Nilgai
India, Rajkot, Dec-17.

The nilgai or blue bull (/ˈnɪlˌɡaɪ/; literally meaning "blue cow"; Boselaphus tragocamelus) is the largest Asian antelope and is endemic to the Indian subcontinent. The sole member of the genus Boselaphus, the species was described and given its binomial name by German zoologist Peter Simon Pallas in 1766. The nilgai stands 1–1.5 metres (3.3–4.9 ft) at the shoulder; males weigh 109–288 kilograms (240–635 lb), and the lighter females 100–213 kilograms (220–470 lb). A sturdy thin-legged antelope, the nilgai is characterised by a sloping back, a deep neck with a white patch on the throat, a short crest of hair along the neck terminating in a tuft, and white facial spots. A column of pendant coarse hair hangs from the dewlap ridge below the white patch. Sexual dimorphism is prominent – while females and juveniles are orange to tawny, adult males have a bluish-grey coat. Only males possess horns, 15–24 centimetres (5.9–9.4 in) long.

The nilgai is diurnal (active mainly during the day). The animals band together in three distinct kinds of groups: one or two females with young calves, three to six adult and yearling females with calves, and all-male groups with two to 18 members. Typically tame, the nilgai may appear timid and cautious if harassed or alarmed; it flees up to 300 metres (980 ft)-or even 700 metres (2,300 ft), galloping away from the source of danger. Herbivores, nilgai prefer grasses and herbs, though they commonly eat woody plants in the dry tropical forests of India. Females become sexually mature by two years, while males do not become sexually active until four or five years old. The time of the year when mating takes place varies geographically, but a peak breeding season lasting three to four months can be observed at most places. Gestation lasts eight to nine months, following which a single calf (sometimes twins or even triplets) is born. As typical of several bovid species, nilgai calves stay hidden for the first few weeks of their
lives. The lifespan of the nilgai is around ten years.Nilgai prefer areas with short bushes and scattered trees in scrub forests and grassy plains. They are common in agricultural lands, but hardly occur in dense forest. Major populations occur in the Terai lowlands in the foothills of the Himalayas (northern India), but the antelope is sparsely found in Nepal and Pakistan and is extinct in Bangladesh. Nilgai were first introduced to Texas in the 1920s and the 1930s. As of 2008, the feral population in Texas is nearly 37,000. The nilgai is categorised as Least Concern by the IUCN. The nilgai has been associated with Indian culture since the Vedic period (1500–500 BCE). Hindus revere the nilgai as sacred and associate it with the cow, the mother animal in Hinduism, through its name and loosely similar physical features. They were hunted in the Mughal era (16th to 19th centuries) and are depicted in numerous miniatures. Nilgai have been considered a pest in several north Indian states, as they ravage crop fields and cause considerable damage. In Bihar, authorities have classified the nilgai as vermin.[Wikipedia].[Photo© - Raju Karia].

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I´m so hungry

Ich bin so hungrig

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Well fed in a rapidly changing home

Polar bear (Ursus maritimus)

A week ago a video by photographer Paul Nicklen of an emaciated polar bear (https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/12/polar-bear-starving-arctic-sea-ice-melt-climate-change-spd/) went viral, and tears were rolling as we watched how it was barely able to walk and in desperation chewing on some human garbage with zero value to it.

I have watched stranded polar bears eat sea weed off the beaches on the northern shores of Svalbard. During this trip I also encountered an emaciated polar bear lying down on the only snow on the islet that had appeared as the ice cap of Kvitøya (White Island) has retreated considerably. This despite the islet being home to a large colony of terns. Its coat was matte, uneven and its body skinny and it acted lethargic. It did not have any energy to stand up or to follow us by sight or movement – it only occasionally opened its eyes which was resting on its front paws.

Every year the sea ice has retreated further away, and this time we found it 81.31 degrees north. South of it only sporadic floats and ice bergs were found. Those polar bears stranded were all scouring the land, and those with luck would encounter incubating geese, or a sea bird colony with access to nests. I’ve seen polar bears climb to ledges even I would not have considered accessible.

For now the polar bears are decimating the reproduction of the bird populations they raid, but the energy they gain form their raids is far too little, and eventually the stranded bears will not be able to survive.

I have also encountered polar bears swimming far out at sea where the nearest access to a shore is a day or more away by boat – like Austfonna – Europes largest ice cap by area. How they survive is beyond me.

It is such joy every time we encounter successful individuals, and especially a mother with a cub as seen here at 81.31 degrees north. It was a large male that had made the kill, and he was eating all he could manage and rested in intervals a bit away from the seal carcass. Each time the mother went in with her cub to eat as fast as they could before the male came back for more.

This went on until there was nothing more to eat and the mother decided to investigate the ship from where this is shot.

As the ocean itself is warming, the ice is melted from the underside, so how long will the lucky polar bears that stay on the sea ice have any ice left to carry them? And what about the seal populations dependent on the sea ice?

I fear this lovely capture is fast becoming a rare sight even around Svalbard, and that the ships travelling in these waters might need to go much further north to reach the sea ice.

Image Copyright © 2017 +Morten Ross
Image Capture Date: 27 July 2016 13:10
Altitude: 3 meters

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Anyu

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Out for a walk




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In the dry months of September anything green is a welcome treat, this image from the Kruger National Park SA.
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The sentry on early morning patrol, S58 Dzundzwini loop Kruger National Park SA.
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Delicious

Golden langur (Trachypithecus geei)

Bhutan

I wonder what these beautiful flowers taste like! Their scent is so sweet and draws you in, but they are rarely accessible to humans as they are high on the trees.

For a golden langur they are most definitely a delicacy and I had an amazing time watching this group plucking one flower after the other. Another bonus for me was that the tree was still without any foliage and thus the langurs were all out in the open. Yet they did not seem at all disturbed by my presence, opposed to the timid macaques.

Image Copyright © 2017 +Morten Ross
Image Capture Date: 09 April 2017 10:12
Altitude: 1008 meters

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