1. There are reasons why giraffes have such long necks- and one is so they can reach tender leaves high up in the thorny bushes.
2 and 3. Gerenuks are gazelles that also have long necks, and for the same reason- just not so long, and not so high up.
4. One of my fellow van travelers.
Looks like she's offering her hand so they can sniff it , although I'm pretty sure that wasn't the reason.
In any case, the children were more interested in the person behind her.
5. Another fertility statue from the Denver Museum.
Quite interesting Charlie. Once I got over that lucky baby in the last I went back to the wildlife....Darwinian forces at their finest...read about the Wonder net..a collection of blood vessels in the head of these long necked creatures. First seen in the Okapi it was the adaptation that allowed these animals to develop their unique anatomy. I happened to be looking at slides (egads!) from my honeymoon trip to Kenya and found the one of the only gerenuk we saw...it is an amazing antelope and you captured it wonderfully.
We also had encounters with local villages at a time before it was devised as a money making scheme....absolutely fascinating...my wife's souvenir was getting hit about the legs by the umbilical cord from a new born cow...now how's that for a honeymoon memory!
Eric
A very nice set, Charlie.
I think I have seen the Gerenuk before but I sure like to see it back.
It's such a unusual animal with striking neck and ears. Beautiful!
Chris
It is interesting to see how the built their houses in the Children in a Maasai Village shot.
The Gerenuks must have though skin, from what I see in your pic
Always interesting to see one of your posts, Charlie
Socrate
Thanks Jude, David, Birdie, Tim, Eric, Chris and Socrate.
Gazelle, antelope ? Who knows how to tell the difference? The only one I get right is Thompson's gazelle (I'm right about 75% of the time).
About the "money-making scheme": It was my understanding that concerned Kenyans (and others) finally realized that foreign travel agencies were making millions of dollars on such things as having their clients visit East Africa's native villages, but the villagers were getting nothing, squat, nada, zip. I was there soon after individual travelers (i.e. moi) began handing cash to the people directly on site. Not through travel agencies or any other middleman.
Although the native people maintained their traditional way of life, they DID live in Kenya- which was a cash economy. What they used the cash for- I don't know, but apparently they had some needs. For example: the little plastic beads they used in their necklaces were not made by the tribal people themselves- they were made elsewhere by machines.
Eric- Your new wife was ritualistically hit about the legs by the umbilical cord of a newborn calf? I could make some tasteless joke about her having a cow, but out of respect for your lovely wife... I won't.
Yes, their houses were supported by sticks- but were mostly mud, straw and cow dung- all mixed together. Stepping outside in the morning and "taking a deep breath of fresh air" must really have meaning to the Maasai.
Charlie
It brings to mind a Biology lesson in 8th grade.... My biology teacher was talking about the amount of bones we have in our necks & pointed out that we humans have 7. but the interesting thing is that all mammals have the same amount - 7. So our teacher asked - How do we think this is possible. It was on one of those days we had lab so it was just us girls & interestingly enough - - I think we were 7 in a class of 21.
So silly little me thought out loud - - They're just larger. My teacher gave me a little bit of an angry look for speaking out loud without permission - - But she admitted my answer was correct. To me it was just logic - but then - - I'd seen enough diagrams of horse skeletons that I'd seen their size as well.....
So why is this one of those moments I remember. Well I'm dyslectic & struggled for so many years in school that whenever I was truly right about something - well probably not all those occasions - but many of the stand out. Especially those when the rest of the class was quiet...
So thanks for bringing me back to 8th grade this Sunday morning. It's another wonderful set & I pick the first two as my favorites
, although I'm pretty sure that wasn't the reason.
