EANHS BULLETIN

Volume 30. no. 1 • June 2000

SSN 0374-7387

II

THE EAST AFRICA
NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEES

NATURE KENYA
Chairman: Dr L A. Bennun

Vice-Chairman: Dr T. Aloo

Hon. Secretary: Ms F Ng'weno
Hon. Treasurer:

Hon. Editor: Ms L A Depew

Hon Librarian Dr D Nightingale
Executive Committee Dr T
Butynski. Mr B. Bytcbier. Ms
B Gemmill, Dr J Koske. Dr
N Oguge. Mrs J. Rudnai
Co-opted & Ex Officio members:
Dr R. Baginc. Mrs. A Birme.
Ms M Dodds, Ms. C.
Ngarachu. Ms S. Rajani MrJ.
Stanning, Mr S. Turner. Mr P.
Adolwa

Patron: Mr John Karmali
Journal Editorial Sub-committee:
Ms L A. Depew (Editor). Dr T
Butynski. Dr D. Nightingale
Joint Library Sub-committce
DrT. Butynski. Dr D. Nightingale.
Bird Committee: Mr F. Ng'weno
(Chariman). Dr L. Bennun (Sec-
retary). MrJ. Oyugi (Treasurer)
Succulcnta Sub-committee:

Prof. L. Newton (Chairman)
Mammals Sub-committee: Dr N
Ogugi (Convenor)

Nest Records Scheme Organiser:
Mr J.O. Oyugi

Ringing Organiser: Mr G.C
Backhurst

Projects: FONA. Kipcpeo Project.
Friends of City Park

NATURE UGANDA
Hon Chariman: Dr P M B Kasoma
Hon Vice-Chairman: Mr R,
Kityo

Hon. Secretary: Dr D. Baranga
Hon Treasurer: Mr P. Mafabi
Publicity Secretary: Mr H.
Tushabe

Executive Committee Mr J.
Bunny. Ms. N Mutekanga,
Prof. D Pomeroy
Sub-committee convenors
BirdLife Uganda
Mr A. Muhwezi
Uganda Wetlands Working Group:

Mr T Otim
Plants Working Group:

Mr J Tabuti
Hcrps Working Group.

Mr M Behangana
Executive Officer & Editor:

Mr J Arinaitwc
Deputy Executive Officer:

Mr A Byaruhanga
Events Officer

Ms Maria Nakabito
Conservation Officer:

Mr Ambrose Mugisha

June, 2000

!

SHALLOW WATER FISHES OF THE EAST (INDIAN OCEAN) AND
NORTH EAST (GULF OF ADEN) COAST OF SOMALIA

B.Q. Mann & P.J. Fielding
Oceanographic Research Institute
P O Box 10712. Marine Parade 4056. Durban. South Africa

Although by no means an author it alive
work, this checklist describes some of
the inshore marine fish species found
along the east and north-east coasts
of Somalia, and is therefore a useful
addition to marine faunal surveys in
an area which has been relatively
poorly studied. A total of 96 species
from 46 families was recorded in the
Indian Ocean between Bannadohe and
Dudura. while 34 species belonging to
17 families were recorded during a
single dive in the Gulf of Aden, near
Bosaso. This paper provides
verification of the distributions of some
of the fish species compiled from the
literature by Sommer et al. (1996) as
well as a number of new fish
distribution records.

INTRODUCTION

The Somali maritime zone is one of
the largest in the western Indian Ocean
and has one of the most important large
marine ecosystems (the Somali Current
Marine Ecosystem) in the Indian
Ocean. A feature of this ecosystem is
the seasonal upwelling and consequent
high productivity resulting from the
Somali Current. The coastline is
approximately 3.300 km long and is
divided into two major coastal areas.

The north coast is bordered by the Gulf
of Aden and is about 1.300 km. while
the 2.000 km east coast forms the
western edge of the Indian Ocean. The
continental shelf is relatively narrow
in most places and rarely exceeds 15
km in width although it extends to 80
km offshore in the north-east region
around Haafun Along the east coast,
the south-west monsoon occurs from
May to August, and the strong winds
generate a fast flowing current which
travels in a north-easterly direction
during this period. As the surface
current approaches the Horn of Africa,
it deviates away from the coast, and
the water in the coastal zone is replaced
by cold, nutrient rich, up-welled water,
which results in high productivity in
the area. During the north-cast
monsoon (Dccembcr-February).
current reversal takes place, but the
south-westerly current is not as strong
as the north-easterly current, and no
upwelling takes place (Sommer et al.
1996, Baars et al. 1998). During the
inter-monsoon periods (October-
November and March-April). the
winds arc relatively light and the seas
settled.

Little biological or ecological work
has been done in recent times along
the Somali coast because of the civil
war that raged during the early 1990s

:

EANHS Bulletin 30(1)

and the subsequent political instability
ol the country. Bock (1996) has
provided a checklist of coral reel fish
from the Diani and Galu lagoons in
Kenya to the south, and a recent
checklist of fish species captured by
trawlers operating between 20 m and
300 m depth in the Gulf of Aden and
Arabian Sea has been provided by
al Sakaff and Essccn (1999). However,
fish species occurring in the cooler,
upwclling. phytoplankton rich waters
of the Somalia coast are likely to differ
considerably from those of the tropical,
nutrient poor waters of the Kenyan
coast to the south and the Red Sea to
the north. Furthermore, many inshore
species do not occur in the deeper
waters frequented by trawlers. The
most recent information on the marine
biota of the Somalia region is a
checklist of living marine resources
compiled from the literature by
Sommer et al. (1996). The authors
state that the list is not comprehensive
as it was not possible to travel to
Somalia to sample fish in the field.

During the course of a recent
lobster survey conducted along the east
coast of Somalia (Fielding and Mann,
1999). considerable diving work was
undertaken (both SCUBA and snorkel
diving) and a number of fishing
villages were visited. All fish observed
by us underwater or captured by
fishermen, were identified and noted
as part of an additional information
gathering exercise. These data arc
presented here and provide some
interesting new fish distribution
records.

METHODS

Nomenclature

Species names used in this checklist
arc taken from Fischer and Bianchi
(1984), Smith and Heemstra (1986).
Debclius (1993) and Sommer el al.
(1996).

Study area

Originally, the lobster survey was
intended to cover the area between
Benda Beyla and Eyl in the western
Indian Ocean (Figure I). On reaching
Dudura 50 km south of Benda Beyla
political problems arose, and on
relocating to Eyl the situation became
life-threatening. The diving team
therefore returned to Benda Beyla and
worked by sea as far north as
Barmadobe The survey thus
eventually covered the area between
Dudura and Barmadobe, a distance of
approximately 133 km (Figure 1).

Sources of fish examined

Dive sites were selected randomly on
the basis of boat travelling time and
the availability of subtidal reefs. The
diving was done from an open 6.5 m
GRP boat powered by a 1 5 hp outboard
motor Altogether, 35 sites between
Barmadobe and Dudura were dived to
assess lobster densities. Almost all
these sites were situated close inshore
on shallow rocky reefs 2-6 m deep.
Extensive efforts were made to locate
deeper reefs with an echo sounder, but
with limited success, and there
appeared to be little local knowledge
of deeper reefs However, three dives
were made north of Barmadobe. on

June. 2000

3

EquatO'

KKrajyo

ETHIOPIA

Mogadiih

KENYA

Figure 1 Map of Somalia showing study area in Western Indian Ocean

reefs further offshore at depths of 8-
14 m. All dives were of 30 minutes
duration A single snorkel dive at 4-6
m depth and lasting approximately one
hour was made on a coral reef just
north of Bosaso in the Gulf of Aden.
During the course of a dive, one diver
would swim transects, counting
lobsters and the other diver would
range freely capturing lobsters All fish
observed during the course of a dive
were noted on underwater slates and
identified using Dcbelius (1993).

Sommer ct af : '{ 1 996) and Richmoi
(1997). At every fishing
visited, fish discarded on the beach
(mostly originating from the by-catch
of lobster tangle nets) were identified,
as were the elasmobranch species that
were being salted and dried for later
sale. At Eyl, a line fishery for reef fish
has started recently and fish present at
the cleaning tables were identified.
Local fishing boats encountered at sea
were also visited to identity fish species
captured, and the diving team trolled

4

EANHS Bulletin 30(1)

Fishing lures cn route between dive
sites.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

A total of 96 species from 46 families
were identified between Barmadobc
and Dudura (Table 1). As water
visibility was extremely poor (seldom
more than 3 m) it was sometimes not
possible to be completely certain of
species identification in genera where
there are species with similar
morphological appearances. Where
such uncertainty occurred, the given
species is indicated by a question mark
in Table 1. Based on the distributions
given by Fischer and Bianchi (1984)
and Sommer ei al. (1996), a number
of new distribution records were noted:

1 Argyrosomus japomeus
A shoal of large Argyrosomus sp.
(- 10 kg per fish) were observed in
Shallow water near Kulule.
Unfortunately the external morphology
of A. japonic us. A. hololepidotus and
A thorpei is very similar (Griffiths and
Heemstra. 1995) so it was not possible
for the authors to distinguish which
species was seen. However,
considering the large size of the
specimens observed and their
occurrence in shallow, turbid water,
they were most probably A . japonicus,
as this is the preferred habitat of this
species (Griffiths and Heemstra.
1995). Nevertheless, none of the above
three species have been recorded in the
Indian Ocean off Somalia or in the Gulf
of Aden (Druzhinin and Filatova.

1979; Fischer and Bianchi. 1984;
Sommer ei al. 1996). This therefore
represents a new distribution record.
A fourth possibility is that the fish
observed may have been A. regius but
this species has so far not been
recorded south of the Red Sea (Fischer
and Bianchi. 1984).

2 Diplodus sargus

A shoal of juvenile D. sargus ( < 100
mm TL) was observed in shallow water
near Dudura. It is uncertain whether
the sub-species was D. s. capensis or
D. s. koischyi, but based on
considerable experience of the former
species (Mann. 1992), the first author
considers D. s. capensis to be the more
likely of the two. However, neither
species has previously been recorded
from the area (Fischer and Bianchi,
1984).

3 Dinoperca petersi

Although suspected to occur in this
region (Sommer el al 1996), this
represents the first verification of the
occurrence of this species in the waters
off the Somalia coast.

4. Caranx sem

Although known to occur throughout
the region (Fischer and Bianchi.
1984), this species was not included
by Sommer el al. (1996) in their
description of the marine resources of
the area

A number of the smaller fish
species belonging to the families
Apogonidae. Chaetodont idae .
Cirrhitidac. Holoccntridae.

June, 2000

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EANHS Bulletin 30(1)

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Thunnus albacaros Yeliowfin luna

SCORPAENIDAE Ptorois miles Devil firefish

SERRANIDAE Cephalopholis sonnerati Tomato rockcod

’Di nope tea petersi Cave bass

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EANHS Bulletin 30(h

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June, 2000

9

Pcmpheridac. Pomaccntridae and
Pseudochromidae are not recorded
by Sommer e/ al. (1996). primarily
because they are noi of importance to
fisheries. As far as the authors arc
aware, this checklist therefore
represents the first record of these
species along the eastern coast of
Somalia (Indian Ocean). Unfortunately
wc were not able to obtain the species
checklist compiled by Muller and
Dumitrcscu (1984) to confirm this.

a single, one hour snorkel dive, 34
species of fish belonging to 17 families
were identified (Table 2). The
abundance of fishes originating from
the Red Sea was clearly evident, and
a number of species which were not
encountered on the Indian Ocean coast
of Somalia were observed.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

While traveling by boat between
dive sites large shoals of pelagic
clupeids were frequently observed near
the surface These shoals of bait fish
were often accompanied by large
predatory game fish such as
Scombcromoms commerson. We were
not able to determine the species of
clupeid. but discussion with Rudy van
der Elst (Oceanographic Research
Institute, pers. comm.) revealed that
he has observed similar shoals of fish
during aerial surveys of the region. He
believed that they were probably the
Indian oil sardine ( Sardinella
longiceps ) However, this needs to be
confirmed.

The reefs dived between
Barmadobe and Dudura
contained very few corals and
were dominated by red algae,
ascidians and sponges. This is
probably because of the high
wave action and turbidity
encountered on the inshore reefs.
However, the reef dived north ol
Bosaso in the Gulf of Aden was
a true fringing coral reef and was
characterized by an exceptional
diversity of coral reef fishes. In

The diving survey along the east coast
of Somalia would not have been
possible without the help of many
people. We would like to thank Alex
Forbes and Tony Pottcrton of the
IUCN. Eastern Africa Regional Office
for coordinating the whole exercise
The staff of Ocean Training
Promotions, namely Abdullahi Daib.
Abdulisac. Mahomed. Mahomud.
Holden. Nur Hagcc. Chino and the
others in the team, took care of
logistics and looked after us
exceptionally well under difficult
circumstances. Finally we must thank
all the village ciders, villagers,
fishermen and traders who extended

Sergion fish Acanthuris sp.

Table 2. List of species observed on a coral reef just north of Bosaso. Somalia, dunng a one hour snorkel dive in No
1998 (species marked v/ith an astenx were not observed dunng the diving survey in the Indian Ocean)

10

EASHS Bulletin 30< I >

June. 2000

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EANHS Bulletin 30( I )

their hospitality to us in the field and

provided us with information

REFERENCES

al Sakaat. H & M Essen < I999>
Occurrence and distribution of
fish species oil Yemen (Gull ol
Aden and Arabian Sea) NAG A.
Vie ICLARM Quarterly. 22(1)
43-47.

Baars. M.A.. P.H. Schalk. & M.J.W
Veldhuis (1998). Seasonal fluc-
tuations in plankton biomass and
productivity in the ecosystems ol
the Somali Current. Gull of
Aden, and Southern Red Sea. In
Large Marine Ecosystems of the
Indian Ocean : Assessment.
Sustainability and Management
K Sherman. E.N. Okcmwa. &
M J. Ntiba (Eds.). Blackwell
Science. 143-175

Bock. K R. (1996). Checklist of reef
fishes of Diam and Galu. Kenya
Journal oj the East African
Natural History- 85(1/2): 5-21

Dcbclius. H (1993). Indian Ocean
Tropical Fish Guide. Aquaprint
Publishers. Frankfurt. 321 pp.

Druzhinin. A.D. & N.A. Filatova
(1979). Some data on croakers
(Family Sciaemdae) of the Gull
of Aden Journal of Ichthyology
19(3): 149-151.

Fielding. P J. & B Q. Mann (1999)
The Somalia inshore lobster
resource. A survey of the lobster
fisher)’ of the north-eastern region
(Puntland) between Foar and Eyl

during November 1998 Oceano-
graphic Research Institute
Unpublished Report 160 1-26.

Fisher. W. G Bianchi ( 1984). FAO
species identification sheets for
fishers purposes. Western Indian
Ocean (Fishing Areas 511.
Prepared and printed with the
support ol the Danish
International Development
Agency (DAN I DA) FAO.
Rome, vols 1-6.

Griffiths. M.H & P C. Heemstra
(1995). A contribution to the
taxonomy of the marine fish genus
Argyrosomus (Perci formes:
Sciaemdae), with descriptions of
two new species from southern
Africa Ichthyological Bulletin J.
L. B Smith Institute of
Ichthyology. 65: 1-40

Mann. B.Q (1992). Aspects of the
biology ol two inshore sparid
fishes ( Diplodus sargus capensis
and Diplodus cervinus hottentotus)
off the south-east coast of South
Africa Unpublished MSc thesis.
Rhodes University. Grahams-
town. South Africa.

Muller. G I & V. Dumitrcscu (1984).
Composition and structure of fish
communities in coastal waters of
northern and northeastern
Somalia Cercetan Marine/
Recherches Marines. Constanta
17 177-203

Richmond. M D (1997). A guide to
the seashores of Eastern Africa
and the Western Indian Ocean
Islands. Sida. Department for
Research Cooperation. SAREC.

13

June, 2000

Smith. M M. & P C. Hecmstra(l986).
Smiths Sea Fishes. Macmillan
Publishers. Johannesburg
Sommer. C.. W Schneider & J M.
Pouticrs (1996). FAO species

identification guide for fishery
purposes. The living marine
resources of Somalia. Food and
Agricultural Organisation of the
United Nations. Rome: 1*376.

VOCALISATION IN THE SOUTHERN TREE HYRAX
DENDROHYRAX ARBOREUS

Judith Rudnai & Pat Frere

do United Kenya Club
P.O. Box 42220. Nairobi. Kenya

INTRODUCTION

The southern tree hyrax Dendrohyrax
arbor eus (figure 1 ) is a small (1.5-
3.00 kg) ungulate of the
Order Hyracoidca Family
Procavidac. The genus
Dendrohyrax. the tree
hyraxes, is restricted to
Africa There are three
species: the western tree
hyrax D dorsalis is found in
West and Central Africa as
far East as Uganda, the
southern tree hyrax D.
arboreus occurs from eastern
Democratic Republic of
Congo east and south as far
as the eastern side of southern
Africa as well as in the Cape
Province, and the eastern tree
hyrax D validus occurring
only in eastern Tanzania, the
Coast of Kenya and some
Islands of East Africa
(Bolhma. 1971. Kundacli, Figure 1
1976; Seibt ct al .. 1977), arboreus

Various authors (Milner & Harris.
1999; Richard. 1964; Rahm. 1957;
Jones. 1978; Fey. 1960) mention
vocalisation of both captive and free

Southern tree hyrax Dendrohyrax

14

EANHS Bulletin 30(1)

living hyraxes of various species
While periodicity and seasonality of
the Greai Calls, very loud sounds that
earn to a considerable distance and
arc heard mostly at night, have been
commented on. little is mentioned in
the literature about any of the other
vc cassations presented in this paper

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A small captive population of southern
tree hyraxes was studied between
December 1978 and December 1988
All sounds except the Great Calls were
recorded only from this group; some
Great Calls were also been recorded
Irom free living animals

The group consisted of an adult
male and female and their offspring
of both sexes from six litters

Vocalisations were recorded on
check-sheets a well as on tape-
recorders Some of the latter were
subsequently analysed with
sonograms.

The tree hyraxes spent most of the
time in a wire mesh enclosure 8 m x
3.5 m x 2 4 m high, which was
separated Irom the observation room
by a door and louvre windows. During
observations the door and louvres w ere
usually opened allowing the animals
to explore the observation room.

Night observations were also
conducted, especially when new-born
were present. At other times the Great
Calls were heard in the nearby house
at night and recorded, although without
knowing who the caller was.

Some Great Calls Irom Irec living

hyraxes around .i house in the Nairobi
suburb of Langaia were recorded
during mans nights by one of us (P.F ).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Altogether twenty-eight different
sounds were noted, of which five were
non-vocally produced. The one most
often mentioned m the literature is the
Great Call It is evident when
comparing tape recordings ot Great
Calls of the western tree hyrax w ith
those of the eastern tree hyrax of this
study, that these calls differ between
species

Most other sounds reported here
can only be heard Irom close-up and
thus were not recorded by previous
observers ol wild populations.

The Great Call

The Great Call of the southern tree
hyrax consists of two distinctly
different sounds Initially there is a
croak (winding up) averaging 4
(maximum 16) repetitions, followed by
a very loud penetrating scream
averaging 7 8 (maximum 15) repeats.
II an individual engaged in several
bouts of screaming, the first call was
always preceded by a higher number
of croaks than the subsequent calls.

Examining the average and
maximum number of both kinds of
sounds, individual differences can be
observed which, together with other
characteristics ot the sound make it
probable that the animals recognise the
individuals calling

This study has definitely

June. 2000

15

established that both sexes produce the
Great Call and also the circumstances
under which they arc made

The adult female had been caught
a year before the male and during this
period when no male was present she
had called at intervals of 20-30 days
for periods of 2-3 days. This is similar
to the periodicity of observed bouts ot
copulation at 2-3 week intervals. She
was last heard to call on 16 December.
1979; the adult male joined her on
19 December For the next ten years
she was never known to call again
Captive female jaguars and leopards
have also been known to call only when
no male is present (G. Peters, pers. comm )

While, lor the female, the call has
to be seen in a sexual context, for the
male it seems to have mostly territorial
significance as also observed by
Richard (1964) The male first called
8 months after arrival and then in
response to the taped cal) of the female.
For the first several months he seemed
under severe stress. Subsequently he
reacted to taped calls of any hyrax by
showing great excitement and himself
calling.

When examining the periodicity of
the male’s call it became evident that
it was also connected with breeding
activity Sixty percent of copulation
periods coincided wiih his most active
calling periods. This may be because
of heightened territoriality during
breeding activity.

Young males first called at sexual
maturity aged 20-30 months.

Although the female called almost
exclusively by day (50 out of 53 calls)
all other animals called almost only at

night.

In the wild this call is mostly heard
by night, although there arc reports
from many areas ot daytime calls In
one instance free living hyraxes always
called in response to passing trains
whistling at midday in the Muguga
area (John Gulhrie, pers com ).

The calls are not evenly distributed
during the night and certain peak times
are evident. In the present study, in
the captive animals, two peaks
occurred during the night, first
between 2! 00-23:00 hrs and again
between 2:00-5:00 hrs (Figure 2)
Similar peaks were found in the free
living hyrax in Langata.

Various authors report similar
periods of calling in the wild, i.e.
20:00-23:00 hrs (Rohm. 1957). 20 00-
23:00 hrs and 3:00-5:00 hrs (Kingdom
1974). 21:00-22 30 hrs and 2:00-3.00
hrs (Fey. I960).

Except in the case of the adult
female, members of the captive colony
called more when the light was on in
the hyrax cage and during moonlight
(n=2!4, 68% light. 32% dark) than
when it was dark From the free living
population in Langata. many more
calls were heard during dark than
during moonlit nights (30 as opposed
to 130) This discrepancy between the
free living and captive populations is
unclear

This study cannot answer the
question of seasonal distribution of
calls. However. Milner & Harris
(1999) report that the western tree
hyrax called more during the dry than
the wet season, while a report from
Nanyuki in Kenya indicated more calls

16

EANHS Bulletin 30(1)

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v? # $ * S? # # #

jP JP' jP SP* jP 1 J^JP^

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timo of day

Figure 2 Temporal distribution of Great Calls of captive Denarohyrax arboreus.

during the rains (Mrs Jacobson, pers.
com ) Richard (1964) and Kingdon
(1974) also heard more calls during the
dry season

Other sounds

While the Great Call is the best known,
there is a large number and variety ot
other sounds produced by the hyrax in
this study.

Contact sounds or those with an

unknown stimulus

Glucksing

This is a soft ticking made when
exploring new objects, soliciting
offered foods, and upon entering the
observation room. It was produced
most commonly by the aduli female .
especially when accompanied by
young. It was rarely made by the male

and only after he had been in captivity
for some months The young make it
early, but rarely Perhaps it is for
reassurance

A forming

A single low murmur, it is only made
by the adult male, either when
approaching the female luring
courtship, or in response to a plane
flying overhead. The mouth is slightly
open, head slightly raised and Hanks
heaving.

Soft twitter

This is a succession of soft tremulous
sounds uttered hv juveniles when
approaching or being approached by
others. The young make it when
soliciting suckling The upper lip is
lifted, the mouth closed and the lips

June, 2CC0

17

quivering Die female’s response is to
become alert and approach.

Wail

This is a plaintive sounding soft cry
made by the adult female during
oestrous She makes it when
approaching the courting male and
when at the latrine during the courting
period and after copulation It is made
with the mouth slightly open and head
thrust forward

Gurring

An often repeated single sound (every
15 sec. to two nun.), it was made only
by two adult females. It was made in
bouts lasting over 15 minutes and
always while resting. It may be the
same sound as “bleating” observed by
Milner & Harris ( 1999 ) It has no
apparent stimulus

Anticipatory or sucking grunt
A low gruff sound, it is uttered by the
male or female when approaching each
other during courtship, investigating
a new object, and by the mother while
young are suckling. It is also made
when anticipating offered food When
uttered by mother suckling young it
starts 10 sec. 3ftcr the beginning of
suckling. The flanks heave with each
sound and the body rocks forward and
backward.

Agonistic, alarm, tension or protest

sounds

Scream-yelp

This sound is a raucous, harsh cry
uttered by females protesting
attempted mounting by the male, or

when held in the hand It is apparently
a startle response.

Quack

A sound like that made by a duck, this
is made when one animal is being
approached by another. It may be
protest, startle or a defensive threat

Creak

A sound like an unoiled hinge, it is
made in moments of uncertainty, as a
protest or a slight threat.

Hanh m iner

This is like the soft twitter, but harsher.
It is produced by juveniles when they
move towards another animal or are
approached by another. It causes the
mother, or other animals, to become
alert. It’s sonographic similarity to the
screech indicates that it later develops
into this call.

Bark

A single sound, it is repeated no more
than tw ice and is in response to seeing
a dog or a cat. It is a startle response
and the animals become alert.

Screech

This is a harsh, loud, high-pitched
sound, repealed several times, usually
by a juvenile male during an aggressive
interaction, in response to another
animal’s screech, or by a female
inspecting the primary home after
anothet animal has visited it. Usually
the animal screeching shows a high
degree of excitement and rushes
around. The response is alertness;
juveniles approach the one making the

18

EASHS Bulletin 30(1)

sound, males make a tick sound. It is
made with the mouth wide open, lips
and tongue vibrating.

Tick, click

An apparent warning or alarm sound,
it is a slight, repeated click given upon
seeing a cat. dog or hearing a bird’s
alarm call or taped great call Other
animals become alert or bolt. The
sound is made with the nostrils flared,
mouth closed and throat throbbing. 1
click per three seconds. The animals
can eat and lick at the same time

Bleat

Similar to a sheep's call, this sound is
made during aggression or when an
animal is frustrated. It results in the
retreat of the other animal It is made
with an open mouth.

Khan!

This is an explosive cough, made when
startled or cornered It was heard when
escaping from a trap as the door was closed

Snort

Like a horse's snort, it is made during
aggressive or defensive threat, is a
startle response, or a protest. It is made
by forcing air through the nose. It was
made when escaping being caught.

Blowing

This is made by exhaling air with the
mouth slightly open. It is made during
aggressive interactions or tense
situations, mostly by the male

After excitement yelp
A frequently repeated loud cry, it is

made after aggressive interaction, after
the yelper or other individual has
screeched It is done by only the two
aduli females and one sub-adult male.
The animal is stationary, the mouth
slightly open and the body convulsing
as if huxupmg

Tooth grind

This is produced mostly by the adult
male in moments of tension.

Ltpsmark

Produced mostly by the adult male, it
is done during aggressive interactions,
as a reaction to taped screams, or at
seeing a dog or cat. The tongue flicks
in and out ai the same time as the lips
smack.

Mouthsnap

Again produced mostly by the adult
male, it is done during aggressive
interactions, moments of tension or
uncertainty, or as a reaction to bird
alarm calls Often the white hair
around the inid dorsal gland is erected,
indicating tension or excitement. Only
the lips are involved and the sound is
produced 1-2 tunes per second

Squawk

This harsh sound like that of geese, is
made with the lips retracted It is
mostly defensive, but is produced
while moving towards another animal
in an aggressive manner. The other
animal usually turns away and departs.

Growl

This rumbling sound may be combined
with a quack and is made when staring

June. 2000

19

ai a snake, defending iood. or during
physical aggression and may cause the
other animal to turn away It is made
with a closed mouth.

yjzz

Repeated every I -3 seconds for several
minutes, it is made when watching a
cat approach, as a startle response or
when alarmed Other animals seek
shelter.

Croak

Sounds like a trog. or the winding-up
part of the great call and is made during
moments of tension, protest, when a
cat is near or when being caught It
may be produced when eating Adult
females may nuke it in response to
young's twitter

Nyam-nyam

Tins is a protest by the female w hen
the male tries to mount

Single scream

This is a single, harsh sound made by
the adult female as a male tries to
mount, or when chasing an adult male
and trying to bite him The male's
response is to tlee

As can be seen from above, the
majority of sounds heard in this study
occurred in the context of tension or
stress. This is consistent with the
observed predominance of non-
friendly interactions among these
captive animals. Although there is no
consensus on the social organisation
of tree hvraxes. it is conjectured that
they live, in contrast to the other genera
in their order, a predominantly solitary

existence, congregating in small family
groups only at certain times of year
(Fey, I960; Rahm. 1957).

Illustration by L A Depew from
Jour an! nj East African Natural
Hi st on 83:1.

References

Bothma, J du P (1971) Order
Hyracoidea. In Meester ct ai.
(eds). The Mammals of Africa. An
Identification Manual. Smithsonian
Institute Press. Wash. D.D

Fey, V. (I960). A note on the
behaviour of tree hyrax. Journal
of the East Africa Natural History
Society 23(103): 244-246

Jones. C. (1978). Dendrohyrax
dorsalis Mammalian Species
113:1-4.

Kingdon. J (1974J. East African
Mammals. An Atlas of Evolution
in Africa Vol. 1 Academic Press.
London.

Kundacli. J.N. (1976). Distribution of
tree hyrax ( Dendrohyrax validus,
True) on Ml. Kilimanjaro,
Tanzania. East African Wildlife
Journal 14: 253-264.

Milner. J.M & S. Harris (1999).
Activity patterns and feeding
behaviour of the tree hyrax.
Dendrohyrax arboreus. in the Parc
National des Volcans. Rwanda
African Journal of Ecology 17
267-280.

Rahm. IJ. (1957) Der Baum oder
Waldschliefer. Dendrohyrax
arboreus {Fraser). D Zoolog

E.ANHS Bulletin 30(1)

20

Garten (N.F.).

Richard. P B (1964) Notes sur la
biologic du daman des arborcs
( Dendrohyrax dorsalis) Biologica
Gahonica 1 73-84

Scibt. V..H.N. Hoeck. & W. Wicklcr
(1977) Dendrohyrax validus. True
1890. in Kenya Saeugetierkunde
42(H2): 115-118.

LIFE ALL AROUND US: A NEW SERIES

BY FLEUR NG’WENO

CORALS AND JELLYFISH: BUILDERS AND STINGERS

Cnidarians built the shoreline of

East Africa: Millions and millions of
tiny coral animals made the coral reef
A coral reef protects the shore,
breaking the force of the waves. The
living reef is like a garden under the
sea. full of fishes and other marine life.
Ancient reefs became our present
shore, and old coral is used as building
stones, ami to manufacture cement

Cnidarians are invertebrates—

animals without backbones Cnidarians
include the corals, sea anemones,
jellyfish and hydroids. They are named
after their stinging capsules, cnidae,
and were formerly known as
Coclcnteratcs. A entdarian animal that
lives fixed in one place is called a
polyp, and one that looks and swims
like a jellyfish is called a medusa.

Cnidarians look like flowers, but

they arc animals. Corals and sea
anemones have a tube- shaped body
One end of the tube is attached to a
solid surface. The other end is ringed
with tentacles, which look like flower

petals Sea anemones were named after
a flower, the anemone of Europe.

Cnidarians live in the sea and a

few in fresh water. Corals and sea
anemones usually live near the shore.
You can see them if you walk out on
rocky areas of the seacoast at low tide.
Most corals live in tropical seas,
around islands and on the eastern
shores of continents. They need warm,
clear water and plenty of sunlight Sea
anemones live on cold or warm
seashores, all over the world. Most
jellyfish are animals of the open ocean,
floating on or near the surface of the
sea Sometimes a storm washes
hundreds of jellyfish onto the beach
Hydras and hydroids are small
cnidarians that live in fresh or salt
water.

Cnidarians are soft-bodied They
have simple bodies made of two layers
o! cells Inside the body tube is a mouth
and digestive system. Some jellyfish
have large amounts of a substance like
jelly between the body layers. This

June. 20CC

21

The coral world.

gives them large, soft bodies Coral
polyps take minerals from seawater
and build a hard, stony wall around
themselves. The hard wall protects
their soft bodies, and the mass of these
walls forms the coral reef

Cnidarians have stinging
capsules That is how they catch their
food. The tentacles around the mouth
are usually full of stinging capsules.
In the capsule is a thin rnl!cd-up tube
which carries poison These tubes also
have sharp piercing points. When a
passing small animal touches the
stinging capsule, it bursts open The
capsule shoots out the tube; the sharp
points pierce the prey animal; and
poison is injected through the tube The
poison may stun, kill or paralyse the
prey. Other capsules send out a fine,
sticky thread that entangles the prey

animal

Cnidarian stings are seldom
dangerous to people. Most
cnidarians catch tiny pa'y. When we
touch them, we usually do not feel their
stings If you run your hand over a sea
anemone's tentacles, you will get a
tingling feeling Its poison is not strong
enough to hurt you. A few jellyfish,
however, have tentacles with poison
that is painful to people Usually, these
jellyfish live in the open sea, far off
the coast of Kenya; but sometimes a
storm blows them to shore. Watch out
for any jellyfish with long, purple
tentacles.

Cnidarians are food for many
marine animals. Parrotfish grazing on
coral polyps leave scrape marks on the
hard coral. Huge leatherback turtles

22

EANHS Bulletin 30(1)

feed mainly on jellyfish. Sea slugs,
which are marine molluscs, cat sea
anemones. The anemones' stinging
capsules remain active, and
become part of the sea slug's own
defences.

Cnidarians may have algae in their
tissues. Algae arc living things like
plants: In sunlight, they use water,
minerals and carbon dioxide to make
food. Some algae arc large, but the
ones living in corals and other
cnidarians arc very small One alga
may be just one single cell. Most coral
polyps have single-celled algae in their
bodies. In clear, shallow tropical seas,
there is enough sunlight for algae to
do their work of making food The
coral polyp eats food made by the
algae, and the algae are protected by
being inside the coral. Single-celled
algae give some living corals and sea
anemones a brilliant colour. There
may be up to 30,000 single-celled
algae in one cubic millimetre of
polyp! The algae also help coral
polyps to produce calcium carbonate
to build ihcir stony walls.

Cnidarians may grow big. Some
of the jellyfish that live in cold waters
may be three metres across. Their
tentacles are more than 30 metres long
They are among the largest of all
invertebrates.

Cnidarians may live long. One sea

anemone was kept in an aquarium in
California. USA. for 70 years A fresh-
water hydra, however, lives for just
one season.

Cnidarians live as individuals or
groups. A coral polyp usually builds
a separate stony cup around itself. The
‘mushroom coral’ is a large polyp that
lives alone in its mushroom-shaped
tup. Other coral polyps build their
stony walls dose together, forming a
colony The whole colony has a
particular shape, such as plate coral
In a brain coral colony, there are
grooves on the coral mass, instead ot
individual cups The bodies of several
coral polyps are together in the same
groove. Some jellyfish are really many
animals grouped together into what
looks like one jellyfish.

Cnidarians reproduce in two
ways. A polyp may form a bud which
breaks off as a new polyp This is
called asexual reproduction. A coral
colony grows by budding Coral polyps
also shed sperm into the sea. Some
sperms land on polyps containing eggs,
and fertilise the eggs. Each fertilised
egg becomes a free-floating larva. The
larva later lands on a surface, becomes
fixed, and begins to grow into a coral.

Some cnidarians have several life
stages. One stage is a swimming
animal like a jellyfish. This stage,
called the medusa, sheds eggs and
sperms into the sea. An egg is fertilised
by a sperm, and becomes a little larva.
The larva lands on a solid surface and
grows into a polyp. The polyp may bud
into other polyps and form a colony.
Eventually, little medusae bud off from
the polyp or colony. They break off.
swim away, and the cycle begins
again. Corals do not have a medusa

June, JCOO

23

stage. and many jellyfish
do iioi have a polvp
stage

JELLYFISH

Two-thirds ot ihe Earth's
surface is covered by
oceans, and all over the
oceans there are
jellyfish A jellyfish is
usually shaped like a
bell, or an overturned
bowl. Between the outer
and inner layers of cells there may be
a layer of thick, clear jelly The
jellyfish's mouth is inside the 'bell*
Jellyfish swim by contracting and
relaxing their bodies, or they simply
float Jellyfish feed on small animals
in the open sea They catch their prey
with stinging capsules. A few jellyfish
have tiny algae in the tissues around
their mouth They tloai upside-down,
so the algae get plenty of sunlight to
make food.

Moon jellyfish

producing) Scientists place Comb
Jellies m a separate group, the
Phylum Ctenophora

HYDROZOANS

These cmdarians all have stinging
capsules, which they use for feeding
and defense Most hydrozoans arc
colonial many individuals living
together, and acting like one organism.

Moon jellyfish Aurelia aurita

Moon jellyfish are tound in all seas
They are about the size and shape of
an orange cut in half, hut clear and
almost colourless From a boat, you
may see thousands of moon jellyfish
drifting with the currents near the
surface of the sea.

Note: The Comb Jellies are small,
delicate transparent animals They
are abundant in the ocean , from the
surface to great depths Many of
them are luminescent ( light -

By-the-wind-Sailor Velella velella

After a storm, the beach may be
littered with violet discs about the size
of a shilling. On each disc is a small
stiff sail that seems to be made of
plastic. These discs arc the bodies of.
the bv the-wind-sailor. Millions of
Velella float on the surface of warm
seas. They are blown about by the wind
on their stift clear sails. They catch
tiny plankton for food. Plankton is
composed of many small living things
lloating near the surface of the sea.

A Velella is actually a group of

24

EANHS Bulletin 30<1)

animals living and working together
Each animal is called a polyp, and die
group is called a colony The polyps
all share the same food from one
digestive area. Each violet tentacle is
a protective polyp It contains stinging
cells to catch food and protect the
colony. One large feeding polyp is
shaped like a mouth Other polyps arc
reproductive polyps; they bud of tiny
medusae which will grow into new
Velella colonies. This strange
arrangement is a little like a termite
colony Termites have workers,
soldiers, and reproductive adults, all
shoring the same home and food

Porpita

Porpita is another Hat. Boating, violet-
coloured hydrozoan of the ocean
surface that may be washed to shore

Fire Coral

Fire coral ( Millepora spp.) colonies
look like underwater ferns or
branching corals. There is a big
difference, however: fire corals sting!
The stings are painful but not usually
dangerous.

Portuguese Man-of-War

Sometimes a storm at sea blows
Portuguese men-of-war ( Physalia
phy sails) to the beach. They look like
tiny polythene bags full of air. with
trailing violet threads. Each of them
is a hydrozoan colony

Out on the open ocean some
Portuguese men-of-war grow large
The gas- filled Boat may be up to 30
centimetres long, and tinged with blue
red or purple colours. Under the Boat

are feeding, stinging and reproductive
polyps The stinging polyps become
tentacles up to fifteen metres long
To British sailors of long ago. the
bright Boats looked like the sails of
Portuguese warships. A warship was
called a "man of war", sometimes said
"man o' war" The animals Boated in
the same waters that the Portuguese
ships explored.

The violet tentacles of Portuguese
men-of-war have powerful stinging
cells. The long tentacles stun and catch
fish and other animals that swim past
them They can also sting people
severely. Even a small man-of-war can
give you a painful sting If you get
stung, get out of the water. Do not
wash with fresh water, as fresh water
triggers the stinging capsules! Rub
alcohol on the stings. The stings may
leave scars for several days, but they
will eventually lade.

Hydra

In tresh water, tiny hydra live attached
to rocks and plants. Each hydra is a
separate animal, about one centimetre
long. Ii has a cylindrical body and
about six long tentacles. The hydra can

June, 2000

25

Hydroid colony (enlarged)

pull back its tentacles and conlraci
inio a little lump.

Hydras feed on fresh water
plankton animals. They catch their
prey with the stinging capsules and
thread capsules in their tentacles.
Hydras can glide from place to place,
and also move by turning over and
over.

Other Hydroids

On the coral reef, many living things
live on top of other living things.
Look closely at a blade of sea grass,
a bunch of seaweed, or a mass of
coral. You may see a delicate white
growth, like a tiny branching plant.

It is one of the hydroid. a colony of I
animals, related to Velella.

There are many polyps living
together in each little hydroid. The
polyps feed on plankton, tiny living
things that float in the sea. A hydroid
colony grows by budding new polyps.
At certain times, the hydroid also
forms reproductive polyps. They
produce tiny jellyfish-like medusae
Some of the small medusae are
males, and others arc females. They
shed their eggs and sperms into the sea.
A sperm fertilises an egg. and the egg
grows into a larva. The larva swims
for a while, then settles down on a
surface. It becomes attached, develops
tentacles, and buds off new polyps to
form a hydroid colony.

SEA ANEMONES

Sea Anemones are animals that look
like flowers. They live in the sea, all

over the world.

At low tide along rocky shores,
look in cracks, or hollows called
tidepools Small green anemones like
little flowers often live along cracks
in rocks, or the edge of tidepools. You
may even find a small pink anemone
growing on the shell of a crab or
mollusc!

Sea anemones have a tube-shaped
body. It is soft but tough. like rubber.
The sea anemone clings to a surface at
one end. On the other end is an opening
called a mouth.

A sea anemone’s mouth is
surrounded by a ring of tentacles. The
tentacles have stinging capsules and
sticky thread capsules to stun and
entangle small fish and other prey.
When they sense danger, sea anemones
can pull their tentacles back inside their
bodies.

26

EANHS Bulletin 30(1)

Sea anomono

On sandy beaches near the low tide
mark you may find a large sea
anemone. It is as big as a cabbage, but
llatter in shape Its central mouth is
surrounded by hundreds of short
tentacles Stings from the tentacles will
not hurt you. but can stun a little fish

Look carefully at the living
anemone. You may see tiny fish swim
over the tentacles or along the edge of
the anemone. Young clownfish and
domino fish live in association with
the anemone. Some of the stinging
capsules stick to them; the anemone
recognises them and docs not sting
them again. When they sense danger,
the fish rush to hide in or under the
big anemone.

Other small fish that swim by.
however, arc stung and eaten by the
anemone. The anemone catches them
with its tentacles, like a spider catches
Hies in its web.

In the sea. many fish are associated
with bigger creatures. Pilot fish, for
example, follow large sharks or

whales, and eat the
scraps from the
animal's meals.
When two living
things live in an
association which
benefits both sides, it
is called symbiosis.

Algae also live
with the sea
anemone, but they
are hidden within its
tissues. Tiny single-
celled algae give the
anemone its green
colour. As the
anemone lies in shallow water in the
sunlight, the plants inside its tentacles
make food The algae, in turn, arc
protected from danger by living inside
the sea anemone.

A big anemone lives for many
years, even decades! It usually stays
in the same place; but it can move,
slowly, by gliding along the surface.
Some anemones jostle and push each
other for a good site on the coral reef.

SOFT CORALS

Soft corals build colonies that arc
leathery or rubbery rather than stony.
Like the stony corals, they live in the
sea near the shore.

One kind of soft coral looks like a
bunch of pale urcy or pink flowers. It
lives among sea grasses on sandy
bottoms in shallow water between the
reel and shore. Another soft coral looks
like a piece of plastic or rubber lying
on the reef.

June. 2000

27

In deeper waier. there are
soft corals with delicate
branching shapes and bright
colours. Soft coral polyps have
eight fringed tentacles Sea
anemones and stony corals have
many narrow tentacles, usually
in multiples of six.

Organ-pipe and precious
coral

When the polyps of stony corals
die. their stony homes become
white in colour. There are a few
corals, however, which make coloured
structures

Organ-pipe coral i Tubipora
musica) is related to the soft corals.
Its large polyps are brown in colour,
with eight feathery tentacles. A mass
of living organ-pipe seems covered
w ith thick brown fur If you touch the

Organ-pipe coral

polyps, they draw back into their
■homes”.

F.ach polyp lives in a tube, like the
pipes of an organ. The tubes are dark
red in colour, and are connected by
horizontal plates. You may find pieces
of dark red organ-pipe coral washed
up on the beach.

Soft coral

Precious coral lives in the
Mediterranean Sea. Its polyps
build a central core of pink or
red limestone. When the polyps
die. the precious coral is
collected and sold for making
jewelry.

STONY CORALS

The whole length of the Kenya
coast is lined by a coral reef.
The reef is a solid wall, broken
only where rivers and creeks
enter the sea. At low tide the
waves crash on the reef, making
a booming sound.

In some places the shore
slopes directly to th** reef. In

EANHS Bulletin 30(1)

28

Coral polyp begins to buila (much enlarge $

other places the reef is separated from
the shore by an area of water, called
the lagoon

The reef is made by tiny coral
animals. Each coral animal, called a
polyp, is small and soft. But it can take
minerals from sea water and build a
wall around itself Together, millions
and millions of coral polyps build the
massive coral reef.

Each coral polyp is like a little sea
anemone: a tube-shaped body with
tentacles at one end. The base of each
coral polyp is divided into many fine
sections. And all around itself, the
polyp builds walls of lime (calcium
carbonate).

A coral colony begins with a coral
larva from a fertilised egg. The larva
drills in the sea. then lands on a solid
surface From its base, the larva begins
to build a star- shaped stony foundation
It continues to build, making a stony

cup around itself.

The coral animal, now
called a polyp, buds into
more polyps. Each polyp
continues to build,
forming a coral colony.
When polyps die. other
polyps build over and
around them,

There are many kinds
of corals, each building a
different kind of stony
shape Many corals are
rounded masses. Others
are like plates, like
branching horns, or like
mushrooms in shape.

The polyps live in
their stony homes. They
spread their tentacles out over the stony
cups They catch and eat tiny plankton
creatures. When they arc not feeding,
they pull their tentacles back inside
their stony homes.

Some polyps are so small that you
can hardly see them in the stony mass
Other polyps are large, and may be
brightly coloured When they die. you
can see the holes where they lived,
with a starlike pattern on the bottom.

Many coral polyps have single-
celled algae living inside their
tentacles These algae are called
zooxanthellae The tiny algae make
food in sunlight through
photosynthesis. They help to feed the
coral polyps and to give them their
bright colours Scientists think that in
some way the algae also help the corals
to get the calcium carbonate to build
their stony homes.

The coral reef is not smooth. It is

June, 2000

29

full of bumps and hollows, overhangs
and tunnels, caves and hiding places.
A multitude of colourful plants and
animals live on the reef and in its caves
and hollows Reef-building corals help to
create a wonderful world under the sea

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Illustrations from Rainbow magazine
November & December 1989 by Nani
Croze and Arabron Osanya-Nyyneque.

Coral polyp beginning to build,
drawing by Nani Croze, based on a
photo by Robert Sisson in National
Geographic magazine.

An earlier version of this senes of
articles first appeared in Rainbow
magazine

REFERENCES

Brusca, R.C & G.J. Brusca. 1990.
Invertebrates, Sinauer Associates.
Inc. USA.

Buchsbaum, R., 1948, Animals
without Backbones. Penguin
Books.

Richmond. M.D. (ed). 1997. A Guide
to the Seashores of Eastern Africa,
Sida/ Department for Research
Cooperation. SAREC.

Sisson. Robert F.. 1973. Life Cycle
of a Coral, in National Geographic
143(6).

Zim. H.S. & L. Ingle. 1955.
Seashores, Golden Press. New York

Short communications

IT’S GETTING DARK AND WE’VE NOWHERE TO SLEEP

Marlene Reid
Fort Jesus Museum
P.O. Box 82412. Mombasa. Kenya

Bronze Manikin Lonchura cucullata
Kenyan "a common species" accord-
ing to the Bird Atlas of Kenya (Lewis
& Pomeroy), so common in fact that
we often pay no attention to it and
hardly ever see anything w ritten to cel-
ebrate its existence A dismissive

“LBJ" (“little brown job" for those
who don't already know) to most peo-
ple. In Dar es Salaam they used to build
nests in my bathroom louvres and I
paid little attention to them, but since
moving to Tudor. Mombasa. I have
been compelled to take much more

30

EANHS Bullcnn 30( 1 1

notice of them as they try to live on
my verandah and sometimes in my
lounge, almost members of the fam-
ily.

I have now come to the conclusion
that they are absolutely mad (which
fits in well with the rest of my family
members) as well as fascinating, in
their frantic, dashing behaviour

When we first moved in they in-
vaded the lounge, maybe because the
flat had been empty for a year or so
and they saw it was a whole new
stomping ground. They spent hours
and hours bringing their nesting mate-
rials onto the curtain rail where it
would drift gently down behind the
TV This never seemed to fa/e them
and at the end of each day there would
be an empty curtain rail and a pile of
grass on the floor. They have now be-
come a little disillusioned with that and
build with varying degrees of success
in my husband's Gloriosa and Petria
(neither of which ever flowers; well
we do sometimes have the odd blue
straggle on the Petria).

Nests differ through the whole
range of building techniques, from sta-
ble and moderately stable down to the
very flimsy, and it never seems clear
which birds actually own the nest
They never manage more than one nest
despite the large number of birds.

There are degrees of activity dur-
ing the day when small flocks of fe-
males and juveniles seem to chase lone
males round the garden, often crowd-
ing him off his chosen perching place,
but the really frantic aciiviiy always
occurs around dusk when the whole
flock goes absolutely mad. dashing

around the verandah, climbing into the
nest (it there is one or onto the bare
trellis tf there is not), often one bird
piled upon another Much fighting and
flighting goes on. so much sometimes
that the nest tails off iis precarious
perch; fortunately, so l3r. without loss
of life

Some evenings when I am sitting
watching the fading golden light, they
will all fly in and settle in the criss-
cross holes of the verandah rail, arriv-
ing with a great rush of wings. One
bird per hole, males, females and ju-
veniles A couple of weeks ago they
all flew into one of the armchairs,
perching on the cushions to watch me
expectantly Then up and off in their
desperate attempt to find a pad for the
night

It seems that they spend all day-
light hours living backwards and for-
wards bciween the various trees feed-
ing and whatnot and only look for
roosting places in a big panic once the
light starts to fade The most amazing
thing is that the male bird that ends up
in the nest often spends most of the
evening tinting around the verandah
or climbing up the w ind-chimes.

There are nests on the verandah
above mine and I think that sometimes
they gel confused as to which floor fhey
arc on (bit like me in multi-story car
parks) Quite frankly these little birds
are a source of constant amusement to
both me and my husband and all our
visitors, and while they are often over-
looked by others and do nm rank as a
special bird to see. in my house, they
are very much noticed.

June, 2000

31

Society projects

SUCCULENTA EAST AFRICA

This is a group of people who are
interested in succulent plants, i.e.
plants of arid areas with fleshy
leaves or stems that enable them to
survive long periods of drought

Activities of the group are organised
by a committee, comprising:

Chairman - Prof. Lcn Newton.
Secretary - Maria Dodds.
Assistant secretary & seed
exchange organiser - Anne
Powys.

Functions organiser - Sue Allan
Assistant functions organiser -
Christa von Kalckstein.

Newsletter editors - Clare Gaier
& Carin Partin.

Member • Dee Roberts.

The aims of the group are the
cultivation, conservation and study
of succulent plants. To achieve these
aims. Succulcnta Hast Africa mem-
bers are engaged in the following
activities

1. Monthly meetings, including
garden meetings, lectures
and Held trips.

2. Publication of an informative
bulletin. “Ballya", from
1993 to 1998.*

3. Publication of a bimonthly
Newsletter.

4. Active support for the
botanical garden of the
National Museums of Kenya.
Members have been working
closely with the manager and
staff of the garden in the
design, planting up. and
maintenance of the large
succulent plant section next
to the snake park.

5 The group also established a
succulent plant rockery in
the Nairobi Arboretum.

For the immediate future we aim
to continue with our regular meet-
ings and field trips, and to continue
active support of the botanical
garden. We are also planning to look
at the possibility of resuscitating a
succulent plant reserve. area that had
been established many years ago
outside Nairobi

For more information, contact the
Chairman (tel. 812722 ext. 277; e-
mail: lncwton@avu.org)
or the Secretary (tel. 882828; e-mail:
dodds@sw iftkenya.com).

Prof. I.en Newton
Botany Department. Kenyatta
University. P.O. Box 43844. Nai-
robi. Kenya

32

EANHS Bulletin 3(X I >

The EANHS wishes to thank the following for their
support in 2000:

Sponsors of the Society

Benny Byiebier
Alison Wilkinson
Norman Searle
T. B. Muckle
Joan Rool
Philip Hechlc
Jonathan Moss
John Fox
Sunny Bindra
J. H. E Leakey
Jane Barnley
Terry Stevenson
Neil Willsher
Rallk i Africa
Sulyn Talbot
Alan Dixon
Mark Mallalieu
Moffat Mwangi
Leonard Okeya

Muchans Gichuru
Onesmas Kahindi
Tom Butyinski
Jayant Ruparel
Leonard K. Wood
Seeta Ruparel
Niskanen Leo
Andrew Duncan
Mary K. Minot
Dr. E. Martin
Dr. Richard Leakey
George Mcknight
Young Truman
Susan Giddings
Quentin McConnell
Neil Willsher
Christopher Everard
Christopher Thou less

Major Donors to the Society:

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Global Environment Facility

The EANHS Bulletin is a primed magazine issued three times a year,
which exists for the rapid publication of short notes, articles, letters, and
reviews. Contributions may be in clear handwriting, printed or on disk
Black and white photographs and line drawings are most welcome E-mail
attached files or short texts in e-mail messages arc most welcome Please
send to the Editor (EANHS) Box 10018 Bamburi post Office. Mombasa
Kenya

Editor: I.. A Dcpew. Contact: LADcpcw@africaonlinc.co.ke

* Nature Kenya 2000

Other Society Publications

Tlie Journal of East African Natural History is published in collaboration
with the National Museums of Kenya It is published two times a year
Contributions must follow the style directed in the Notice to Contributors
found in the back of every issue of the JEANH and should be sent to the
Editor. Journal of East African Natural History. P.O. Box 44486. Nairobi.
Kenya.

E-mail: canhs@africaonline.co.kc

Scopus is the publication of the Bird Commiteee of the EANHS. It is
published two times per year. All correspondence should be sent to D A
Turner. Box 48019. Nairobi. Kenya

Kenya Birds is a publication of the Bird Committee in conjunction with
the Ornithology Dept. . NMK It is published two times per year and contains
popular and informative articles on birds and birding in Kenya.
Correspondence should be sent to Dr Leon Bennun. Box 44486. Nairobi.
Kenya.

Nature Kenya. P O Box 44486, Nairobi, c: canhS@africaonline.co.kc,
tel 749957/746090. fax 741049. www nalurekenya.org

Front cover Portuguese man of War Physalia physalis by L A. Depew
Printed by Reliance Press. Mombasa

NatureAVnva

Eanhs Bulletin, Volume 30, Number 1 : June 2000

Contents

Articles 1

Shallow water fishes of the east (Indian Ocean) and north cast
(Gulf ol Aden) coast of Somalia B.Q Mann A P.J. Fielding. 1

Vocalisation in the Southern tree hyrax Dendrohyrax arboreus.

J. Rudnai A P. Frere 13

The World Around Us By Fleur N'gweno 20

Corals and jellyfish: builders and stingers. 20

Short Communications 29

It’s getting dark and we’ve nowhere to sleep. At. Reid 29

Projects 31

Sncc lenta East Africa. 31