Serengeti Migration
The Serengeti Migration's name means "endless plains". The migration is the longest and largest over land migration in the world. It travels 500 miles on the path from Tanzania to the Masai Mara Reserve in Kenya, and stretches over 18,641 square miles. Approximately 80% of the Serengeti plains are protected by the Tanzanian and Kenyan governments.
The Serengeti is home to over 70 larger mammals and approximately 500 different types of birds. This high diversity of species includes many different habitats ranging from riverine forests, swamps, kopjes, grasslands and woodlands. Blue wildebeests, gazelles, zebras and buffalos are some of the commonly found large mammals in the region. Probably the most impressive part of the migration is the herds of wildebeests that blanket the plains. Unfortunately, the migration will kill off around 250,000 wildebeests each year. Death is usually from thirst, hunger, exhaustion, or predation.
Each year around the same time the great wildebeest migration begins in the Ngorongoro area. This migration is determined by the availability of grazing. It lasts from approximately January to March, when the calving season begins – a time when there is plenty of rain ripened grass available for the 750,000 zebra, 1.2 million wildebeests and the following hundreds of thousands of other animals.
Wildebeest spend their time on the short grass plains of the south eastern part of the ecosystem, grazing and giving birth to around 500,000 calves between a 2 to 3-week period, during the month of February. Few calves are born ahead of time, hardly any will survive. The main reason for this is that very young calves are more noticeable to predators when they are with older calves, and they are easier prey. As the rain ends in May the animals start moving north-west, into the areas around the Grumeti River, where they usually remain until late June. July is the main time of migration for wildebeest, zebra and eland heading north, arriving on the
Kenyan border late July / August for the remainder of the dry season (the Thomson's and Grant's Gazelles move only east/west). In early November and the short rains beginning the migration starts moving south again, to the short grass plains in the south east area, usually getting there in December with plenty of time for calving in February.
The Serengeti is home to over 70 larger mammals and approximately 500 different types of birds. This high diversity of species includes many different habitats ranging from riverine forests, swamps, kopjes, grasslands and woodlands. Blue wildebeests, gazelles, zebras and buffalos are some of the commonly found large mammals in the region. Probably the most impressive part of the migration is the herds of wildebeests that blanket the plains. Unfortunately, the migration will kill off around 250,000 wildebeests each year. Death is usually from thirst, hunger, exhaustion, or predation.
Each year around the same time the great wildebeest migration begins in the Ngorongoro area. This migration is determined by the availability of grazing. It lasts from approximately January to March, when the calving season begins – a time when there is plenty of rain ripened grass available for the 750,000 zebra, 1.2 million wildebeests and the following hundreds of thousands of other animals.
Wildebeest spend their time on the short grass plains of the south eastern part of the ecosystem, grazing and giving birth to around 500,000 calves between a 2 to 3-week period, during the month of February. Few calves are born ahead of time, hardly any will survive. The main reason for this is that very young calves are more noticeable to predators when they are with older calves, and they are easier prey. As the rain ends in May the animals start moving north-west, into the areas around the Grumeti River, where they usually remain until late June. July is the main time of migration for wildebeest, zebra and eland heading north, arriving on the
Kenyan border late July / August for the remainder of the dry season (the Thomson's and Grant's Gazelles move only east/west). In early November and the short rains beginning the migration starts moving south again, to the short grass plains in the south east area, usually getting there in December with plenty of time for calving in February.
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Experiencing the Serengeti MigrationBest way to see and experience the Serengeti Migration
Exploring inside of a safari jeep will give you the chance to experience the most intimate encounters with the wildlife of the Serengeti. If you are interested in watching the wildebeest and other animals crossing the river, then you will need to have a ton of patience.The animals may graze for hours and days on end before swimming across the river. It may mean just sitting in your Land Rover or other safari vehicle and watching for a while. If you are fortunate to take the chance and experience the river crossing, keep your eyes opened for river banks and wildlife swimming because the hungry crocodiles have been waiting and know that they are coming. Witnessing a crocodile capture a wildebeest and wrestle their prize supper home is an exhilarating experience. The lions are on hunting mode and have their eyes opened for migrating animals on land also. Also, keep watch on the loners of the bunch because they have their eyes on those too. Watching a lion hunting and killing part of the migration is more exciting than the crocodiles most of the time. All of this definitely requires a lot of patience to be able to sit there and watch. Another absolutely amazing experience is ballooning over the Serengeti. Which allows you to recognize the size of both the Serengeti itself and the expanse of the migrating wildlife. The balloon will usually land somewhere with a breakfast waiting for you out in the Serengeti. |