During my twelve-day safari trip to Eastern Africa, I visited multiple National Parks and Reserves in Kenya. Starting in Taita Hills, followed by Amboseli, Lake Naivasha, OI Pejeta Conservancy, Samburu, Lake Nakuru, and Masaai Mara National Reserve. Each destination is unique and has a different climate, landscape, and biodiversity. This meant that each National Park felt like a different world and ensured a beautiful and unique experience in each area.
I noticed how the African Leopard (Panthera pardus pardus) in Samburu was built relatively compact compared to the ones in Masaai Mara.
When comparing the habitats of Samburu and Masaai Mara, it was apparent that the climate is much warmer in Samburu and that there are a lot of hills and vegetation. The Masaai Mara contained much more open savanna, which most would consider being the ‘classic African’ habitat. The open areas meant that there was a larger population of mammals. The combination of the number of species (preys) and the open structure of the habitat (hunting becomes easier), enables the leopards to grow larger in this area. In the gallery below you can see the difference between the African Leopards (Panthera pardus pardus).
