Kruger Park by Night
There is more action at night in Kruger than during the day. Hunters take advantage of the cover of darkness to stalk their prey, while grazers and browsers often feed actively at night because they experience less energy loss than during the day.
Above: Terminalia at Dawn
Late Afternoon
Lions become restless; mothers play with cubs; pride energy levels rise in preparation for the night hunt; hyaenas emerge from their lairs; leopard get up from their day's rest; cheetah often hunt; wild dogs very active; impala move to the most open terrain around them; warthogs head for their burrows; baboons go to their roosts for the night; zebras seek a sleeping spot with minimal risk of ambush; rhinos become more active.
Evening
Lion and leopards begin hunting; hyaena hunt or scavenge; caracal are at their most active; cheetah settle down for the night; hippos emerge from rivers, often walking several kilometres away from water to graze, giraffe settle down to ruminate; impala rest as far from thick bush as possible; many antelope continue feeding; zebras settle down to sleep with one staying awake to watch out for predators; elephants browse; genets and civets do most of their hunting before midnight.
Late Night
Lion and hyaena hunt; cheetah and wild dogs usually asleep; impala get up for a late-night feed; bushbabies very noisy, zebra sleep; elephant often sleep at this time, sometimes standing up; lots of animals often feed, including buffalo, wildebeest and kudu.
Pre-Dawn
Lions often seen drinking at water holes or feeding on a kill; hyaena scavenge; prime hunting time for wild dog; cheetah - the most diurnal of the cats - get up to hunt; active time for serval which are also diurnal; impala rest.
Daybreak
Lions feed on the night's kill; hyaenas return to their dens; leopard often active for the first few hours of daylight before finding a good branch to rest on; impala feel safe enough to move back into wooded areas; hippos return to rivers to socialise and digest the night's food; cheetah hunt before the day's heat sets in; baboons wake up late.
