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A lion rests sedately in the shade. The honey-coloured eyes of a lion are breathtaking to behold at close range, especially when you are the object of this level stare. The short length and tawny colouring of this lion's mane indicate that it is probably a young male, however, this is not always the case. The male lions of Tsavo in Kenya are maneless, while in northern Botswana it is not uncommon to find maned lionesses. Studies suggest that the growth of a mane is related to a lion's testosterone levels, since castrated lions do not really develop manes.

 

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It is amazing when, even in the driest and most arid of lands, one finds beetles like this one scuttling over the rocks with somewhere important to go. Whether gathering dung or breaking down the local plant matter, these beetles play an important role in balancing the ecosystems around them, not to mention providing substantial snacks for the predators that feed on them.

 

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An Olive Woodpecker peers out from behind a lichen-covered tree trunk. These birds can easily be mistaken for tree stumps when they perch like this. Olive woodpeckers have very few of the white and black speckles that are so typical of other southern-African woodpeckers, and are therefore quite easy to identify. They have a limited range, confining themselves to evergreen forests and coastal or riverine bush where they subsist on insects.

 

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A Secretarybird stalks through the veld like it means business ñ it seems to be scanning the grass for prey. It will most likely stamp its feet to flush potential prey out of the grass, and then catch it with its hooked bill and swallow it whole. Secretarybirds are capable of killing rodents and snakes by stamping on them with their powerful feet and talons. These majestic raptors are found throughout southern Africa in open areas such as grassland, farmland and semi-desert regions. They like the company of other Secretarybirds and are usually found in pairs.

 

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This rather fearsome-looking beetle has similar characteristics to the species of beetles with the Latin name of Tenebrionidae. There are thought to be about 20,000 species of beetles in this family! They are colloquially called 'darkling beetles' because they are attracted to dark spaces. These beetles are scavengers and omnivores and may feed on decayed leaves, rotting wood, fresh plant matter, dead insects, and fungi.

 

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This vervet monkey has the look of a very old soul. Vervets actually look quite grave most of the time, even when they are happily snacking on the food they nicked from your picnic table. Interestingly, they actually do have a tendency towards anxiety which manifests in high blood pressure. This is not surprising given that they are preyed on by leopards, eagles, pythons and baboons, as well as the odd trigger-happy human. When vervets are frazzled they can destress by having a nice mutual grooming session.

 

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This Maribou Stork, like most of its kin, is not going to win any beauty contests. However, this rather fascinating bird plays an important role in its ecosystem. It includes carrion and refuse amongst its primary food sources and therefore, like vultures and hyenas, it helps to clear the environment of flies, bacteria and repellent odours. It also eats rodents, birds, reptiles and even adult flamingos and young crocodiles. Despite its rather disgusting diet it has the refined habit of washing offal in water before it swallows it.