AFRICAN SAVANNA HARE
In African mythology, the hare is a clever creature that gifted humanity with the village, the drum, and music. It’s very difficult to count savanna hares in the wild, mostly because it’s difficult to distinguish from the Cape hare. However, scientists are confident that savanna hares are abundant. In some areas of their range
MAMMALS
MAMMALS
MARABOU STORK
Basic behavior:
- Marabou storks are some of the most successful carnivorous birds in Africa, due to their uncanny ability to eat practically anything, and their adaptability. These birds are able to thrive in any open habitat with a decent supply of food and water. During the day, marabou storks are often found either soaring high in the skies with rhythmic flaps in search of carrion, or standing motionless at water sources in search of fish. They may also be seen hunting down any small animal matter it can catch and swallow. Marabou storks are diurnal birds, and will roost in trees during the night.
- Marabou storks are semi-communal birds. Outside of the breeding season, they frequently gather in decently large groups at water sources such as lakes and rivers, and at carrion. These mass groupings are loose and have no real social structure. Marabou storks can be rather ill-tempered towards their own kind, frequently fighting each other over food. Breeding colonies that form during the dry season are still not very structured like most bird nesting colonies, though the storks may be less agitated towards each other due to them having to worry more about their own nestlings.
- During the breeding season, marabou storks group together in breeding colonies, which are usually centered in areas with plentiful food sources. Male marabou storks will establish territories within breeding colonies. They advertise their presence in these territories by inflating their throat sac, a sign of dominance and a warning that intruders will be met with hostility. Courtship in storks is reasonably simple, with the male also using the throat sac for display to a female, along with bill-rattling displays. Females advertise their search for mates by extending their necks and bowing and spreading their wings. She will continue to do this around a male till the male accepts her. Pairs are seasonal and mate for life. The nest is built within a tall tree such as an acacia, with the male gathering most nest material. Nests are always built within reasonable flying distance to food, and are used year after year by the same pair.
- These storks are extremely opportunistic, and will eat basically any animal matter they can kill or swallow. The primary food item of marabou storks is carrion. They seek it out by soaring over open spaces, commonly using vultures as beacons for carcasses. They will usually wait for vultures to open carcasses up, before slipping in and stealing a bite to eat, though they may often just wait for vultures to finish entirely and scavenge on what’s left. Marabou storks commonly fish as well. However, marabou storks are highly opportunistic predators, and will feed on any small animal they can swallow. They hunt by slowly creeping on prey or suddenly gunning it down, grabbing it in their huge bill. While usually smaller, somewhat slower prey such as reptiles and amphibians is taken, marabous may feed on birds like doves and waterbird chicks, and small mammals such as mongoose pups. Though, they may even hunt prey as large as wounded flamingos during tough times.
- Since most scavenging birds are not desirable food, marabou storks rarely fall prey to most other predators. Though, jackals and crocs may kill distracted or wounded storks if very desperate. If threatened by a predator, storks will always try to escape first, only fighting back as an absolute last resort.
- Marabou storks lie near the bottom in terms of the avian scavenger food chain. They most often will have to wait for vultures and other raptors at a carcass before they can get their share, which is most often scraps. Since vultures are more powerful than a marabou stork, most storks will move away if a vulture becomes aggressive, though onto a 1V1 marabous can win over white-backs. They will, of course, always wait for large mammalian carnivores to leave a carcass before feeding. Marabou storks are pirates, and will try to steal catches from other fishing birds such as saddle-billed storks and fish eagles. They do this by waiting till one has dropped it’s catch or is not paying attention, then rushing in, taking their victim by surprise and attacking it for it’s fish. When attacked by fish eagles for their fish, marabou storks will defend themselves as best they can, though the fish eagle’s superior size and agility means that the stork may often have to surrender to the fish eagle.
-Marabou storks aren’t gregarious, and avoid most other animals that don’t represent either food or competition. They will move away from larger animals most of the time, and take flight if sufficiently spooked.
Scientific name: Leptoptilos crumeniferus
Weight: Up to 20 lbs
Size: 4 feet tall, up to 12 foot wingspan
Life span: Up to 25 years in the wild
Habitat: Open grassland near swamps, lakes, and rivers
Playable by: Newbies, Members, and Seniors
Aggression level: Low/Medium
Predators: Nile Crocodile and Black-backed Jackal
Predators of the young: African rock python, and Nile-monitor lizard
Physical characteristics:
Marabou storks are the largest stork species in the world. They are massive, macabre birds, being 4 feet tall and with a wingspan of up to 12 feet, credited as the longest of any landbird species, only rivaled by the Andean Condor. The bird stands on long, gray legs, which may appear white due to a build up of excrement. The wings and upper body plumage is black or dark grey, with the underparts being white. The head and neck is pink in color and devoid of feathering, and may appear sunburnt at times. A large gular sack made of loose, inflatable skin hangs from the neck. The bill is massive and dagger-like. The neck also has a white ruff at the base.
Prey list:
1 resort: Carrion, Fish, Frogs, Young black mamba, young puff adder, young rock python, Common Agama
2 resort: Pelican chicks, Cormorant chicks, Injured or young flamingo, Egyptian goose chicks, Guineafowl chicks, Hatchling Nile Monitor, Hatchling Nile Crocodile, Banded Mongoose pups
Last resort: Abandoned, lost, or unguarded newborn animals mentioned lying on the ground: Thomson’s gazelle, Grant’s gazelle, Coke’s Hartebeest, Topi, Blue Wildebeest, East African Oryx
MARABOU STORK CONSERVATION STATUS
LEAST CONCERN
Marabou storks are highly adaptable birds. This is due to their nature to be able to feed on practically anything they can swallow, including human garbage. In some areas, marabou storks are quite reliant on landfills and garbage for food. Their ability to feed on basically anything has led to them being seen eating even things like shoes and pieces of metal. Due to this adaptability and the abundant food source of garbage, the marabou stork population is completely stable, and may actually be on the rise.
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Male Roles/Reactions:
- Male marabou storks hold small territories inside breeding colonies. They broadcast their presence in these territories by inflating their throat sac, a sign of dominance. Males will fend off any male stork that enters their territory.
- When a female approaches, males will clap their bills, inflate their throat sac and spread their wings to court her.
- Males collect most of the nest material.
- Males will exchange with the female to incubate/guard eggs and chicks while the female is off feeding.
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Interspecific competition: White-backed Vulture, Ruppell’s Griffon Vulture, White-headed Vulture, Lappet-faced Vulture, Saddle-billed Stork, African Fish Eagle, Black-Backed Jackal, Yellow-billed stork
Call meaning:
1 - The whine is used as a courtship display between partners who are already paired with one another
2 - Bill clapping is used as a courtship display between partners who are already paired with one another
Female Roles/Reactions:
- Females usually look for males in breeding colonies that have the largest throat sacs. She will observe the male while he courts her, accepting by inflating her throat pouch.
- While males do most of the nest material gathering, females may sometimes help in the matter.
- Females will exchange with the female to incubate/guard eggs and chicks while the male is off feeding.
Juvenile Roles/Reactions:
- Chicks will stay within the nest and be fed by their parents.
Once it fledges, a chick may still be fed by its parents on the ground, though they also begin looking for their own food.
Young storks will leave their parents and become independent at around the peak of the wet season.
WROTE BY KRABBY
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