标签 肯尼亚 下的文章
马赛长颈鹿，安波塞利国家公园，肯尼亚 Masai giraffes, Amboseli National Park, Kenya (© Art Wolfe/DanitaDelimont.com)
马赛长颈鹿，安波塞利国家公园，肯尼亚 Masai giraffes, Amboseli National Park, Kenya (© Art Wolfe/DanitaDelimont.com)
野生动物的生活 Life in the wild
安波塞利国家公园的马赛长颈鹿，肯尼亚
从今天的图片中可以看到，马赛长颈鹿漫步在肯尼亚安波塞利国家公园的广阔土地上。长颈鹿身高约5.49米或更高，是世界上最高的陆地哺乳动物。除了超过约0.45米长的卷舌之外，它们还利用惊人的身高来吃离地面近6米左右的树叶。它们的速度也比你想象的要快，能够在短距离内冲刺，时速可达37英里。长颈鹿在东非地区很常见，它们可以在草原、林地和保护区吃草。
安波塞利国家公园成立于50年前，占地面积超过388.5平方千米。这里的沼泽和湿地里野生动物众多，包括400种鸟类，其中40种是猛禽。在旅行中，人们可以近距离观赏到长颈鹿和非洲“五大”动物中的四种——狮子、豹子、大象和非洲水牛。安波塞利国家公园通过游客文化互动、牲畜放牧和与野生动物共处等方面，让游客了解马赛人的传统生活方式。
Masai giraffes in Amboseli National Park, Kenya
Masai giraffes roam the vast landscape of Amboseli National Park in Kenya. With some more than 18 feet in height, giraffes are the world's tallest land mammals. Along with prehensile tongues that are more than a foot and a half long, they use their impressive height to eat leaves found almost 20 feet from the ground. They're also faster than you might think, able to sprint up to 37 mph over short distances. Giraffes are common in East Africa and can be seen grazing in grasslands, woodlands, and reserves.
Established 50 years ago, Amboseli National Park covers more than 150 square miles. Its swamps and wetlands teem with wildlife, including 400 species of birds, 40 of which are birds of prey. During safaris, people can see giraffes and four of Africa's 'Big Five' animals up close—lions, leopards, elephants, and African buffalo. Amboseli offers visitors a glimpse into the traditional Maasai way of life through cultural interactions, livestock herding, and coexistence with wildlife.
小红鹳飞越马加迪湖, 肯尼亚 Lesser flamingos flying over Lake Magadi, Kenya (© Vicki Jauron, Babylon and Beyond Photography/Getty Images)
小红鹳飞越马加迪湖,肯尼亚 Lesser flamingos flying over Lake Magadi, Kenya (© Vicki Jauron, Babylon and Beyond Photography/Getty Images)
鸟瞰 Bird's-eye view
马加迪湖，肯尼亚
多么不可思议的景色啊！这张航拍照片展示了以肯尼亚马加迪湖为背景的小红鹳群。小红鹳是六种火烈鸟之一，以其鲜艳的粉红色羽毛和独特的觅食行为而闻名。由于喙的构造，这些鸟喜欢在水面附近进食。它们主要栖息在碳酸盐浓度较高的非洲苏打湖。马加迪湖就是这样一个充满蓝藻和海藻的苏打湖，为火烈鸟提供了充足的营养。成千上万只火烈鸟聚集在湖边的壮观景象揭示了这些独特生态系统的重要性。
Lake Magadi, Kenya
What an unearthly view! This aerial photograph shows a flamboyance of lesser flamingos against the backdrop of Lake Magadi in Kenya. The lesser flamingo is one of six species of flamingo, a bird known for its vibrant pink plumage and distinctive feeding behavior. They use their specialized beaks to filter algae near the water's surface and are often found in African soda lakes like Lake Magadi, which are brimming with cyanobacteria and algae for them to eat. The spectacle of thousands of these avian wonders congregating at the lake reveals the importance of these unique ecosystems.
乞力马扎罗山和非洲水牛，肯尼亚 Mount Kilimanjaro with Cape buffalo in foreground, Amboseli Biosphere Reserve, Kenya (© RealityImages/Shutterstock)
乞力马扎罗山和非洲水牛，肯尼亚 Mount Kilimanjaro with Cape buffalo in foreground, Amboseli Biosphere Reserve, Kenya (© RealityImages/Shutterstock)
一个关于可持续发展的实验 An experiment in sustainability
国际生物圈保护区日
联合国教科文组织将2022年11月3日定为第一个一年一度的国际生物圈保护区日。生物圈保护区是世界各地的广大地区，用于促进生物多样性、文化多样性、环境可持续的经济发展以及人类如何与自然共存的研究和教育。
我们今天介绍的安博塞利生物圈保护区位于乞力马扎罗山的肯尼亚一侧，包括各种各样的生态区，包括干燥的山地森林、山地、热带草原、湿地和沼泽。大象、狮子和长颈鹿在安博塞利安家。安博塞利于1980年被指定为联合国教科文组织生物圈保护区，是联合国赞助的一个项目的重点，该项目旨在确保该地区生物多样性的长期保护，部分方式是让当地居民参与可持续利用。
International Day for Biosphere Reserves
UNESCO designated November 3, 2022, the first annual International Day for Biosphere Reserves. Biosphere reserves are vast areas around the world used to promote biodiversity, cultural diversity, environmentally sustainable economic development, and research and education on how humans can coexist with nature.
The Amboseli Biosphere Reserve, which we feature today, is located on the Kenyan side of Mount Kilimanjaro and includes an amazing variety of ecological zones, including dry mountain forest, mountains, savannah rangelands, wetlands, and swamps. Elephants, lions, and giraffes make their home in the Amboseli. Designated a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 1980, Amboseli was a focus of a UN-sponsored program to ensure the long-term conservation of biodiversity in the area, partly by involving the local population in sustainable use.
一只马赛长颈鹿，肯尼亚马赛马拉国家保护区 Masai giraffe in Maasai Mara, Kenya (© Andy Rouse/Minden Pictures)
一只马赛长颈鹿，肯尼亚马赛马拉国家保护区 Masai giraffe in Maasai Mara, Kenya (© Andy Rouse/Minden Pictures)
独自在草原上 Solo on the savannah
A giraffe in Maasai Mara, Kenya
Our lonely giant is silhouetted on the Maasai Mara, or just 'The Mara' to locals. It's a large national game reserve in Kenya, and one of the world's most important wildlife conservation areas. The preserve was established in 1961 and is contiguous with the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania—together, the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem, protects some 9,700 square miles. In addition to our friend the giraffe, the Maasai Mara is home to large populations of elephants, lions, cheetahs, rhinos, wildebeest, hippos, crocodiles, zebras, and many more creatures.
While some zoologists consider the Masai giraffe its own species, most authorities recognize just one species of giraffe with nine subspecies. Masai giraffes like this one are the tallest of those, with males reaching heights of more than 18 feet. They range from southern Kenya, south through the Serengeti, and through all of Tanzania. Though not considered endangered by the Union for Conservation of Nature, all giraffes are a 'vulnerable' species, and some of the subspecies may be nearly extinct.
Until the late 19th century, giraffes were commonly known as cameleopards, due to the mistaken belief that a giraffe was a cross between a camel and leopard. But if you've ever tried to get a camel and a leopard to even go on a first date, you'd know how unlikely this is.
肯尼亚马赛马拉的长颈鹿
我们孤独的巨人的剪影出现在马赛马拉岛上，对当地人来说就是“马拉岛”。它是肯尼亚的一个大型国家野生动物保护区，也是世界上最重要的野生动物保护区之一。该保护区成立于1961年，与坦桑尼亚的塞伦盖蒂国家公园相连。马拉塞伦盖蒂生态系统保护着约9700平方英里的土地。除了我们的朋友长颈鹿，马赛马拉岛是大象、狮子、猎豹、犀牛、角马、河马、鳄鱼、斑马和更多生物的家园。
虽然一些动物学家认为马赛长颈鹿是自己的物种，但大多数权威机构只承认一种长颈鹿，有九个亚种。像这样的马赛长颈鹿是其中最高的，雄性长颈鹿的身高超过18英尺。从肯尼亚南部到塞伦盖蒂，再到坦桑尼亚全境。虽然没有被自然保护联盟认为濒危，但所有长颈鹿都是“脆弱”物种，其中一些亚种可能已经濒临灭绝。
直到19世纪末，长颈鹿通常被称为驼鹿，因为人们错误地认为长颈鹿是骆驼和豹子的杂交。但如果你试过让骆驼和豹子第一次约会，你就会知道这是多么不可能。
日落时分正在迁徙的斑纹角马群，肯尼亚马赛马拉野生动物保护区 Blue wildebeest herd migrating at sunset, Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya (© Denis-Huot/Minden Pictures)
日落时分正在迁徙的斑纹角马群，肯尼亚马赛马拉野生动物保护区 Blue wildebeest herd migrating at sunset, Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya (© Denis-Huot/Minden Pictures)
Wildebeest on the move
Each year, as many as 1.5 million blue wildebeest move through the Serengeti region of eastern Africa, traveling in a roughly 800-mile loop through Tanzania and Kenya as they chase lush, green grass and fresh water. When resources are depleted in one area, the animals move to another. Late summer often finds them Kenya's Maasai Mara nature reserve, shown on today's homepage. The speedy wildebeest (the species can run up to 50 mph!) is not alone in its journey; hundreds of thousands of zebras, gazelles, and elands accompany the herd. The great number of animals makes this phenomenon one of the largest land migrations on Earth, often called the World Cup of Wildlife.
