BACK ON THE ROAD!

Day 36- We’re back on the road to Africa this week…

We packed our good old trunk with the necessities and boarded the E&E plane to Africa this week! So nice to be back on the road. We thought we would do a safari and look for what animals we could find! After we landed we headed out to camp and unloaded in our cabin for the week. We were excited to see what animals we could find! Luckily one of our first sights was the amazing gerenuk  (Gair-uh-nook)…

Range/Habitat: East Africa/dry and bushy scrub

Diet: Herbivore: leaves

Length/Weight: 4 ½ -5 ¼ ft/62-115 lb

Conservation Status: Near Threatened

• Gerenuks are part of the antelope family.
• They have long slender bodies, necks and small faces.
• Gerenuks can curve their spines into an S shape, which enables them to stand on their hind legs.
• Because they can stand on their hind legs, they can eat leaves that other animals can’t reach.
• Gerenuks are also called the giraffe gazelle.
• They have large ears and eyes that help them hear and see predators.
• Only male gerenuks have horns.
• They get all of their water supply from the leaves they eat, so they can survive in dry habitats.

Gerenuks are kind of funny looking with their long thin bodies and giant ears. We think it’s super cool that they can stand up on their hind legs to eat! What a neat adaptation!  They are called the giraffe gazelle, but they’re not related to the giraffe- because we know that’s the okapi! So many fun names! Edmond said he’s going to write a song about gerenuks and okapis- he is so silly!

–Ellie