A recent bout of rain that passed through the reserve got me thinking about the behavioural differences among various species, as well as whether certain animals can detect the influx of specific weather systems before they have arrived. In this post I will look at different groups of animals and how their behaviour alters according to the weather.
Tracker Life Sibuyi will often say “The behaviour of the animals is similar to the behaviour of the human”. When the weather turns for the worse shelter is definitely the first point of call for humans, similarly, parallels can be drawn with the animals that we see around us at Londolozi. However, this theory has often been proven wrong, as one of my best-ever sightings has come whilst driving in the rain.
Thick-skinned animals
Elephants, rhinos and hippos all have thick skins and rely on water and mud to control their body temperatures. This is because they don’t have as many sweat glands as us humans and therefore you will often find these animals bathing in pools of water and mud on very hot days. On the contrary, on days when it is wet, you will find elephants and rhinos enjoying the conditions. Most of the rainfall we get at Londolozi is during the summer months. This rain provides a break from the warm weather for the animals and they relish this. Through observation, I’ve often found elephants to be one of the more active animals on rainy days. Often you will find them swimming or enjoying themselves rolling around in wallows that are busy being replenished during these rains.
Due to the amount of rain at the moment, pan systems are everywhere allowing elephants to have constant mud baths.
Prey Species
Waterbucks have a dense and coarse coat of fur that helps repel water, keeping their bodies relatively dry even in wet conditions. This adaptation helps prevent excessive moisture absorption, which could lead to discomfort. When they are attacked by a predator often you will find that they will head into a body of water as quick as possible. This dense coat again is a big advantage of theirs as they can dry off very quickly.
Waterbucks have a dense and coarse coat of fur that helps as it is a natural barrier against moisture. The outer layer of their fur has guard hairs, which are relatively stiff and hydrophobic, meaning they repel water. These guard hairs help prevent water from penetrating deep into their coat, keeping their body relatively dry in wet conditions As well as the guard hairs, the undercoat of waterbucks is slightly oily in texture, which further helps with water resistance. This oily layer helps to repel water and maintain the insulating properties of the fur, keeping the animal warm and dry in wet environments.
Here you can clearly see the dense hair of this female waterbuck, which aids in keeping her dry during wet periods.
Most other forms of prey species lack the guard hairs and oily skin and therefore rain can cause serious discomfort. What you will find is that they tend to favour being in thicker areas and moving out of the more open spaces where they would normally be feeding.
Predators
The Birmingham Male glowed in the afternoon light after a heavy downpour of rain. A sighting I will never forget.
With predators, such as lions and leopards, being fairly elusive it makes sightings of them extremely special. With leopards being solitary animals, during periods of rain, they will often find shelter in thicker areas such as the Sand River or various drainage lines and dry river beds around the reserve. The rain can also wash away any sign of animals being in that area so tracker Life has to work very hard to discern where the animal has gone. Lions are very similar in behaviour to that of the leopard except for the fact that they are social cats, so they will huddle together, but again in thicker areas. Finding signs of lions being in an area is slightly easier than that of the leopard as most of the time a few of them have moved through that area. On the contrary, after the rain, it is very exciting as all territorial animals have to re-establish their boundaries so movement is very prolific.
The Nhlanguleni Female spends time in the Sand River during a serious onset of rain.
Water is life for all species and rain brings about such a transformation of land. Dams, wallows and rivers start to fill up, new grass shoots start to grow and life starts to flourish. All animals rely very heavily on water for survival and thus these periods of rain are extremely important for all forms of life out here at Londolozi.
Ross Cheshire
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