WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY
by FRANK VAN EGMOND
Giraffe chewing a bone (osteophagia)
19 SEPTEMBER 2009
Visit to the Balule Private Nature Reserve
During a visit to the Balule Private Nature Reserve, there were some great sightings and I would like to share a few. This is the first one in a series of three that will be appearing in the coming weeks.
Giraffe chewing a bone
We had a sighting of a giraffe trying to pick up a huge leg bone, but then dropping it. We came across a giraffe that was already busy chewing on a bone. After a while, the giraffe spat it out. Giraffe chew bones to gain calcium. Check out the great sequence below!
The definition of Osteophagia: the chewing of bones by herbivores.
About the Balule Private Nature Reserve
Balule is part of the Greater Kruger National Park. It used to be farmland. In the 1990s, farm owners dropped their game fences between their farms. Eventually the fences between the Kruger National Park and Balule were dropped as well.
The sequence: giraffe chewing and spitting out a bone
Images are available for licensing at PHOTOSHOT