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Sorry, guys. It's been a while. I'll do some reading and see if I can find the answer again.

What is the primary reason a wildebeest or zebra nod their heads and lift their lips?

The answer I have to this is as follows;

Larvae of the nasal botflies of the (genus Rhinoestrus) (interesting that these specific bots have not been found in horses in SA) they seem to be mostly Burchell Zebra specific. Because of their close proximity to the Wildebeest is seems they too suffer from this affliction.

Dependent on these hosts these flies lay their eggs around the nasal, oral and eye cavities. The eggs hatching into maggots immediately start to feed on the membranes in these areas, also moving up the inside of the nostrils, their feeding activity becomes irritable to the animals and they try to remove them by nodding their heads and snorting. This results in dislodging the maggots where they drop to the ground and pupate in the soil. Being dislodged is essential for the maggots to complete their life-cycle.

The lip curling up, in conjunction with head nodding, is simply a reflex response to the irritation of the area.

Of course lip curling in the Zebra stallion is also done to check the receptivity of the mare for mating purposes.

Fascinating information, Siobain.

You're still IT.

Which animal leaves prominent scent secretions made up of two parts, usually on a single grass stalk? The secretion is extremely pungent and can last up to 3 months.

Blue Duiker?

Brown Hyena.

I agree with Imberbe! But it could also be the African Civet considering they do a very similar scent marking which can last up to 4 months?

agree with Brown Hyena..

Thanks everyone for the input.

IB, IT!

IB

Why can't a white rhino swim, while a black rhino can?

Gone for a few days ... I will be back on Thursday to confirm.

Good Q, IB.

Although black rhino's can swim, they don't do very well in deep water.

Studies done on the behavior of black rhino during the formation of Lake Kariba by Graham Child in 1968 stated, that a total of 62 animals were observed and found that although rhino love to wallow, they avoid deep water and were therefore often trapped on little islands on the Lake.

The only references in this study of the black rhino swimming was out of absolute necessity. These rhino swam distances of up to 20 meters, which seemed to be the limit of their endurance.

Because the white rhino has a prominent muscular hump to support it's heavy head, I think it would be very difficult for it to keep it's head above water, so would naturally avoid swimming at all.

It has been noted that white rhino often reverse their bodies into open water, keeping their heads closer to the bank, while black rhino walk in facing forward.

My logic says to me that because a white rhino eats grass, his head is most of the time close to the ground and cannot lift it high enough for it to swim. In contrast, the black rhino eats mostly leaves and its head is mostly in an upright position. It will therefor be able to lift its head higher up. (I know that it wild guess, but someone must try)

Correct both of you!

Siobian is it!