Chyulu Hills
Encyclopedia
Chyulu Hills is a mountain range
in eastern Kenya. It forms a 100 kilometre long volcanic field
in elongated NW-SE direction. Its highest peak is 2188 metres high.
). The hills consists of several hundred small flows and cones.
Volcanism in the area started about 1.4 million years ago in the northern parts of the hills, and over time the volcanism propagated towards the South East. The last two eruptions (Shaitani and Chainu) occurred in the mid-19th century. Within the hills is the Leviathan cave, one of the longest Lava tube
s in the world.
Kibwezi
town is located 30 km northeast of Chyulu Hills.
Chyulu Hills have no permanent rivers, but rainfall on hills feeds the Tsavo
and Galana
rivers and Mzima Springs
on the surrounding plains.
Chyulu hills divide the Tsavo
and Amboseli plains. The area is inhabited by Maasai and Kamba
people.
, while above roughly 1800 metres is dominated by montane forest. The forest comprisest of Neoboutonia macrocalyx, Tabernaemontana stapfinaa, Prunus africana
, Strombosia scheffleri, Cassipourea malonsana, Olea capensis
and Ilex mitis
. Some isolated parts are dominated by Erythrina abyssinica
. Lower parts of the forest are dominated either by Juniperus procera
or Commiphora baluensi.
Mammals found in the hills include. Black Rhino
(subspecies Diceros bicornis michaeli), Buffalo
, Bushbuck
, Eland
, Elephant
, Forest Bush Pig, Giraffe
, Leopard
, Lion
, Mountain Reedbuck
, Steinbok
, Wildebeest and Zebra
. Various snakes inhabit the hills, like Black Mamba
, Puff Adder
and Rock Python
.
There are various bird species on the hills, with some endemic races. Bird species include: Francolinus shelleyi, Pogonocichla stellata, Zoothera gurneyi, Bradypterus cinnamomeus, Hieraaetus ayresii, Stephanoaetus coronatus, Polemaetus bellicosus and Cinnyricinclus femoralis.
There is wild khat
growing on the hills, which is picked by local people. There is also some cultivation of khat
around the hills. Khat from Chuylu hills is known as Chuylu, as opposed to Miraa, which is cultivated in the Meru District
.
. The park was formed in 1983. It forms a northwestern continuation of Tsavo West National Park
. Western flank of the hills is covered by the West Chyulu Game Conservation are owned by Maasai group ranches.
Potential threats to the ecosystem include poaching
, overgrazing by growing population of maasai herders and scarcity of water.
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
in eastern Kenya. It forms a 100 kilometre long volcanic field
Volcanic field
A volcanic field is an area of the Earth's crust that is prone to localized volcanic activity. They usually contain 10 to 100 volcanoes, such as cinder cones and are usually in clusters. Lava flows may also occur...
in elongated NW-SE direction. Its highest peak is 2188 metres high.
Geography
Chyulu Hills are located about 150 km east of the Kenya Rift (the Great Rift ValleyGreat Rift Valley
The Great Rift Valley is a name given in the late 19th century by British explorer John Walter Gregory to the continuous geographic trench, approximately in length, that runs from northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in South East Africa...
). The hills consists of several hundred small flows and cones.
Volcanism in the area started about 1.4 million years ago in the northern parts of the hills, and over time the volcanism propagated towards the South East. The last two eruptions (Shaitani and Chainu) occurred in the mid-19th century. Within the hills is the Leviathan cave, one of the longest Lava tube
Lava tube
Lava tubes are natural conduits through which lava travels beneath the surface of a lava flow, expelled by a volcano during an eruption. They can be actively draining lava from a source, or can be extinct, meaning the lava flow has ceased and the rock has cooled and left a long, cave-like...
s in the world.
Kibwezi
Kibwezi
Kibwezi is a town in Makueni District, Eastern Province, Kenya.Kibwezi town is the headquarters of Kibwezi division, one of 15 administrative divisions in Makueni District. The division has a population of 80,236, of whom 4,695 are classified urban. The division has four locations: Kikumbulyu,...
town is located 30 km northeast of Chyulu Hills.
Chyulu Hills have no permanent rivers, but rainfall on hills feeds the Tsavo
Tsavo River
The Tsavo River runs east from the western end of the Tsavo National Park of Kenya, near the border of Tanzania, until it joins with the Athi River, forming the Galana River near the center of the park. This river is the main contributor to the watershed of the lower portion of the park region, and...
and Galana
Athi-Galana-Sabaki River
Athi-Galana-Sabaki River is the second longest river in Kenya . It has a total length of 390 km, and drains a basin area of 70,000 km². The river rises at 1° 42' S...
rivers and Mzima Springs
Mzima Springs
Mzima Springs are a series of four natural springs in Tsavo National Park, Kenya. They are located in the west of the Park, around 48km from Mtito Andei. The source of the springs is a natural reservoir under the Chyulu Hills to the north. The Chyulu range is composed of volcanic lava rock and ash,...
on the surrounding plains.
Chyulu hills divide the Tsavo
Tsavo
Tsavo is a region of Kenya located at the crossing of the Uganda Railway over the Tsavo River, close to where it meets the Athi River. It is a KiKamba word meaning "a place of slaughter", a reference to the murderous attacks of Maasai morani on Kamba people there...
and Amboseli plains. The area is inhabited by Maasai and Kamba
Kamba
The Kamba are a Bantu ethnic group who live in the semi-arid Eastern Province of Kenya stretching east from Nairobi to Tsavo and north up to Embu, Kenya. This land is called Ukambani. Sources vary on whether they are the third, fourth or the fifth largest ethnic group in Kenya...
people.
Ecology
Lower parts of the hills are composed of grassland and thicketThicket
A thicket is a very dense stand of trees or tall shrubs, often dominated by only one or a few species, to the exclusion of all others. They may be formed by species that shed large amounts of highly viable seeds that are able to germinate in the shelter of the maternal plants.In some conditions the...
, while above roughly 1800 metres is dominated by montane forest. The forest comprisest of Neoboutonia macrocalyx, Tabernaemontana stapfinaa, Prunus africana
Prunus africana
Prunus africana, or Red Stinkwood , is an evergreen tree native to the montane regions of Sub-Saharan Africa and the Islands of Madagascar, Sao Tome, Fernando Po and Grande Comore at about 900–3400 m. of altitude. The mature tree is 10–25 m. high, open-branched and often pendulous in forest,...
, Strombosia scheffleri, Cassipourea malonsana, Olea capensis
Olea capensis
Olea capensis, the Black Ironwood tree, is an African tree species belonging to the olive family . Olea capensis is widespread in Africa. It is found almost throughout Africa south of the Sahara desert from the east in Somalia, Ethiopia and Sudan, south to the tip of South Africa, and west to...
and Ilex mitis
Ilex mitis
Ilex mitis is a tall, dense, evergreen tree that is indigenous to Southern Africa. It makes an excellent fast-growing hedge for gardens - growing tall, straight and dense.-Appearance:If not pruned, Ilex mitis can grow to a height of 20 meters or more...
. Some isolated parts are dominated by Erythrina abyssinica
Erythrina abyssinica
Erythrina abyssinica is a tree species of the genus Erythrina belonging to the plant family of the Fabaceae described by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in 1825. This leguminous tree species is native to East Africa and Eastern DRC....
. Lower parts of the forest are dominated either by Juniperus procera
Juniperus procera
Juniperus procera, commonly known in English as African Juniper or East African Juniper, is a coniferous tree native to the mountains of eastern Africa from eastern Sudan south to Zimbabwe, and the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula...
or Commiphora baluensi.
Mammals found in the hills include. Black Rhino
Eastern Black Rhinoceros
The Eastern Black Rhinoceros is also known as the East African Black Rhinoceros. It is a subspecies of the Black Rhino...
(subspecies Diceros bicornis michaeli), Buffalo
African Buffalo
The African buffalo, affalo, nyati, Mbogo or Cape buffalo is a large African bovine. It is not closely related to the slightly larger wild Asian water buffalo, but its ancestry remains unclear...
, Bushbuck
Bushbuck
The bushbuck is the most widespread antelope in Sub-Saharan Africa, and is found in rain forests, montane forests, forest-savanna mosaics and bush savannaforest and woodland. Recently, genetic studies have shown that the bushbuck, is in fact a complex of two geographically and phenotypically...
, Eland
Common Eland
The common eland , also known as the southern eland or eland antelope, is a savannah and plains antelope found in East and Southern Africa. It is the largest antelope in the African continent...
, Elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
, Forest Bush Pig, Giraffe
Giraffe
The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
, Leopard
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
, Lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
, Mountain Reedbuck
Mountain Reedbuck
The Mountain Reedbuck is an antelope found in mountainous areas of much of Sub-Saharan Africa.The Mountain Reedbuck averages 75 cm at the shoulder, and weighs around 30 kg. It has a grey coat with a white underbelly and reddish-brown head and shoulders...
, Steinbok
Steinbok
Steinbok may refer to: its German for schnapps* Ibex* Steenbok, a small antelope of southern and eastern Africa* Steinbok, a mountain in British Columbia, Canada...
, Wildebeest and Zebra
Zebra
Zebras are several species of African equids united by their distinctive black and white stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual. They are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds...
. Various snakes inhabit the hills, like Black Mamba
Black mamba
The black mamba , also called the common black mamba or black-mouthed mamba, is the longest venomous snake in Africa, averaging around in length, and sometimes growing to lengths of...
, Puff Adder
Puff adder
Puff adder is the common name of several snake species:* Bitis arietans, a venomous snake species found in Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula* Bitis, any other member of this genus...
and Rock Python
Rock Python
Rock Python is a fictional super villain in the Marvel Comics Universe, and is a member of the Serpent Society. He first appeared in Captain America vol. 1 #341 in May 1988.-Fictional character biography:...
.
There are various bird species on the hills, with some endemic races. Bird species include: Francolinus shelleyi, Pogonocichla stellata, Zoothera gurneyi, Bradypterus cinnamomeus, Hieraaetus ayresii, Stephanoaetus coronatus, Polemaetus bellicosus and Cinnyricinclus femoralis.
There is wild khat
Khat
Khat, qat, gat or Waquish Spoken from true Yemeni, is a flowering plant native to tropical East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula....
growing on the hills, which is picked by local people. There is also some cultivation of khat
Khat
Khat, qat, gat or Waquish Spoken from true Yemeni, is a flowering plant native to tropical East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula....
around the hills. Khat from Chuylu hills is known as Chuylu, as opposed to Miraa, which is cultivated in the Meru District
Meru District
Meru Central District is one of the seventy-one districts of Kenya, located in that country's Eastern Province. In 1992, it was split from the large Meru District, along with Meru North District, Meru South District, and Tharaka District....
.
Conservation
The Chyulu Hills National Park comprises the eastern flank of the hills and is operated by the Kenya Wildlife ServiceKenya Wildlife Service
The Kenya Wildlife Service, otherwise known by the initialism KWS, is a Kenyan state corporation that was established in 1990 to conserve and manage Kenya’s wildlife...
. The park was formed in 1983. It forms a northwestern continuation of Tsavo West National Park
Tsavo West National Park
Tsavo West National Park is located in the Coast Province of Kenya. The park covers an area of 9,065 square kilometres. The A109 road Nairobi-Mombasa and a railway divides the park into east and west...
. Western flank of the hills is covered by the West Chyulu Game Conservation are owned by Maasai group ranches.
Potential threats to the ecosystem include poaching
Poaching
Poaching is the illegal taking of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws. Violations of hunting laws and regulations are normally punishable by law and, collectively, such violations are known as poaching.It may be illegal and in...
, overgrazing by growing population of maasai herders and scarcity of water.