, and we record the number and locations of these for population estimates. Some of the more common sightings include a few of the small canids: black-backed jackals, which are often seen in groups of two, as they are monogamous,

Black-backed jackal

 and bat-eared foxes.

Bat-eared fox

Slightly more rare is a lion sighting, usually either eating or sleeping: a lion’s two favorite activities.

Lion at sunrise

Occasionally, we’re able to catch a lion-hyena interaction, usually over a carcass, where there is a fight for control over the food. Contrary to popular belief, lions steal kills from hyenas about as frequently as the reverse happens. Spotted hyenas are not the obligate scavengers that many people think they are; they actually hunt about 95% of their own food in the Mara.

            Rarely, we’re lucky enough to spot cheetahs, or a leopard. 

Cheetah with her cubs, Photo by: Eli Strauss

Both are very difficult to find; there are only about 60 adult cheetahs  in the Mara currently (as reported by the Mara Conservancy in their monthly update), and leopards are in similar scarcity and are solitary hunters. Catching a leopard at a kill is very exciting, because often to protect their kill, they will carry the carcass up a tree. At that point their dinner is pretty secure, because anything with the gumption to scare off a leopard, like a lion or a hyena, isn’t going to make it up the tree; and anything that can make it up the tree that may be interested, like a baboon or a vulture, isn’t going to mess with a leopard.

One of the most common carnivore sightings for us, and also one of my favorites, is the banded mongoose.

Banded mongoose

 Banded mongooses are very gregarious animals, so we’ll often see them in groups ranging anywhere from ten to thirty. These little guys are cute, but they’re also ferocious. Although the majority of their diet is comprised of insects and small rodents, they have been known to take down some pretty scary snakes here and there. For a king cobra, there’s nothing worse than the site of a dozen banded mongooses charging toward you.

Mongoose cuddle puddle

 One of these mornings, if I happen to be greeted by a black mamba when I step out of my tent, I hope there’s a mongoose around to save the day!