National Geographic: Lions of the African Night Page #3

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and the pride moves on to find

a more hospitable place.

A male ostrich sits tight on his nest

despite the steady approach

of a herd of buffalo.

If he deserts now, the buffalo might

well trample and scatter the eggs.

But the approach of a herd of lions

is too much for the buffalo...

and the ostrich also

abandons his clutch.

These eggs are a novelty for the lions

In the excitement of the first rush

on the net,

one or two eggs were smashed

and the contents fought over.

But now the lions are puzzled

and unable to open the others.

There's more fun for a cub

in the futile stalk

and chase of the female ostrich

who had just returned

to the awful scene at her nest.

The remaining eggs are lion-proof

and the pride wanders away

to seek shade

where they will sleep through

the rest of the day.

By late afternoon it is overcast

and cool enough for the lions to stir,

and the younger ones have found

a tree to play on.

But tree climbing is not something

they're very good at.

Lions have an edge when stalking prey

distracted by the chaos of a storm.

This time they have killed

a young zebra.

But even the lions are unnerved

by the fierceness of this storm.

The rain unearths a rainfrog.

Most of the year they are inactive

and remain buried underground.

They emerge only

when the earth is soaked.

The storm has damaged

the tunnels of termites,

exposing the workers and

making them easy prey

for the quick tongue of the rainfrog.

During the rainy season temporary ponds

are formed throughout the bushveld.

About 20 different kinds of frogs

will breed at night in this pond.

Not only frogs are attracted

to the pond.

This marbled tree snake

waits for a meal to come within range.

Most of the frogs will deposit

their eggs in the water,

but there are exceptions.

These golden leaf-folding frogs

are placing a row of eggs along

a blade of grass.

With their hind legs they fold

the blade to form a cylinder

in which the eggs will develop.

By far the most numerous predators

at this pond are the spiders.

They wait motionless

at the water's edge.

When the frog has been subdued,

the spider carries it out of

the water to be consumed.

In a tree over the pond a pair of

foam frogs are making their nest.

With their hind legs

they whip up the foam

in which their young will spend

the first five days of their lives.

The female provides the mucus together

with her eggs,

while the male on her back adds

his sperm to the mix.

Soon the foam hardens on the outside

to a meringue-like crust.

From other nests made

five nights previously

tiny tadpoles are slipping out

and dropping into the pond below

where they'll complete

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