Young Mr Kudu

Second largest of the Southern African antelope behind the eland, the full grown kudu bulls have magnificent triple spiralled horns. This youngster would have been around three to four years and at this point his horns weren't quite sufficiently developed to overshadow the huge ears which are another distinguishing feature of the species. Kudu live in the forest and thick bush where line of sight is limited and thus rely on their excellent hearing to alert them to danger.

This shot was taken on my first trip with Shakabarker Tours on the Eastern Shores section of the iSimangaliso Wetlands Park, South Africa's first World Heritage Conservation Site.