TERMITES MOUNDS AND ITS MULTI-PURPOSES IN SERENGETI

Termites are important to Serengeti because they break down dead plant material and for what they do to the soil.
Termite mounts stand tall throughout the Serengeti plains and woodlands. Built of mud from deep underground, and held together by termite saliva, the mounts change the soil texture and provide homes and observation points for animals.
Termites are small, clear or cream-colored insects that live predominantly underground, building channels and tunnels that lead them to their woody food. They consume dead wood, grass roots, and a variety of above-ground vegetation during the night. The food is then digested by either protozoans or anaerobic bacteria in their stomachs, and then absorbed by the animal; much like a ruminant herbivore

Termite mounds are built with large vertical shafts that can run several meters into the earth, and provide ventilation for the colony. These shafts also provide homes for a variety of animals, including snakes, mongoose and mice. Smart people do not put their hands down termite holes ..
If you visit Serengeti, you may see wildebeest, topi or predators such as cheetah or lions using termite mounds as look-outs. 

The Aardvark is a termite specialist, able to dig into mounds with its powerful claws, while the Aardwolf feasts mostly on harvester termites foraging above ground - both can consume tens of thousands of termites in a single night. Almost all kinds of birds will eat termites, particularly the winged alates, which leave the colonies after the heavy rains of spring and summer have softened the soil.

Once a colony is abandoned - usually only after the fertile queen dies or is killed - it is often taken over by much larger burrowing animals which favour these raised sites, at least in part because they reduce the chance of flooding. Warthog, Porcupine, Spotted Hyena, Dwarf Mongoose, Pygmy Kingfisher, Rock Monitor, Black Mamba and Banded Rubber Frog are just a few of the animals which frequently occupy termite mounds.

ü  >A topi using a termite mound as a vantage point to gain abetter view across

ü >Cheetah are commonly found atop termite mounds, a vantage point used for spotting prey and other predators that may threaten these fast cats. Cheetahs favor termite mounds and elevated points from which to locate prey, relying more on sight than smell

ü >Disused termite mounds are often frequented by colonies of the endearing dwarf mongoose, and pairs of red-and-yellow barbet, which draw attention to themselves by their loud, clockwork-like duetting.

LAKE NATRON- THE WORLD MOST IMPORTANT BREEDING SITE FOR THE LESSER FLAMINGOS

Lake Natron is considered to be the world's most important breeding site for the Lesser Flamingo
(the Lesser Flamingo is on the World Conservation Union red list of threatened species). Lake Natron accounts for up to 75 per cent of the world's lesser flamingos.

The lake is the only regular breeding area in East Africa for the 2.5 million Lesser Flamingoes, whose status of "near threatened" is a consequence of their dependence on the single breeding location. As salinity increases, so do the number of cyanobacteria, and the lake can support more nests. These flamingoes, the single large flock in East Africa, gather along saline lakes in the region, where they feed on Spirulina (a blue-green algae with red pigments). Lake Natron is a safe breeding location because its caustic environment is a barrier against predators trying to reach their nests on seasonally-forming evaporite islands. Greater Flamingo also breed on the mud flats.

During breeding season, more than 2 million lesser flamingos (Phoenicopterus minor) use the shallow lake as their primary breeding ground in Africa. The flamingos' nests are built on small islands that form in the lake during the dry season.

Lake Natron is one of two alkaline lakes in that area of East Africa; the other is Lake Bahi. Both are terminal lakes that do not drain out to any river or sea; they are fed by hot springs and small rivers. As shallow lakes in a hot climate, their water temperatures can reach as high as 106 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius).


The lake has a surface area of around 1300 square kilometres and has no outlet other than by evaporation. Only about 400mm of rain falls in this area, much of which falls as 'phantom rain', a phenomenon by which the raindrops evaporate before they even hit the highly reflective surface of the lake. The evaporation rate has been calculated as being eight times the rainfall rate, the difference being made up by inflow from various seasonal streams and sodorous springs along the base of the escarpment.


The areas around Lake Natron contain some of the most amazing scenery in Africa. The combination of broad open plains, sheer rift escarpments, enormous freestanding volcanoes and the vast multi-coloured soda lake itself is utterly breathtaking.