Thursday, January 3, 2013

Battle as Kruger

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you guys had a good time. I sure did. So as usual, let’s get started with some updates.

Nope, we are still not sure when we are doing the Easter play, “The King on a Cross” yet. I’ll let you know when. If you would like to know more about it, please send an email to animaladventures@aol.com.

I officially decided that today I would devote this post to the very video that inspired the last episode in my “Animal Face-Off” series: “Battle at Kruger.” So as you might recall from watching the last face-off (if you didn’t see it, please see the video page), instead of just two animal species facing-off, three species are facing-off! How is this possible? Well, while most of the face-offs in the series are pure speculation of what might happen if the animals fought, “Battle at Kruger” was actually filmed! So we know exactly what would happen if these animals got together!

It all started back in 2004 when David Budzinski was in Kruger National Park in Africa taking film footage while his safari vehicle was at a river. A herd of buffalo approached the river for a drink while a pride of lions was resting in the shade. The lions apparently got hungry and . . . well, I don’t want to spoil the face-off! So I won’t go any farther!

Now, let’s learn a bit about each animal before the face-off. (To read about the lion, please go to THEBLOOD-THIRSTY LION? entry) The term “buffalo” is used for a large bovid living in North America. But this is incorrectly speaking because scientists prefer to call that species the “bison”. They feel that the term “buffalo” really belongs to specific creatures living in Africa and Asia. Today, we will be watching African Cape Buffalo on the face-off, one of the most numerous animals in Africa. They often are found in herds numbering in their hundreds. These large mammals are some of the most dangerous animals in Africa (after the hippo).

African Buffalo
Nile Crocodiles are one of the largest members of the crocodilian family. The only crocs that get larger are Saltwater Crocodiles, found primarily in Australia. With the largest males reaching almost 20 feet in length, they also have the strongest bite force of any creature ever measured, at over 5,000 pounds per square inch! That’s almost as much as T. rex had! They have a row of sharp conical-shaped teeth in their mouths. While they are great for puncturing and grabbing prey, they aren’t so great at chewing. Crocodiles can’t chew at all! So how do they break meat into bite-size pieces? Well, they have a little trick – they simply grab hold of the meat and flick their heads. That, combined with the weight of the meat, tears it off. But what about pieces to big to pick up and flick? That is when the crocodile will use a trick called the “Death Roll”. This is when the croc grabs hold of the prey and rolls around and around until a piece is torn off. Sometimes, two or more crocodiles will hold the food in place as another croc does a Death Roll. Teamwork rocks! Despite the name, Nile Crocodiles don’t only live in the Nile River, they are found in many other East African rivers, lakes and ponds. This is why it isn’t always a good idea to swim in murky African waters!

Gustav, one of the largest Nile Crocodiles ever seen in the wild
Now that we’ve learned a thing or two about each animal, it is time to view the grand finale of “Animal Face-Off”! Let’s go:


That was very interesting! I hope you enjoyed this video, and as a matter of fact this whole series, as much as I did making it! (Please, post your comments on this video!) So you might be asking yourself, “What next?” Well, why stop here? I have tons of other wonderful stop-motion movies planned. As you’ll recall from a few weeks ago, my next one is “Planet of the Dinosaurs”. While working on the “Animal Face-Off” series, I was also scripting “Planet of the Dinosaurs”. So now it’s almost ready to begin the production, or “filming” stage. This series is a little bit bigger than the face-off one, so naturally it will probably take it longer to make. Lord-willing, I should have it done by . . . perhaps March. I’m not exactly sure how long it’s going to take, because I really have never done a project like this before. But having it done by March is a pretty good estimate.

Don’t worry though, while working on “Planet of the Dinosaurs”, I also plan to work on a few short stop-motion movies so that while you’re waiting on the series to be released, you will still have something to watch.

Well, thanks for stopping by today! Please come back next week where I’ll reveal a little more information on “Planet of the Dinosaurs” and we’ll also learn some more about the amazing natural wonders God has made for us to enjoy. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!!!


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PS 2: Have a puzzling question about animals (including dinosaurs), myself, my latest book, my stop-motion movies, Creation or etc? Please post your question as a comment or send me an email at animaladventures@aol.com.

PS 3: What’s the latest scoop? Check it out at SMILEY’S NEWS.

PS 4: Be sure to comment on the latest stop-motion movies too, this will help me improve them.

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