4 August 2024

Kenya – January 2024

We had a great trip to Kenya in January 2024. Mammalian highlights include Somali Lesser Galago, Striped Hyaena, Leopard, Cheetah, Maned Rat, Giant Forest Hog, Rusty-spotted Genet, African Wolf, Four-toed Hedgehog and Tana River Crested Mangabey, plus an assortment of roosting bats. We also had some fabulous animal behaviour – African Bush Elephants drinking and playing in the water, Spotted Hyena getting ready to hunting in the evening and also courtship between two adults and young vervet monkeys playing together.

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Kenya – Three Weeks in January 2024

Post author

Jane Kempler
I love watching all types of wildlife, in as many areas of the globe as possible. I’m based in London and try and travel as much as my work schedule permits. My other half is a very keen photographer, so most of the time we plan trips where getting half decent photos is a reasonable possibility. I’m the one that does all the admin – planning and organising our trips, then sorting and processing all the photos afterwards. I have a particular fondness for night walks and drives.
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3 Comments

  • 4 August 2024
    Jon Hall

    Great report and photos – thanks. I’m very happy to see that Maned Rat tourism is alive and well (and apparently a bit more ethical!) than it was a year or so back at Creaky Cottage. How many mammal species did you see in total?

    • 5 August 2024
      Jane Kempler

      I probably should have included this in my report. We had a total of 92 species:
      1 Bush Hyrax Heterohyrax brucei Meru, Laikipia, T. West
      2 Eastern Rock Hyrax Procavia capensis johnstoni Laikipia
      3 Southern Tree Hyrax Dendrohyrax arboreus crawshayi Sandai & Creaky Cottage
      4 Bush/Savanna Elephant Loxodonta africana Meru, Laikipia, Aberdare, Amboseli, T. West, T. East, Arabuko
      5 Four-toed Sengi Petrodromus tetradactylus Arabuko
      6 Rufous Sengi Galegeeska (Elephantulus) rufescens Rukinga (no photos)
      7 Golden-rumped Giant Sengi Rhynchocyon chrysopygus Arabuko
      8 Tana River Red Colobus Piliocolobus rufomitratus Tana River Primate National Reserve (TRPNR)
      9 Guereza Colobus Colobus guereza kikuyuensis Aberdare & Creaky Cottage
      10 Northern Yellow Baboon Papio cynocephalus ibeanus TRPNR (no photos)
      Southern Yellow baboon Papio cynocephalus cynocephalus Amboseli, Arabuko, T. East, Rukinga, T. West
      11 Olive Baboon Papio anubis Meru, Laikipia, Aberdare Baboons in Amboseli are generally hybrid Olive x Yellow
      12 Tana River Mangabey Cercocebus galeritus TRPNR
      13 Eastern Vervet Monkey Chlorocebus pygerythrus centralis Meru, Laikipia, Amboseli, T. West, Ruk, T. East
      14 Pousargue’s Monkey Cercopithecus mitis albotorquatus TRPNR (no photos)
      Zanzibar Sykes’ Monkey Cercopithecus mitis albogularis Tsavo East & Watamu Watamu is a hybridisation/transition zone with Pousargue’s
      Kolb’s Monkey Cercopithecus mitis kolbi Aberdare & Creaky Cottage
      15 Kenya Coast Dwarf Galago Paragalago cocos Watamu (no photos)
      16 White-tailed Small-eared Greater Galago Otolemur garnetti lasiotis Watamu (no photos)
      Pangani Small-eared Greater Galago Otolemur garnetti panganiensis Amboseli
      17 Kenya Lesser Galago Galago senegalensis braccatus Amboseli, Rukinga
      18 Somali Galago Galago galarum Meru
      19 Naked Mole-rat Heterocephalus glaber Meru
      20 Ochre Bush Squirrel Paraxerus ochraceus Laikipia & Rukinga
      21 Unstriped Ground Squirrel Xerus rutilus Meru, Laikipia, T. West & East, TRPNR
      22 Striped Ground Squirrel Xerus erythropus Meru
      23 Maned Rat Lophiomys imhausi Creaky Cottage
      24 African Root-Rat Tachyoryctes splendens Aberdare
      25 Giant Pouched Rat Cricetomys ansorgei Creaky Cottage
      26 East African Gerbil Gerbilliscus vicinus Rukinga
      27 Unknown Spiny Mouse Acomys sp. Meru
      28 Acacia Rat Thallomys paedulcus Meru
      29 Zena’s Brush-furred Rat Lophuromys zena Aberdare
      30 Mesic Four-striped Grass Mouse Rhabdomys dilectus Aberdare
      31 Cape Hare Lepus capensis Rukinga (no photos)
      32 East African Savanna Hare Lepus victoriae Laikipia
      33 White-bellied Hedgehog Atelerix albiventris Watamu
      34 Wahlberg’s Epauletted Fruit Bat Epomophorus wahlbergi (presumably) Arabuko Sokoke (no photos)
      35 Heart-nosed Bat Cardioderma cor Rukinga, T. East
      36 Yellow-winged Bat Lavia frons T. East Zarek only (no photos)
      37 Unknown Leaf-nosed Bat Hipposideros sp. Meru
      38 Sundevall’s Leaf-nosed Bat Hipposideros caffer (clade 5) Watamu
      39 Striped Leaf-nosed Bat Macronycteris vittatus Watamu (no photos)
      40 African Trident Bat Triaenops afer Watamu
      41 Slit-faced Bat Nycteris sp. Amboseli
      42 African Sheath-tailed Bat Coleura Afra Watamu
      43 Hildegarde’s Tomb Bat Taphozous hildegardae Watamu
      44 Mauritian Tomb Bat Taphozous mauritianus Amboseli
      45 Free-tailed Bat Chaerophon sp. Amboseli Bat Detector and seen flying overhead (no photos)
      46 Unknown Free-tailed Bat Molossidae T. West Likely Tadarida sp. – potentially 2 separate species (one with white belly and one with brownish-grey)
      47 Black-backed Jackal Lupulella mesomelas schmidti Laikipia, Amboseli
      48 East African Golden Wolf Canis lupaster bea Amboseli
      49 East African Bat-eared Fox Otocyon megalotis virgatus Amboseli
      50 Lion Panthera leo melanochaita Laikipia & T. East
      51 African Leopard Panthera pardus pardus Laikipia
      52 Cheetah Acinonyx jubatus jubatus Laikipia
      53 Common Genet Genetta genetta Meru
      54 Large-spotted/Blotched Genet Genetta maculata Meru & Aberdare
      55 Striped Hyena Hyaena hyaena Laikipia
      56 Spotted Hyena Crocuta crocuta Meru, Laikipia, Aberdare, Amboseli, T. East
      57 Slender Mongoose Herpestes sanguineus Meru (no photos)
      58 White-tailed Mongoose Ichneumia albicauda Meru, Laikipia, Amboseli
      59 Banded Mongoose Mungos mungo Tsavo East
      60 Common Dwarf Mongoose Helogale parvula Laikipia, T. East
      61 Common/Plains Zebra Equus quagga boehmi Meru, Laikipia, Amboseli, T. West, Ruk, T. East
      62 Grevy’s Zebra Equus grevyi Laikipia
      63 Southern White Rhino* Ceratotherium simum simum Meru *Exotic
      64 Giant Forest Hog Hylochoerus meinertzhageni Aberdare
      65 Desert Warthog Phacochoerus aethiopicus delamerei Meru
      66 Eastern Warthog Phacochoerus africanus massaicus Laikipia, Aberdare, Amboseli, T. West, T. East
      67 Common Hippopotamus Hippopotamus amphibius Meru, Laikipia, Amboseli, T. West
      68 Reticulated Giraffe Giraffa reticulata Meru, Laikipia
      69 Maasai Giraffe Giraffa tippelskirchi Amboseli, T. West & East We didn’t see the “Galana” hybrid in T. East
      70 Cape Buffalo Syncerus caffer caffer Meru, Laikipia, Aberdare, Amboseli, T. West & East
      71 Southern Lesser Kudu Tragelaphus imberbis australis Meru, T. West
      72 Northern Greater Kudu Tragalaphus strepsiceros chora Laikipia
      73 Bushbuck Tragelaphus sylvaticus Aberdare
      74 Common Eland Taurotragus oryx pattersonianus Laikipia, T. West
      75 Coastal Suni Nesotragus moschatus moschatus Arabuko Sokoke
      76 East African Bush Duiker Sylvicapra grimmia altivallis Aberdare
      77 Black-fronted Duiker Cephalophorus nigrifrons Aberdare
      78 Hinde’s Dikdik Madoqua hindei Rukinga, T. West & East
      79 Kirk’s Dikdik Madoqua kirkii Meru
      80 Guenther’s Dikdik Madoqua guentheri Laikipia
      81 Thomson’s Gazelle Eudorcas thomsoni thomsoni Laikipia, Sandai, Amboseli
      82 Peter’s Gazelle Nanger petersi T. East
      83 Southern Grant’s Gazelle Nanger granti granti T. West & Amboseli
      84 Bright’s Gazelle Nanger notata Meru & Laikipia
      85 Gerenuk Litocranius walleri walleri Meru, T. west & east
      86 Bohor Reedbuck Redunca redunca wardi Naro Moru & Amboseli (No photos)
      87 Common Waterbuck Kobus ellipsiprymnus ellipsiprymnus Meru, Amboseli, & T. East
      Defassa Waterbuck Kobus ellipsiprymnus defassa Laikipia & Aberdare
      88 Klipspringer Oreotragus oreotragus schillingsi Rukinga
      89 Impala Aepyceros melampus melampus Meru, Laikipia, T. West & East
      90 Coke’s Hartebeest Alcelaphus buselaphus cokii T. West & East
      Jackson’s/Laikipia Hartebeest A. buselaphus cokii x lelwel Laikipia
      91 Eastern White-beared Wildebeest Connochaetes taurinus albojubatus Amboseli
      92 Beisa Oryx Oryx beisa beisa Laikipia
      Fringe-eared Oryx Oryx beisa callotis T. West & East

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