Snapshot Serengeti Talk

aardvark?

  • phillips.map by phillips.map

    I am new to the site. This little creature looks a bit like a hare or aardvark but why would either of these species be out on such a sunny day? Anyone else have a guess?

    Posted

  • areinders by areinders moderator

    Welcome, enjoy the armchair safari! Based on the image taken just a few minutes before this one, it is a baboon: ASG000zsyu

    Posted

  • BHamer by BHamer

    For once, I'm going to respectfully disagree with an obviously knowledgeable moderator- looking at this one with the view enlarged, it really does look (to me) a lot more like an aardvark or some other low-to-the-ground quadruped, especially when the sequence of three stills is played.

    That baboon from the previous capture, however... yeah, no argument there. 😃

    Posted

  • hayvel by hayvel

    baboon, aardvark, Bat-eared-fox, mangoose, hare... answer is still pendent. we need a #scientist advice ! (could be also a wild cat ...)

    Posted

  • areinders by areinders moderator in response to BHamer's comment.

    Yeah, I see your point, looking at the image again. Kind of too small and low to the ground for a baboon. As for the other options: It does not look cat-like to me (backside too plump, round), so I would rule out bat-eared fox or wild cat. Aardvark could be based on the shape but I think they are nocturnal, so that makes it less likely. Yes, we need some input from a scientist who knows the animals firsthand.

    Posted

  • hayvel by hayvel

    if it can help ...

    zoom :

    animation

    size comparison :

    animation

    Posted

  • lucycawte by lucycawte moderator

    Wow, I love what you did here. For me it is too small for an aardvark and I really don't see any ears. My guess would be mongoose. I think it will always be a guess for this image, I don't think even the scientists will confidently be able to say what this image is. It bugs you not knowing for sure.

    Posted

  • areinders by areinders moderator

    Good idea, it helps putting the size into perspective. Not that I have any better idea as to identity...

    Posted

  • hayvel by hayvel

    a #Rock-hyrax ??...

    Posted

  • davidbygott by davidbygott moderator

    Why not a leopard-tortoise? Size, shape, movement and season all fit.

    Posted

  • aliburchard by aliburchard scientist, translator

    Awesome image magick-ing, @hayvel! This is a tough one! If the wildebeest comparison is on spot, then the critter is tiny -- only about 4-6 inches high. And while in the original picture it looks like it might have a white stripe on its back, I think that's just the glare. Hard to tell from the image whether the backend is changing shape (rounding up) when it's moving, or if that's just the way the mystery critter bleeds into the shadows. Tortoise is a good guess. It also at times seems the right shape for a hyrax, a hedgehog (which I don't think are supposed to be around in our study area, though they are up north in the Mara), or maybe even a small (small!) hare stopping to eat....but I think tortoise is the best answer I've heard so far. I wish we could know for sure!

    Posted

  • davidbygott by davidbygott moderator

    It looks shiny like a tortoise, moves like a tortoise, and seems to have a little head that sticks up like a tortoise. And they are active in green season.
    You do, incidentally, have hedgehogs in your range, though not common. I found one on the Sametu track once, and have found dried skins in places where eagle owls roost around the plains. But this wouldn't be a hedgehog, it's too big..

    Posted