Found in central Africa, as well as parts of East and West Africa. They are generally found in wet places, particularly places like floodplains. In east Africa, the Ugandan Kob and the white eared kob (found in south Sudan and surrounding countries) both join in on migrations that happen in the areas around where they live.
Once found across much of equatorial Africa, it is also extinct in a few countries including the extreme east of the continent, in both Kenya and Tanzania.
Female kobs can live in herds of thousands, while male herds can number in their hundreds, and follow the female herds closely. One of the biggest spectactles of the natural world is the migration across South Sudan, of almost 1 million white eared kob along with various other species. Hopefully, one of these days, the situation in South Sudan will be stable enough for this area to become a tourist hotspot, and lift much of the country out of poverty.
African elephant populations have stabilized in their Southern African homes
- Tim
- April 1, 2025
African elephant populations have risen and fallen incredibly fast over the last few centuries. It is estimated that as much as 20 million Savanah elephants roamed Africa in the year 1800, but in 1979 just 600,000 remained, and in 2016 just 415,000 live in Africa. At that point, over 100,000 had been poached in the …...
A natural reservoir that formed in the Peruvian Andes behind a glacier, in 1941 broke its bank and killed thousands – climate change is making a repeat more likely
- Tim
- March 26, 2025
It is estimated that 15 million people live in areas which would be flooded, should glacial lakes collapse. As global warming increases the temperatures in these areas, these glacial lake collapses are only going to get more common. In 1941, lake Palcacocha (which sits high in the Cordillera Blanca range of the Peruvian Andes) broke …...
A Ugandan river has turned poisonous
- Tim
- March 25, 2025
The Nyamwammba river, which runs through the Rwenzori mountains – in central western Uganda, having been flooding in an extreme way in recent years. This is enough of a problem, as there are many settlements among other things, that lie along the rivers course. However, there is a bigger problem. Along the river course, are …...
Shrinking trees, and tuskless elephants – what other effects are humans having?
- Tim
- March 3, 2025
Humans are causing trees to grow smaller, as big trees are more likely to be harvested. In the same way, elephants are being born in some reserves without their tusks, as this means that they are less likely to be hunted (and therefore, those born without tusks tend to survive better and have more young). …...
Sumatra is finding that building bridges over roads is much cheaper than elsewhere
- Tim
- March 2, 2025
This seems a very cheap and simple solution to roads, at least for primates. A standard motorway bridge in the UK can cost well over $1million (estimates suggest at least £890,000). This compares to a canopy bridge costing $5000 if even that much. Each male Sumatran Orangutan needs 15 square miles, while females need at …...
Scientists dissect the worlds rarest whale – the Spade-toothed beaked whale for clues on it (almost nothing is known about it)
- Tim
- March 1, 2025
I wrote about this find (click here to read the original article) as one of just 7 of this species (spade-toothed beaked whale) to have washed ashore, it was too important an opportunity to find out something about this species in the wild. Whales do eventually sink to the ocean floor, so it is quite …...
In December, the worlds oldest known bird, an albatross, laid an egg in her 74th year.
- Tim
- February 28, 2025
The bird, called Wisdom, is a Laysan albatross was photographed with her current partner and the egg. Normally expected to live between 12 and 40 years, this is an incredible lifespan. She is also thought to have had around 30 chicks, which given that they do not breed every year is a phenomenal number. Perhaps …...
Male dominance is perhaps less the default than thought amongst primates, a new study has found
- Tim
- February 27, 2025
Given our assumption that on male dominance, it is perhaps surprising, that only 58% of primate species have dominant males. Perhaps not surprising, as a result, every major primate group had at least one species which was female (or co-dominant) structures. Indeed, with the gibbons (or lesser apes on this website, to check them out, …...
Could flooding wetlands, be the next big carbon capture method?
- Tim
- February 26, 2025
The Nywaigi people of Australia have found that by doing this, this behaviour can sequester carbon, boost biodiversity and create jobs. It is thought that peatlands, store twice as much carbon as rainforests, so their protection and recovery is essential if we are to maintain the wonderful climate that has allowed the human race to …...
Orca roundup (killer whale news)
- Tim
- February 26, 2025
The Southern resident killer whale population is on the brink of extinction, but it seems, not for the reason that people thought. Found along the coast of Washington, Oregon, California, and British Columbia, this population is thought to number just 75, but births are rare, and often end in sadness. 2 calves have been born …...
The odd job of a pangolin carer
- Tim
- February 25, 2025
Have you heard of a pangolin? Would you recognize one? For many people, the pangolin is unfortunately known, only as a family of species, which have been poached for their scales (made of keratin, and with no medicinal basis) such that of the 8 species, half are endangered and the other half critically endangered. Click …...
Restoring a DRC reserve from a ‘triangle of death’ back into a thriving wildlife reserve
- Tim
- February 25, 2025
Upemba national park had virtually all its large mammals poached, but it is coming back (below is a 3 minute video about this decline). Just a couple of years ago, 16 members of the Bakata Katanga militia suprised a party of 4 rangers within the park (close to the Upemba base camp). Lying in the …...
New snake species has arrived in the UK, after long absence should it be allowed to stay?
- Tim
- February 12, 2025
Aesculapian snakes are a new species to the UK, but are found in europe. Does that mean that it should be exterminated, It is having a problem in Europe, as temperatures are getting too high for it to thrive. It is not actually new to the UK! Indeed, while it has been locally extinct for …...
Camera traps catch Sumatran tigers in new forests
- Tim
- February 11, 2025
Sumatran tigers are known to live in the Leucer ecosystem of Sumatra, but camera traps from the next door state in Aceh. This is exciting, as the population is dangerously low, but may be less low than we thought. This does not change their conservation status, but may mean that they are more secure than …...
Oil, Gas and coal roundup ( more in future)
- Tim
- January 31, 2025
While these fuels power much of the creation of electricity around the world, as well as most transport and heating, they all need to either be left in the ground or 100% of their emissions. Below is a roundup of a group of articles of importance on these subjects. Uk’s £22 billion carbon capture pledge …...
Motoring body saying “UK needs to ban full hybrid cars by 2030 or face net zero ‘catastrophe’ (only cars that can drive on pure electricity)
- Tim
- January 24, 2025
The car industry has done a great job over the last roughly 30 years, of confusing people. It was once the case, that there were 2 different states – the first cars were electric (so suggesting that modern electric cars are a new technology is ridiculous) and then we developed internal combustion engine vehicles. This …...
‘Sky islands’ in Africa are producing more new species than anywhere else
- Tim
- January 24, 2025
Sky islands are found across much of Africa. Our experience of sky islands, occurred within the Udzungwa national park in Tanzania. This national park protects a large portion of the Eastern arc mountains. – a chain of mountains which run across Eastern Tanzania. Africa started drying out around 5500 years ago, and much changed at …...
According to Eldiario24 “Musk won’t make anymore Telsa Electrics: This new “stupid” fuel will soon be on the roads. This is a complete fabrication!
- Tim
- January 23, 2025
Now the article (click here to read) goes on and on about this, talking about Musks previous perspective on Hydrogen, the roads being full of this future “stupid fuel” and how this might impact tesla future (suggesting dual fuel would be good – it did not help Toyota). So, while this article came out in …...
Norway has released an engine that runs on hydrogen – does this end electric cars future?
- Tim
- January 23, 2025
Unfortunately, this is an article that does not need much work. Unless we find an insane quantity of hydrogen buried under the ground somewhere (and it would have to be infinite to really count), the question is, how much electricity does it take to make 1kg of hydrogen and how far can the car drive …...
