Crocodile Rock, Chapter 2

On the Egypt trip, I posted photos of mummified crocodiles and less-than-creatively entitled it "Crocodile Rock."  Hence adding the "Chapter 2" for this post. 

Robert brought us to the Mara River, promising hippos and crocodiles.  And he delivered.  There also were yellow-beaked storks, so that was an added bonus. 

The hippos were amazing to watch, but the crocodiles stole the show.  While we missed the kill, the thrashing and fighting over the waterbuck the crocodiles killed was amazing.  

Frankly, the pictures don't do it justice.  I wish I had a short video of it, because it was amazing to watch. It was the roughest fighting and thrashing involving the Mara since the 1970s feud between the Maras who each owned half of the New York football Giants.  Of course, back then, it was the fans who suffered.  This time, it was the waterbuck who suffered.  Or did it, as it was already dead before the show started. 

You would think the crocodile who killed the waterbuck would get the, um, lion's share of the meat, but crocs have no conscience.  

There are a lot more photos of the hippos than of the crocodiles because much of the croc fighting took place underwater, or too quickly for me to get a good shot.

Hippos show pink because their glands

produce mucus that acts as a sunblock.

The mucus turns reddish brown or even

pink upon exposure to the air.  It's also

believed the mucus acts as a antibiotic

for the cuts they have their skin.

A yellow-beaked stork.  They don't

mess around with names in Africa;

they call them as they see them.

Crocs.  And the unfortunate

waterbuck's horns.

A raft of hippos.

Crocodile taking a victory moment.