The area in the most northernmost part of Tarangire Park is called Lemiyon. Its boundaries are defined by the triangle of the eastern and western park boundaries, and the Tarangire River as it flows westwards towards Lake Burungi. The vegetation is composed of open grassland on 'black cotton' soil (a fine, dark volcanic soil), an area of Combretum-Dalbergia woods, and a more extensive parkland of umbrella or flat-topped acacia trees. The toothbrush bush (Salvadora persica) is also very common, showing up bright green even at the height of the dry season.

But the most striking feature of this part of the park are the majestic, old baobab trees. With their massive silvery trunks, spindly branches and gourd-like fruit, they are strange and impressive trees. The young leaves are edible by humans and the wood, which has a long fiber, is used for weaving and rope-making. As many baobab trees are hollow, they frequently serve as reservoirs for rain water, as the site of wild bee hives or as nesting trees for hornbills.

Wildebeest and zebras are common here, as they are in many other parts of the Park. Both species need to drink regularly so unless there are pools of surface water, they do not stray far from the river.

Grazing Animals

Wildebeest or white-bearded gnu are ungainly-looking animals with massive shoulders and slender hindquarters. Adults are a dull slate-gray color, with dark streaks and stripes across the back and flanks. The young are rufous fawn in color. Wildebeest (the name means 'wild cattle' in Afrikaans) are grazers and are often seen on the new flush that appears after a grass fire, especially on the black cotton soils early in the dry season. Wildebeest live in large herds and are very vocal. Their constant grunts and explosive snorts are audible for long distances.

Wildebeest have many predators, including lions, cheetahs and hunting dogs. Hyenas take a heavy toll on new-born calves. When attacked, wildebeest form a defensive circle, snorting at their attacker. Erratic bucking actions are part of their evasive tactics against predators.

The zebra present in Tarangire is Burchell's Zebra. They move in large herds which consist of family units each containing a stallion and up to a dozen females and young and bachelor herds of mainly immature males. Each family is controlled by a stallion, who defends it against potential rivals and predators such as hyenas and hunting dogs. Mares also cooperate in defending the family -- especially protecting foals against predators. Foals are born year-round except during the dry season. This group defense is so effective that hyenas prefer to hunt in packs for zebras, whereas they usually hunt singly for antelopes.

The stripe pattern on zebras varies widely, making individual recognition comparatively easy. Zebras are very conspicuous in broad daylight, but at night, dawn and dusk -- the hours when most predation occurs -- the stripes seem to blend together and zebras become as hard to see as gray or tan animals.

In Lemiyon you may see Grant's gazelles. These are not to be confused with Thomson's gazelles which have only recently moved into the Park from the northeast. The Tommy, as it is affectionately known, is considerably smaller and redder than the Grant's. An easy way to distinguish these species is to look at the white marking on the rump of the animals. In Tommies the white comes up to the tail whereas in Grant's it come over the tail and onto the rump. Tommies of both sexes have strongly marked lateral stripes whereas on the Grant's it is only the female is marked in this way. Grant's are larger and are pale fawn with white underparts. Horns are present on the male and female of both species, but are much larger on the male.

Predators and Defense

Throughout Tarangire you will see the ecological process at work. Grasses, shrubs and trees grow fueled by energy from the sun. Herbivores, like gazelles, zebras and buffaloes, eat these plants. In turn they are hunted and eaten by the carnivores, hyenas, lions and leopards, who are at the top of this food chain.

Many people think grazing animals live in constant fear of predators. Although they always remain wary, grazers seem to know when a predator is not actually hunting. At such times they show remarkably little fear -- provided the predator does not cross the line refereed to as 'flight distance'.

The kongoni, or Coke's hartebeest, is found in Lemiyon and throughout the Park. It is fawn in color with a pale rump and can easily be distinguished by its long very narrow head, and horns which grow out and sharply backwards.

Males defend permanent territories, which provide enough forage for a herd of females throughout the year. Hartebeest breed throughout the year, though there are two clear peaks, one in the dry season and one in the wet season. Newborn calves spend most of their first month hiding in the grass, as do many antelope young.

Nocturnal Animals

Two cat-like creatures which are nocturnal may occasionally be seen during the day. These are the civet and the genes. The civet is a. heavily built animal with wiry, dark gray fur, black spots on the body and black vertical stripes on the tail. The abdomen and legs are also black. Civets are solitary and hide during the day in tall grass or old porcupine burrows. They produce a pungent, oily, anal gland secretion which is emitted when the animal is alarmed. This secretion has been collected over the ages in many regions as the basis for perfumes.

The genes appears lithe and cat-like, with its narrow pointed face, conical ears and short gray fur, even though it is more closely related to the mongoose. Its tail is heavily ringed with dark brown and it has white patches below the eyes. Genets are semi-arboreal so may be seen resting in trees. Both civets and genets are solitary.

Other nocturnal animals you might get a glimpse of are ant-bears and pangolins. Both these species feed on ants and termites which they scoop up with their long sticky tongues. The ant-bear or 'aardvark' is a pig-like creature with large ears, a narrow head and long snout. The pangolin is easily recognized by the armor of scales which cover its body. Another nocturnal animal which is well protected is the porcupine. When attacked it erects its quills and jumps backwards to drive the very sharp points into the attacker.

Elephants

Elephants may be seen at the river during the dry season. The African elephant is larger than its Asiatic cousin and has a sloping as opposed to a straight back and much larger ears. If you see a herd of elephants it is most likely to be either an all male group or a family unit. Like the baboon and the lion, the social system of the elephant is based on close family kin. Daughters remain in the same family as their mothers and grandmothers whilst males leave once they reach adolescence. The young males then frequent non-permanent bachelor groups which often change composition.

If you watch a female herd you may be able to spot the matriarch. This is usually the oldest and largest animal who acts as the leader, particularly during defense when she will govern the course of action. Elephants can live up to 60 years and a female may give birth by the time she is 13 years old. The gestation period for elephants is 22 months. When a baby elephant (just about 80 cms high) is born, the whole herd is attentive to it and will be very protective, especially against lions.

There is a dominance hierarchy among the males within a population. At certain times of the year a dominant male exhibits a phenomenon known as 'musth' (pronounced must), which is apparently a highly sexual state. This can be recognized by a profuse secretion from the temporal gland at the side of the head and the continuous dribbling of urine. Such males usually associate with herds when a female is in season.

Elephants can be recognized individually by looking at the shape of their tusks and nicks in the outline of their ears. Both male and female elephants have tusks and tusk length and circumference can also be used to age an animal.