Even-toes
Animals with hooves are either odd-toed or even-toed. The odd-toed ones are horses, rhinos and tapirs. The even-toed ones are cattle, antelope, pigs, giraffes, camels, sheep, deer, and hippos. Oh, and whales, dolphins and porpoises, but that’s a whole other evolutionary story because, as you’ve probably spotted, whales, dolphins and porpoises don’t have hooves.
Horses have one toe at the front giving the appearance of a single large hoof, while antelopes have split or cloven hooves.
We’re out on a safari drive in the Masai Mara in Kenya. We have the familiar red and black chequered blankets worn by the Masai on our knees because it’s getting cold into the evening. The light is beautiful.
There’s a herd of Impala in the grassland, with an impressive male and his harem of females.
They have even-toes. They are ideal food for lions, cheetahs, and leopards.
I’m hoping to see them next.
More adventures on safari in Kenya
Lilac-Breasted Roller attack Sometimes there's such an extraordinary moment and it seems impossible that you could have captured it. There's a dispute between… read more
Grey Crowned Crane It's one metre tall and has a two metre wingspan. It has a ridiculous crown. It has an inflatable red… read more
Can you kneel on your wrists? Common Warthogs are fabulous creatures. Just look at that hairy face! I love this one's blonde moustache and perky tail.… read more
The street performer – a Bateleur Eagle with a rat We spotted a Bateleur Eagle as soon as we arrived in the Masai Mara. It was distant. All I could… read more
Black-Headed Heron There's a Black-Headed Heron with what looks like a snake. I know they eat fish and amphibians, but I didn't… read more
A male Pied Kingfisher There's a perched male Pied Kingfisher on a branch nearby here in the Masai Mara. They are large, impressive birds.… read more
Cattle Egret portrait I've seen Cattle Egrets in Devon, but never been as close as I am now to this Cattle Egret in… read more
Playful Lion There's nothing more fulfilling in wildlife photography than having an animal be completely relaxed in your presence. Seeing a lion… read more
Elephant and Egret This is a Cattle Egret Someone needs to tell it that. Because this is an Elephant. read more
A Lion’s yawn shows its lingual frenulum This male Lion is having a bit of a yawn. I adore the wrinkles on its nose and its wavy,… read more
Black-Shouldered Kite There's a Black-Shouldered Kite, Elanus caeruleus, at the top of the bush. It's very far away, but we are gradually… read more
What Johnson said is true. “They are small and the grass is long and the Masai Mara is big” There are two books which started my interest in the natural world. The first was A Treasury of Natural History… read more