It was very surreal to see all of these animals existing in the wild. Previously I have only been able to see them in zoos, and from what I have observed, their normal habitat is much much bigger than zoo enclosures, ranging miles upon miles. Most travel in herds for protection and community, however it is also common to see lone males. I was surprised to see how used to humans and human activity these animals were. For example, when we were observing the lions eating the buffalo, the lions did not seem to care that there were so many cars surrounding their kill. Additionally, at the Ecoscience lodge, there were elephants that came right up to the edge of the tents, in search of food. The animals all have good hearing, so they definitely know of the human presence in the area, but they do not seem to mind, instead they are focused on the vegetation. They were not hostile to the cars at all, or to the people that were feet away from them, instead they got up and laid down in the shade underneath the cars! I did not personally see much interaction between the local people such as the Maasai and the local wildlife, but from my understanding they have a respect for each other.
There is great variation in ecosystems that we observed. We observed the open dry plains of the Savanna all the way to dense tropical rainforests of the crater. An example of how environment influences the animals is how the crater walls are so high that some of the species are isolated from others of their kinda outside of the crater walls. This can result in speciation if enough time passed and mutations occur. Additionally the different climates are better suited for other types of animals, for instance we saw a lot more baboons in the rain-forested areas as opposed to the open savanna grasslands, and vice versa for warthogs. Additionally some animals thrived near the rocky outcrops whereas the open flat lands were better for others. The paleoenvironment, especially in the Olduvai area, was better suited for mega fauna. It was also fairly open with active volcanoes nearby and sources of water. The environment is paramount in shaping ecological communities, because it is what allows vegetation and therefore animals flourish. Without water for instance, the plants will not survive easily and there is no food source for the animals. This forces the animals to find a new location or to die off. Human history has been shaped by the environment, because without the different pressure that influenced evolution, then humans would not be who we are today. For example, the evolution of become bipedal in part resulted from a more open environment. And we can see that by understanding how the past environment changed from more forested to more open plains. Understanding how the environment used to be and how it changed can give us more information and insight into what forces influenced the adaptations and evolution we have today.
This lab course has been an amazing experience which I will sure talk and reminisce about for years to come. I did not really have any expectations from this course, as I have never done anything like it before, but it really blew any expectations I could have had out of the water. It was more interesting and amazing than I could have imagined (and I’m not just saying this because I want a good grade). Everything was really amazing, so it is hard to come up with only one favorite thing. If I had to choose one thing from each part of the course, it would be that 1. I was able to see and be meters away from all the East African Fauna (especially the hippos) and 2. I was able to help excavate at a live dig site in Olduvai Gorge with an over a million year old stone tool. I didn’t really have a least favorite part, but the first night in Olduvai when I got sick was not a highlight of mine.
Three things that I have learned:
- Hippos secret something called blood sweat. It is not actually blood or sweat, but it is called so because hippos secret this oily substance that acts as a sunscreen, antiseptic, and moisturizer and it turns red as it oxidizes on the hippo’s skin.
- The hominid footprints discovered at Olduvai are not actually footprints of a female and a male, instead it is a set of footprints next to a set of three overlapped footprints.
- There is higher competition between animals in an open environment as opposed to more covered environment. Therefore the bones in an open environment will typically be more broken and consumed due to the bigger need to make use of all available resources.
Overall, this course has been of my favorite classes I have taken. It has made me happy that I have selected my major is Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and even more invigorated to pursue my degree. This course has really pushed me to be knowledgeable in ecology and anthropology, showed me that my travel abilities are much vaster than I previously thought, and has given me so many opportunities. Opportunities like being able to camp in Africa for a week, to be face to face with an elephant herd (multiple times), to try different cuisine/culture/ and ways of life, to see professionals in their field, and the list goes on and on. Thank you so much Dr. Solomon and Dr. Manuel for putting together such an amazing course, and I am so grateful I was able to take this course in my time here at Rice.
Editor’s note: Every blog should now have photos and captions beneath the photos if you are interested in re-visiting past blog entries!
Thank you to everyone who has followed me along my trip on this blog! (Also a special shoutout to my grandparents, thanks for reading my blogs!)
Isabella-2024-Bovini
(me with hippo teeth)
The group: (from left to right)
(Top row) McKenna, Anna, Milton, Kamden, Enoch
(Bottom row) Dr. Solomon, Dr. Manuel, Marlo, Carina, Kacey, me, Rose, Caroline, Alex, Vivian
