KOPJES IN SERENGETI

Kopjes are very different from the surrounding landscape in serengeti and are referred to as islands in a sea of a grass.
They provide among other things, protection from grass-fires, more water in the ground around them, holes, cracks and caves for animals, and a vantage point for predators of all kinds.
Hundreds of species of plants grow on kopjes, but not into the surrounding grasslands. There are many animal species that only live in kopjes because of the special plants that grow there and because of the special rocky habitats and hiding places they offer. These animals range from insects, lizards and snakes, to mammals such as shrews and mice, up to large specialist mammals, such as lions. Lions regularly hide their cubs on kopjes, as do cheetahs.

An interesting mammal exclusive to the kopjes is the rock hyrax, or pimbi in Kiswahili. Hyraxes, which about in size and shape of a rugby ball are herbivores that eat grass and shrubs around the kopjes. Their piercing call echoes out at night, and their habit using common toilet sites stains the granite white with built-up uric acid. Hyraxes have the startling habit of leaping from tall trees or off rocks as high as 4m and running away on their short legs when they feel threatened.

If you are lucky, you might see the shy klipspringer, a small antelope, with dainty hooves perched high on a kopje in the northern areas of the park. These same high points are used by predators to survey the area around them, or just to have a nap in the sun. Kopjes are one of the best places to see lions and occasionally cheetah or leopard.