Africa's Eden: The Ngorongoro Crater

A Maasai herdsman stands at the brink of a modern-day Eden. Like generations before him, he comes to find water and grassy fields for his cattle in this fertile paradise, the Ngorongoro Crater. From the rim of this collapsed volcano, or caldera, he looks out over lush, green fields, the acacia trees of the Lerai Forest, the sparkling waters of Lake Magadi, and - 12 miles (19 km) away - the far walls of this spectacular crater.

As he drives his herd down to the crater floor 2,000 feet (600 m) below, he sees movement on the plains. Herds of gazelles, zebra, and wildebeest move across the landscape. More than 100 types of birds not seen in the neighboring Serengeti flock around the lake. Dozens of other species, from the carnivorous lion, cheetah, leopard, and hyena to the plant-eating elephant, warthog, eland, and impala, make their homes in this ecological microcosm as well.

In fact, more than 25,000 animals live together in the Ngorongoro Crater, all part of their own circle of life. Here, the volcanic ash in the soil fosters the rich savanna grasslands that support the largest ungulate (hoofed animal) herds in the world. The carnivores of the Crater prey on these plant-eaters, and the carcasses from their kills provide food for local scavengers like vultures and hyenas. Dung and animal remains in turn go back to the earth as fertilizer for plant life.

Unlike other wildlife refuges, the Crater is home to virtually the same wildlife year-round. Migration within the Ngorongoro Crater is negligible due to the abundant and constant food and water supply and because the sheer walls of this collapsed volcano discourage migration.

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Article by Valerie Deveraux
Photographs by $PLAYER

Flamingo flocks have been known to include up to one million birds!

Wildebeest are famous in the Serengeti for their migration patterns, but wildebeest in the Ngorongoro Crater don't migrate because they have access to food here year-round.

Lions and hyenas account for most zebra mortalities, however a well-placed zebra kick can be equally fatal for the predator.

The Big Five and More Among the grasses on the floor of this unique crater, the Maasai herdsman is able to get an up-close look at the wildlife here. In fact, the Ngorongoro Crater is one of the only places in Africa where a visitor is likely to see all of the "big five" (lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino, and elephant) in a single day. Zebra and wildebeest are found in the greatest numbers, but there are also around 100 lions in the Crater and about 20 black rhino. The Lerai Forest is a good place to spot elephants and leopards.

A herd of plains zebra grazes in the tall grasses of the Crater. Zebras will feed on more than 50 grass species as well as herbs and leaves. The zebra play an important role in helping other herbivores: the antelope of the plains rely on the zebra to remove the tough outer layers of grasses to expose nutritious parts.

One theory is that zebra's stripes break up the shape of the zebra and make it less recognizable as prey. Another is that they make it hard for a predator to focus on a single animal in a herd. In any case, each zebra has a unique set of stripes - as individual as a human's fingerprints.

As he leads his animals farther into the crater, the herdsman encounters a herd of wildebeest. Like the gazelles, the wildebeest graze behind herds of zebra, feeding on the short clumps of grass the zebras leave behind. Wildebeest are dependent on water during the dry season and can often be seen around the shores of Lake Magadi in the heart of the Crater.

Don't get in the way of a herd of wildebeest on the move! A wildebeest will do anything to stay with the herd, even trample other animals.

If wildlife is evident across the Ngorongoro Crater, the presence of humans is even more so. The Crater's rim is ringed with some of the most luxurious safari lodges in Africa, a testament to the immense popularity of the Crater as a tourist attraction. Perhaps because humans - both tourists and natives like the Maasai herdsman - are so ever-present, the animals in the Crater are less shy of people and safari vehicles than wildlife elsewhere. It is no surprise, then, that many safari-goers consider the Ngorongoro Crater the "eighth wonder of the world."

The elephant's long trunk enables it to reach as high as 23 feet (7 m).

Because plains zebras are resistant to diseases that affect cattle, can eat coarse grass, and are rarely hunted by humans, they remain quite common on the African plains.

Thomson's gazelles can gather in herds of nearly 200 animals.

Dust bathing rids zebras of irritating ticks and mites.

For more information, visit: Ngorongoro Crater Lodge PBS Online: Ngorongoro Tanzania Tourism Board - Ngorongoro Conservation Area Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority
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