The Garden Fruit Chafer is considered a pest in gardens and orchards, due to the adults feeding on flowers, fruit and seeping gum, and widely distributed in large numbers throughout South Africa. It is about 2.5cm long. The larvae develop in compost heaps or manure and make hard oval clay cells in which they pupate.
One of the most memorable sightings of my recent tour of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park was of a small pod of Humpback Whales playing just offshore of the St. Lucia estuary one overcast morning.
Humpbacked Whale tail-slamming off St. Lucia
Humpbacked Whale fin-slapping off St. Lucia
Humpbacked Whale tail-slamming off St. Lucia
Humpbacked Whale fin-slapping off St. Lucia
Megaptera novaeangliae
Humpback Whales occur throughout the world’s oceans at different times of the year. Locally they migrate past our shores from about June to overwinter in the tropical waters off both Africa’s Atlantic and Indian Ocean coastlines, returning to their Antarctic feeding grounds from about November at the start of the austral summer and covering as much as 16,000km on these journeys. Humpback Whales feed mainly on krill, other plankton and schools of fish, gulped down in enormous quantities after being encircled by “curtains” of bubbles released from the blowholes of the circling whales. These whales are well known for their spectacular breaches out of the water as well as their playful tail-slamming and fin-slapping behaviour (as captured in the above video). They may dive up to 150m deep and stay underwater for up to 15 minutes. While usually seen in small groups and even as single cows with their latest calf, Humpback Whales may at times congregate in pods up to 200 strong in good feeding grounds.
While in the more tropical climes the females give birth to single calves after an almost year-long gestation. The calves will suckle for up to a year, though they start eating at about 6 months of age. Females calf every two years and mating also takes place in the tropical latitudes during winter. At birth the calves weigh about a metric ton and measure more than 4 metres in length; fully grown they will weigh approximately 40,000kg and reach up to 18m in length! It is estimated that Humpback Whales live to at least 50 years of age.
Citing an increasing population estimated at approximately 84,000 mature animals (of a total of 135,000) worldwide, the IUCN lists the Humpback Whale as being of least concern. When whaling was banned in 1966 there was probably only 5,000 Humpback Whales left.
Over the years we’ve been fortunate to see these enigmatic creatures a number of times while visiting some of South Africa’s wild places, most notably the Garden Route National Park and, of course, iSimangaliso. DeWetsWild will assist you with reservations and guided tours of these places and even arrange whale watching excursions with experienced skippers if you are interested in seeing Humpback Whales up close.
While strolling around the grounds of Mantuma Rest Camp in the uMkhuze Game Reserve section of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park earlier this month I came across this incredible creature, identified as one of the Flatface Longhorn Beetles with the kind assistance of the experts in the “Insects only – Southern Africa” Facebook group.
While it was impressively big (the body was about 4cm long), boasted very long feelers and its colours perfectly imitated a bird dropping, it was the hairy feet I found most intriguing. It is possible that the “hairs” has some sensory function, but from a distance it makes the beetle look as if it is wearing mittens!
Flatface Longhorn Beetle (Lasiopezus longimanus), identified with the kind assistance of the “Insects only – Southern Africa” facebook page.
Flatface Longhorn Beetle (Lasiopezus longimanus), identified with the kind assistance of the “Insects only – Southern Africa” facebook page.
Flatface Longhorn Beetle (Lasiopezus longimanus), identified with the kind assistance of the “Insects only – Southern Africa” facebook page.
Finding a Lesser Moorhen at a newly formed pan of water in the Eastern Shores section of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park was a real highlight of my most recent visit to the “Place of Miracles and Wonders”, as it brings me to 609 species of birds seen in South Africa.
Lesser Moorhen
Lesser Moorhen
Lesser Moorhen
Lesser Moorhen
Lesser Moorhen
Lesser Moorhen
Lesser Moorhen
Paragallinula (Gallinula) angulata
The Lesser Moorhen inhabits freshwater wetlands ranging from periodically flooded grasslands to permanent swamps and marshes, showing a strong preference for areas densely covered by emergent vegetation and limited open water. They’re omnivores, feeding on water plants and aquatic invertebrates.
Lesser Moorhens start breeding after the first floods, building their cup-shaped grass nests on a platform of flattened living grass, reeds or sedges. The female is responsible for most of the incubation duties, with the clutch of up to nine eggs (though about 6 is more usual) hatching after about 3 weeks. The chicks start flying at about 5 weeks of age, but remain with their parents up to about 2 months old. Fully grown they’ll weigh about 135g and measure approximately 23cm in length. Lesser Moorhens are very shy and seldom venture into the open.
(Remember that DeWetsWild will gladly assist you with reservations and guided tours of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park if you’d like to visit this wonderful place as well.)
There aren’t very many creatures in Africa that gives me nightmares, but this is undeniably one of the exceptions! Built like tanks complete with an armoured exoskeleton, formidable mandibles with which they can inflict a painful bite, and intimidating spikes on their legs and 5cm-long bodies (without including their legs in the measurement), just the thought of one of them finding its way onto my neck is almost enough to make me faint…
South Africa has about 30 species of Armoured Ground Crickets, also known locally as Corn Crickets, occurring throughout the country. They are omnivores, often regarded as an agricultural pest and capable even of killing and eating chicks in their nests, and will even cannibalise dead of their own kind! Not much will try and prey on Armoured Ground Crickets as they have the habit of spraying noxious “blood” from their bodies to ward of attackers, though they are eaten by bat-eared foxes and kori bustards.
Corn Cricket
Armoured Ground Cricket
There seemed to be armoured crickets everywhere you looked! This one was feasting on a trampled comrade in Satara’s parking area…
Armoured ground crickets abound in the mopaneveld in the north of the Park
Originally a denizen of savanna habitats, the distribution range of the Acacia Pied Barbet expanded tremendously during the 20th century into previously unsuitable habitats thanks to the provisioning of water, planting of exotic trees and the establishment of well-wooded parks and gardens in previously unoccupied parts of the country. They follow a varied diet of invertebrates, fruit, flowers and nectar, and are usually seen alone or in pairs.
Acacia Pied Barbets form monogamous pairs that nest in cavities they excavate together in the underside of branches of soft-wooded trees during spring and summer. Both partners share the duty of incubating the clutch of 2-4 eggs that hatch within 3 weeks of laying. Both also provide food to the chicks until they leave the nest at about 5 weeks of age. Adults are about 18cm long and weigh around 30g.
Yellow Canaries may breed at anytime of year, peaking during periods of highest rainfall. They form monogamous pairs, with the dull-coloured female responsible for the building of the cup-shaped nest in a shrub or small tree while the bright male defends the nesting territory. She is also solely responsible for incubating the clutch of 2-5 eggs, which takes about two weeks. Both parents provide food to the growing chicks, which leave the nest about a fortnight after hatching. Fully grown they weigh around 17g and measure approximately 13cm in length.
The Common Carp, also known as the European or Eurasian Carp, is native to freshwater in Europe and Central Asia, and was introduced to South Africa in the 1700’s. It is valued in aquaculture and recreational angling but is considered to be one of the 100 worst invading species in the world and now occurs in almost all rivers and impoundments in our country. Common Carp negatively impacts local aquatic ecosystems due to their indelicate feeding habits; uprooting plants and churning up the sediment making the water unsuitable for indigenous species.
Common Carp can adapt to almost any water conditions but prefer slow-flowing rivers and standing water, such as in ponds, dams and lakes. They are also quite catholic in their omnivorous diet, consuming anything it finds while poking around the soft silt. European Carp has been cultivated as food for humans since Roman times.
Common Carp breed in spring and summer, and large females may lay more than 300,000 eggs at a time and more than a million in a breeding season. The fry hatch within a week and grow rapidly. They can grow to over a meter in length and more than 30kg in weight – the world angling record stands at over 45kg! Common Carp can live for up to 20 years in the wild.
Despite its name, the Forest Num-num occurs in a wide variety of habitats, ranging from savannas and woodlands to forests. It grows mostly as an evergreen shrub, usually multi-stemmed and often scrambling in growth form, or rarely a small tree of up to 5m tall, covered by sharp, forked spines. The Forest Num-num flowers in Spring and Summer and the berries ripen on the tree from March to October.
The fruit of the Forest Num-num is eaten by humans (even as a jam), primates and birds, and the root is used in traditional medicine as a treatment for toothache. It is a beautiful addition to a garden in frost-free areas, attracting lots of insects and birds, and can be used as a hedge.
In South Africa, the Forest Num-num grows from Cape Town all along the southern coast of the Western and Eastern Cape Provinces, throughout Kwazulu-Natal and the eastern Free State, over most of Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo. Beyond our borders the Forest Num-num grows as far north as Kenya.
The Karoo Num-num is an evergreen, multi-stemmed and densely branched shrub or small tree growing up to 2m high, covered by multitudes of pronged spines that may be up to 4-5cm long, growing in the Little and Great Karoo and along the lower reaches of the Orange River and its tributaries. The tiny flowers, borne in Spring and Summer, are carried in clusters at the end of the branches. The fruit are similarly tiny – about 5mm in diameter – and are purple to black when ripe (while edible, they will stain your teeth the same colour!).
The Karoo Num-num is used as a fodder plant by game and livestock, especially during periods of drought. Though a slow grower, the plant is a good addition to a water-wise garden due to its drought resistance, and it attracts birds and beneficial insects like bees and butterflies.
Some authorities consider the Karoo Num-num to be the same species as the Forest Num-num, which we’ll be showcasing in the next post onDeWetsWild.
Karoo Num-num flowers
Karoo Num-num blooms
Karoo Num-num fruit
Karoo Num-num thorns
African Small White butterfly on Karoo Num-num flowers
African Small White butterfly on Karoo Num-num flowers
African Small White butterfly on Karoo Num-num flowers
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