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THE BIG FIVE THOUSAND The big 5 (an old hunting term) a term used today by the tourism industry to lure international tourists to wild Africa, and propagated by South Africans who spend their time in the bush simply looking for lions. The big 5 are here – but the big five thousand, their ecology and the symbiosis between will represent an experience of a lifetime to your guests. Let’s put together a guiding session where lions become involved in a conversation naturally, without initially having to be part of it. In other words lions have to be introduced into a conversation that starts discussing anything other than mammals. It starts after dark – the fire, a cooking fire now reduced to a glowing bowl of red- hot coals is ready to braai the steaks. A short way from the fire are four people debating whether there is life up there – and one of them points up towards a black sky glittering with millions of twinkling lights, some brighter than others – some duller than others but an awesome sight, magical in its vastness and breathtaking beauty. There is a short silence – enough to amplify the sounds around them. Insects, night birds and the rustle of leaves shifting in the breeze – the silence from our guests persists long enough to let in the distant whoop of a hyena. “It’s a hyena – listen!” – the whooping is drawn out, and again – four times before the darkness and the sounds of the cicada beetles engulf it and return it to bush. The people begin to chatter again, quieter this time for they want to hear now – perhaps the next mammalian sound will be a lion. The next sound is a sizzle – the cook has placed 6 large T bone steaks on the fire – the sound is an electronic dinner bell (stimuli) sending messages of food scurrying up towards the brain. Almost immediately turning the conversation from stars and night sounds to food and cooking. Some of the people around the fire come closer to view the food – others leave to go and wash their hands, some open a drink – that sizzle caused a reaction from everybody who heard it, except the cook – he knew what was coming. So in the space of less than 5 minutes the universe, cicada beetles, hyena ecology and outdoor cooking were thrown around in excited conversation, assessed and put aside by four people who have paid large sums of money to me to guide them through a once-in-a-lifetime experience of the African bush. In the space of five minutes I had been given a chance to guide within the following topics.
Our universe I decided that the not so little bush ventriloquists, organists and camouflaged Christmas beetles of the Kruger called cicada beetles were to open my account as a field guide on this particular night. Sonbesies or Sunbugs belonging to the fifth largest order of insects called hemiptera, and within that the suborder homoptera well recognised for the incessant, very loud buzzing noise they make during the hot summer months in the bush. “Cicadas (world-wide) have made it as a family into the Guinness book of records for producing the loudest noise in relation to size to any other animal on the planet.”So how do you think they produce their sound?” I asked my guests. There were a few “Rubbing their wings together!” and a few “No, no – they rub their legs together!” And so my guiding could begin – remember I need to get from Cicada beetles to lions in flowing conversation – no drastic change of topic!
The easy method No – the fascinating thing here is a specifically developed set of muscles that vibrate a membrane to produce the sound – a sound that is magnified by air-sacks, and only the males can produce this sound – both sexes can ‘hear’ the sound but only the males produce it. This organ is on the abdomen, just between the abdomen and thorax. If you want to try and emulate the sound, grab a tin of baked beans and push for an extended fart! Or the safer method is to squeeze the opening of an expanded balloon into a small slit and listen to the sound it produces. “So the sound a male cicada beetle makes is a mating call, highlighted by the fact that only the males make these sounds?” “Yes” “Why does it have to be so loud?” One of the things I try to always remember when I get myself into this kind of trouble is if there is a simple answer available – use it – don’t complicate it, and go with what you already know. “Excuse me, I didn’t hear you.” I said to my guest “Why does it have to be so loud?” He said a little louder “I can’t hear you.” I said “Why is the beetle so loud?” He shouted, and then laughed at my humour when I shouted, “Competition is tough out here!” “Actually sound and animal noises are incredibly important communication tools and carry a lot of information relating to survival and reproductive success.” “Take the lion for example – territorial roaring plays a major role in reproductive success!” Easy! Let’s try a more difficult route to the lion!
The Difficult method “Actually sound and animal noises are incredibly important communication tools and carry a lot of information relating to survival and reproductive success.” “How does sound relate to survival?” “You mean like a distress call, or location call?” “Yes, absolutely,” I answer, “but even more specific than that. How many animals use sound to find their dinner?” “You mean like the sound their prey makes – a bat-eared fox listens for insects and ants in the ground?” “Yes, and certain spiders and snakes can hear through specifically developed limbs and membranes giving them a good chance of ‘hearing’ animal movements.” I reply. “Here is the question. Name an animal that listens to its own sound to find its dinner?” “One that keeps asking rhetorical questions like “Where’s my dinner, or one that listens to their own tummy rumblings like mine is at the moment!” My guest said in good- humoured haste. “Oh I get it! Sonar!
Whales and dolphins use their sonar sounds to find schools of fish!” We were talking about listening and hearing – subtle changes from producing sound to a conversation about one of the uniquely identifiable features that separate mammals from all other animals. External ears and the structure of the inner ear of mammals are different from other animals. My conversation/discussion would then include the various mammalian adaptions to the size, shape and colour variations of their ears. “Take a lion for example – his ears are also used for signalling to other members of the hunting party…” |
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Kind regards Neil Heron The Bearded Heron Send your comments to neil@beardedheron.com Subscription information: To refer a friend : click here (and add an e-mail address) |
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