Category Archives: South African Wildlife

The inhabitants of South Africa’s wild places

Gaboon Adder

Bitis gabonica

The Gaboon Adder must surely rate as one of the best camouflaged, if not one of the most beautiful, snakes in South Africa. These large vipers may grow to 2m in length (usually up to 1.3m in our part of the world) and weigh up to 8kg. It boasts the longest fangs of any venomous snake, up to 5cm long, and its venom is produced in large quantities – less than a quarter of a dose is sufficient to kill an adult human. The venom is cytotoxic and rapidly cause swelling, intense pain and shock and may lead to tissue death and amputation, difficulty breathing and heart failure if treatment with anti-venom is not quickly commenced. Thankfully they’re surprisingly placid and bites to humans are very rare.

Gaboon Adders inhabit forests and other similarly moist and densely vegetated habitats, where they feed on a wide range of vertebrate prey up to the size of rabbits. They are mainly nocturnal hunters, but like to bask in the sun on the edge of clearings in the forest during the day. Females are gravid for up to a year after mating, producing up to 40 live young, usually in the summer months.

In South Africa the Gaboon Adder is restricted to a small coastal strip stretching from St. Lucia Estuary to the Mozambique border – almost all of its natural range in this country is therefore included in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. They have also been introduced to the Umlalazi Nature Reserve to the south. Outside of South Africa, Gaboon Adders are found along the forested mountain border of Zimbabwe and Mozambique, coastal Tanzania, and widely through Africa’s equatorial reaches from Zambia in the south to Nigeria in the west and to Uganda and South Sudan in the east. The IUCN lists it as vulnerable with a declining population over most of its range. and though the local population is estimated to be stable at between 2,000 and 3,500 in the wild it is still considered to be “near threatened”.

Gaboon adder (captive)

Gaboon Adder (captive)

Gaboon adder (captive) (photo by Joubert)

Cape Shoveler

8 Replies

Spatula (Anas) smithii

The Cape Shoveler inhabits shallow freshwater habitats (including farm dams, flooded grasslands, marshes and sewage works), lagoons, estuaries and salt pans, where it feeds mainly on aquatic invertebrates and tadpoles with plant material forming a smaller portion of the diet. While they are usually resident, at times Cape Shovelers will cover enormous distances; the reason for these erratic movements aren’t yet understood. Outside of the breeding period they may form sizable flocks of more than a hundred individuals.

Cape Shovelers breed at any time of the year (peak from late winter to early summer) in monogamous pairs, with the female being responsible for the building of the nest – a scrape in the ground built up with twigs, leaves and down, usually on a thickly vegetated island. She lays a clutch of 5-13 eggs and incubates them for 4 weeks. Once hatched, it is mostly the female that takes care of the ducklings while the male guards against predators. The chicks can fly when they’re about 9 weeks old and become independent soon after. Fully grown they measure about half-a-metre in length and weigh approximately 600g.

The Cape Shoveler occurs only in Southern Africa, being found from southwest Angola, through Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe to Lesotho, Eswatini and South Africa, where they’re found at varying densities in all our provinces, with the largest concentrations on the Highveld and in the Western Cape. Considering that the IUCN estimates a growing population of up to 33,000 birds the Cape Shoveler is listed as being of least concern.

Cape Shovelers

Cape Shoveler

Cape Shovelers

Cape Shoveler

Silver Tree

9 Replies

Leucadendron argenteum

The IUCN lists the Silver Tree as “vulnerable”. During early colonial times the trees were heavily harvested for fire wood and its remaining natural occurrence is limited to 5-7 fragmented sub-populations on Table Mountain, with other populations away from the mountain considered to have been established by humans. Despite mainly being found within the Table Mountain National Park the remaining natural populations are also thought to be declining because of various factors, including urban expansion, unnatural fires and competition with exotic plants. The Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden has some beautiful examples of the Silver Tree.

While plants die off during fires, the seeds require fire to germinate. Remarkably for a plant that seldom lives longer than 20 years and is mature at between 5 and 7 years, the seeds of the Silver Tree can remain viable for 60 to 80 years, waiting for a fire to trigger them into growing. They usually grow to 5-7m tall, with exceptional examples reaching heights of 16m, and owe their distinct appearance to a dense coating of velvety hairs on the soft leaves. Male and female flowers are carried on separate plants, and pollination is wind-dependent.

Silver Tree

Female Silver Tree with cones

Silver Tree

Grey Plover

17 Replies

Pluvialis squatarola

The Grey Plover is a bird that is found along the coastline of all the continents, with the exception of Antarctica, at various times of the year. With a worldwide population estimated at around 750,000 birds, the IUCN considers it to be of least concern. They arrive in South Africa from their Siberian breeding grounds around September and depart again by April, with an estimated 9,000 birds being found along our entire coastline during that time. The Langebaan lagoon in the West Coast National Park is one of the best places to see this species in South Africa. Some, usually younger individuals, will stay here through the winter and don’t join the migration back to the northern hemisphere, as they don’t breed until they’re two years old.

Grey Plovers feed on aquatic invertebrates pecked from exposed mud flats and sand banks on beaches and around estuaries and lagoons. They may roost in large flocks outside the breeding season, but usually forage alone or in pairs. Adults are about 29cm long and weigh around 230g.

Grey Plover

Sundowner Moth

10 Replies

Sphingomorpha chlorea

As with the English common name, one of the Sundowner Moth’s Afrikaans names, “Biermot” (Beer moth), refers to their attraction to alcoholic drinks – they’re naturally very fond of fermented fruit. Due to their habit of piercing fruit, it is considered a pest in orchards. They occur over most of South Africa, with the exception of the fynbos -areas in the Western Cape and the arid West Coast, and is especially common in forest and savanna habitats. This is a large moth, with a wingspan of between 6 and 8cm. The larvae feed on the leaves of a very wide range of plants.

Sundowner Moth

World Wildlife Day 2023

11 Replies

In celebration of World Wildlife Day we take a look back at the 67 species of South African wildlife we featured in detail here at de Wets Wild through the past twelve months.

Albany, or Striped, Sandveld Lizard at Jack’s Picnic Spot

Malachite Kingfisher

Giant Carrion Flower (Stapelia gigantea)

Sulphur Orange Tip

Black Monkey Orange

Green Monkey Orange

Pygmy Hippo

Spotted Flycatcher

Scarlet Tip

Silver Cluster-leaf

Southern White-crowned Shrike

Vine-leaf Vagrant

Honeybee and honeysuckle

Giant Kingfisher

Tailed Black-eye Butterfly

Convict Surgeonfish in a rock pool at Cape Vidal

Mountain Wagtail

Ant-heap Whites

Kudu Lily

European Nightjar

Banded Gold Tip

Pel’s Fishing Owl (photo by Joubert)

Eastern Rock Sengi, or Elephant Shrew, at Lenong Viewpoint in Marakele National Park

Yellow-spotted Rock Dassie, or Hyrax (photo by Joubert)

Black-faced Waxbill

Meves’s Starling

Large-leaved Rock Fig

Grey-backed Camaroptera

Bushveld Gardenia fruit

Rattling Cisticola

Natal Acraea butterfly

Sunrise over Imfolozi with a Marula in silhouette

Yellow-breasted Apalis

Painted Lady

Giant land snail

Jacobin Cuckoo (Black Morph)

Zebra White butterfly

Weeping Wattle blooms

Great Spotted Cuckoo

Brown Commodore, aka Brown Pansy

Side-striped Jackal

Redbreast Tilapia in Nsumo Pan

African Small White butterfly on Karoo Num-num flowers

Pill-millipede

European Honey Buzzard

Dusky Copper butterfly

Male Buff-spotted Flufftail

Narina Trogon

White-backed Ducks

Candy-striped Crinum flowers

Male Subantarctic Fur Seal on the shore at Cape Vidal after a heavy storm

Green Malkoha

African Pygmy Geese (photo by Niel de Wet)

Tailor Ant nest

Green Twinspot

Southern Banded Snake Eagle (photo by Niel de Wet)

Rufous-winged Cisticola

Collared Pratincole

Yellow Weaver

Cape Fur Seals

Eastern Grey Squirrel at the Tokai Picnic Site

Lark-like Bunting

Four-colour Nudibranch (Godiva quadricolor)

Karoo Chat

Soldier Pansy

Rich floral diversity at the Cape of Good Hope – these white flowers are known as Cape Snow (Syncarpha vestita)

Rock Martin

10 Replies

Ptyonoprogne fuligula

A common resident in our part of the world, the Rock Martin inhabits rocky mountains, hills and outcrops, and has adapted to the built environment. They feed exclusively on flying insects and will even hunt at night around artificial lights.

Rock Martins form monogamous pairs and may breed throughout the year, though mostly in spring and early summer. They build their mud nests under overhanging rocks and even roofs and bridges. The parents take turns to incubate the clutch of 2-3 eggs over a 3 week period. The chicks remain in the nest for about 4 weeks, but even after they fledge return to the nest every night until they’re almost two months old before becoming fully independent. Outside of the breeding season they may roost in small groups on rocky ledges or against buildings.

in South Africa, Rock Martins are found in suitable habitat in every province. Beyond our borders they’re found as far north as Angola and Zambia. The IUCN evaluates its conservation status as being of least concern.

Rock Martins

Rock Martin

Rock Martins

Rock Martin

Rock Martin nest

Rock Martin

Cape Snow

15 Replies

Syncarpha vestita

The Cape Snow, or White Everlasting, when flowering is one of the most conspicuous plants from South Africa’s fynbos biome, growing in well-drained sandy or rocky soils from the Cape Peninsula to the area of George in the Garden Route. The plants have a very dense growth form up to 1m tall and grow rapidly from seeds after a fire, forming thick stands of plants that flower profusely from October to January and make for beautiful scenery. The tiny purplish flowers, located on a disk surrounded by the eye-catchingly bright white bracts, are pollinated by several kinds of beetles and the inflorescences last for a very long time, even after being cut. Within about 7 years the plants start dying; by then the surrounding vegetation has grown taller than it already and they’re no longer as obviously seen. The seeds then remain dormant in the ground until a fire restarts the process. Cape Snow flowers are used commercially, being popular in flower arrangements (and often dyed different colours).

Bontebok lying in a sea of Cape Snow

Rich floral diversity at the Cape of Good Hope – these white flowers are known as Cape Snow (Syncarpha vestita)

Cape Snow

Soldier Pansy Butterfly

15 Replies

Junonia terea

A butterfly of coastal and riverine forests, the Soldier Pansy is restricted to suitable parts of Kwazulu-Natal and the Lowveld and escarpment of Mpumalanga and Limpopo (as far as its local distribution is concerned). Adults have a wingspan of up to 6cm and can be seen throughout the year, though their numbers peak in spring and autumn. They fly slowly through shady clearings and along pathways and settle often, usually on a leaf just above ground level.

Soldier Pansy

Karoo Chat

8 Replies

Emarginata (Cercomela)* schlegelii*

Surprisingly common for a bird occurring in arid scrubland and grasslands, often in rocky or gravelly places, the Karoo Chat subsists on a diet of insects foraged on the ground. They’re usually encountered singly, in pairs or small family groups and normally stay well clear of areas of human habitation, in contrast with its better known cousin, the Familiar Chat.

The female takes sole responsibility for building the deep cup-shaped nest, using twigs and sticks, at the base of a shrub, the task taking her about a week to complete. Clutches of 2-4 eggs may be laid at any time of year, especially in response to unseasonal rainfall, but nesting usually takes place in spring and summer. Pairs are monogamous and territorial throughout the year, and both parents take care of the chicks. Fully grown Karoo Chats measure around 17cm in length and weigh about 32g.

True to their habitat preference, Karoo Chats are found in south-west Angola, western Namibia and arid western South Africa (particularly in the Northern and Western Cape and marginally into the bordering Free State and Eastern Cape). The IUCN does not consider it to be of conservation concern.