Category Archives: South African Wildlife

The inhabitants of South Africa’s wild places

Golden-tailed Woodpecker

Campethera abingoni

Golden-tailed Woodpeckers are denizens of a wide variety of woodland habitats, especially those dominated by burkea, miombo and mopane trees, and coastal and riverine forests, but it also occurs in thickets in more open or arid areas. Like other woodpeckers it probes under bark and inside wood for insects. Adults weigh around 70g and grow to a length of 21cm.

Golden-tailed Woodpeckers form permanent, monogamous pairs. Both partners excavate the nest on the underside of a branch (nests may be used for consecutive years) and take turns to incubate the clutch of 2 or 3 eggs over a period of 2 weeks during the spring-summer breeding season. The chicks leave the nest when they’re a month old but remain dependent on their parents for a few weeks more thereafter.

The IUCN lists the Golden-tailed Woodpecker as being of least concern. It occurs widely in east, central and southern Africa – in South Africa they are to be found in Kwazulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Gauteng, North West and parts of the Northern Cape.

Golden-tailed Woodpecker

This trusting Golden-tailed Woodpecker distracted us from our breakfast at Tshokwane

Golden-tailed Woodpecker

Golden-tailed woodpecker

Golden-tailed Woodpecker

Shy Golden-tailed Woodpecker

Golden-tailed Woodpecker

Golden-tailed Woodpecker at Nwanedzi

Golden-tailed Woodpecker pair

Golden-tailed Woodpecker

Marsh Terrapin

20 Replies

Pelomedusa subrufa

The Marsh Terrapin, or Helmeted Terrapin, is a medium-sized terrapin, growing to around 30cm in length and 2.5kg in weight. Males are generally larger than females.

Marsh Terrapins are very common in still or slow-moving water, especially in temporary pans and even in arid environments like the Karoo and Kalahari. They are true omnivores, feeding on anything from water weeds to insects, crustaceans, amphibians, fish and even birds and small mammals caught at the water’s edge in very crocodile-like fashion. They will also pick ticks and other ectoparasites from the hides of wallowing animals. When their watery abodes dry up and there’s no others around to move to (these chelonians will move considerable distances from one pool to another), Marsh Terrapins will bury themselves in wet soil or mud and aestivate, sometimes for months or even years.

Mating occurs in the water, mostly during the summer months, after which the female digs a pit 10-18cm deep in moist soil above the high-water mark, using her hind feet, in which she lays a clutch of up to 40 or more (usually between 10 and 30, but sometimes as few as 2) soft-shelled eggs. The young hatch in 3-4 months and emerge after the rain has softened the soil enough for them to dig themselves free.

In South Africa, Marsh Terrapins occur in every province, being absent only from the most arid parts of the Northern Cape Province. They also occur throughout sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar.

Marsh Terrapins basking in the sun

Marsh Terrapins

Marsh Terrapins at the hide in Karoo National Park

Marsh Terrapins

Marsh Terrapin

Marsh Terrapins

Marsh Terrapin

Marsh terrapins and sharptooth catfish fighting about scraps carelessly dropped by a tourist at Ruighoek Dam. (Another of Joubert’s photos)

Marsh Terrapin encountered on dry land

Hippo becoming a temporary island for Marsh and Serrated Hinged Terrapins

Marsh and Serrated Terrapins

Marsh Terrapin on the wet tar road

Marsh Terrapin

Marsh Terrapins

Marsh Terrapin

A Marsh Terrapin that emerged during the rains in the Karoo

Marsh Terrapins

Marsh Terrapin

Marsh Terrapin at the waterhole next to the camp’s entrance

Namaqua Dove

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Oena capensis

The small (40g) Namaqua Dove with its characteristically long tail feathers (total length including the tail is around 22cm) inhabits dry savannas, grasslands and scrub, where it forages on the open ground almost exclusively for the tiny seeds of a wide variety of grasses and other plants. Unlike many other species of pigeon and dove, the Namaqua Dove does not have a close relationship with human habitation. They are highly nomadic, moving after the flush of seeds that follow periods of good rainfall in different areas.

Normally seen alone, in pairs or small flocks (rarely larger aggregations of several hundred form at waterholes), Namaqua Doves form monogamous pairs. They breed throughout the year, constructing flimsy platforms of twigs and roots low in a tree or shrub. Pairs share the responsibility of incubating the clutch of 1or 2 eggs for a period of about two weeks. The chicks leave the nest when they’re about 2 weeks old.

The Namaqua Dove is widely distributed over continental Africa, Madagascar and the Arabian Peninsula. The IUCN considers it to be of least concern, adding that it seems to be growing its population and expanding its range. In South Africa they’ve been recorded from almost every corner of the country, though their nomadic habits means that they are not necessarily always resident in any particular area.

Namaqua Dove

Namaqua Dove (male)

Namaqua Dove

Namaqua Dove (female)

Namaqua Dove (photo by Joubert)

Scaly-feathered Finch

25 Replies

Sporopipes squamifrons

The tiny (10g) Scaly-feathered Finch inhabits dry, open savanna and thickets along drainage lines in arid scrubland, feeding predominantly on grass seeds and, to a lesser extent, insects. They are independent of drinking water.

Scaly-feathered Finches move around in small flocks, often in association with other small seed-eaters. They may breed throughout the year, but there is a distinct peak in the summer months. Nests are small balls, weaved of grass in a thorny bush, with a tiny tunnel opening to the nesting chamber inside. Clutches of up to 7 eggs are incubated for just short of 2 weeks, with the chicks leaving the nest before they are 3 weeks old.

The IUCN considers the Scaly-feathered Finch to be of least concern. In South Africa they can be found on the highveld of Limpopo and Mpumalanga, in Gauteng, the North West, Free State and Eastern, Western and Northern Cape. Outside of our borders they also occur in Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia, extending marginally into Angola and Zambia.

Scaly-feathered Finch

Scale-feathered Finch

Scaly-feathered Finch

Scaly-feathered Finch (photo by Joubert)

Scaly-feathered Finch

Scaly-feather Finch

Scaly-feathered Finch

African Red-eyed Bulbul

4 Replies

Pycnonotus nigricans

The African Red-eyed Bulbul naturally inhabits a variety of arid and semi-arid habitats, such as scrublands and thorny savannas, but has also become a familiar garden bird across its range and is usually found within easy reach of reliable water sources – in fact, the provision of man-made waterholes in farming areas have probably aided an increase in their population and an expansion of their range. They feed mainly on fruit, but will also include flowers, nectar, seeds and invertebrates in their diet. Adults grow to a length of about 19cm and weigh approximately 30g.

Red-eyed Bulbuls are mostly encountered in monogamous, territorial pairs, though small flocks are not entirely uncommon. Building the untidy nest, hidden in the fork of a tree or shrub, is mostly the female’s responsibility. Their breeding season spans spring and summer, when clutches of 2 or 3 eggs are incubated by the female for around 2 weeks. Both parents care for the hatchlings, which fledge at about 3 weeks old. The chicks sometimes leave the nest before they are fully able to fly.

The IUCN notes a growing population for the African Red-eyed Bulbul and classifies it as being of least concern. They are to be found in south-west Angola, Namibia, Botswana, extreme western Zimbabawe, Lesotho and South Africa (Eastern, Western and Northern Cape, Free State, North West, Gauteng and western Limpopo).

Where their ranges overlap, the Red-eyed Bulbul will readily crossbreed with both the Cape and Dark-capped Bulbuls.

African Red-eyed Bulbul

Red-eyed bulbul

African Red-eyed Bulbul fledgling

Red-eyed bulbul

African Red-eyed Bulbul

Red-eyed Bulbul

African Red-eyed Bulbul

Red-eyed Bulbul

African Red-eyed Bulbul

Red-eyed Bulbul

Eastern Nicator

21 Replies

Nicator gularis

The Eastern Nicator has a patchy distribution along the Indian Ocean coast and adjacent interior from Kenya southwards to South Africa (where they can be found in parts of Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Kwazulu-Natal), inhabiting forests and woodlands with dense undergrowth. It is listed as being of least concern by the IUCN. Adults measure about 23cm in length and weigh around 47g.

Eastern Nicators feed primarily on insects, though they have been recorded preying on small reptiles and plucking ticks and other ectoparasites from the hides of large mammalian herbivores, often following them around to catch invertebrates disturbed under hoof. Their nests are untidy platforms built of sticks and stalks, placed surprisingly near to the ground in dense vegetation. Pairs are monogamous and nest in summer.

Eastern Nicators are usually very shy and seldomly seen, often only giving away their presence by their characteristic call.

Eastern Nicator

Barberton Girdled Lizard

20 Replies

Smaug barbertonensis

A shy denizen of well-shaded, bouldered hills and mountains with plentiful crags and fissures, the diurnal Barberton Girdled Lizard feeds on invertebrates, frogs and small geckos. Excluding their tails, adults can measure up to 13cm in length. Females give birth to 2-6 babies in late summer. Considered by some authorities to be a subspecies of Warren’s Girdled Lizard (S. warreni), the Barberton Girdled Lizard has a very limited distribution around the borders of South Africa’s southern Mpumalanga and northern Kwazulu-Natal Provinces with eastern Swaziland, and is considered to be of least concern by the IUCN. Ntshondwe Camp in Ithala Game Reserve is a very reliable spot to search for these attractive lizards.

Barberton Girdled Lizard

Celebrating our Tuskers

53 Replies

Elephants are a big drawcard for visitors to our parks and reserves, being charismatic animals and members of the famed “Big 5”. For us too, encountering elephants is always a special treat: witnessing the interactions between different herd members or the playful antics of the calves, and there’s few things in nature as beautiful as the gait of a confident elephant bull, his massive head swaying from side to side, intent on ensuring anything and everything in his way clears out before he gets there.

The 12th of August annually is celebrated as World Elephant Day. Elephants in Africa and Asia are faced with the threats of escalating poaching, habitat loss and various other conflicts with humans. With an estimated 100 African elephants killed daily for the illegal ivory trade in Asian markets, their population is in rapid decline. World Elephant Day was launched in 2012, to bring attention to the plight of these iconic animals, and has been observed annually since. South Africa has a growing population of almost 27,000 elephants (2015 estimate), but we have not been entirely isolated from the poaching happening on a larger scale in several other African countries.

One of our greatest joys when visiting South Africa’s wild places is being treated to an encounter with a real “Tusker”; a majestic elephant bull carrying massive ivory. There are only a handful of these enigmatic animals on the continent, and they are living monuments to those who protect our wild places for generations to come. Owing to their special status, they are given names by the Park authorities, often according to specific areas they roam or characteristic physical features or in remembrance of rangers or other members of staff that dedicated their lives to the Park.

Allow us to celebrate these magnificent creatures on World Elephant Day by sharing some of our encounters with Tuskers from four of our Parks with you.

Addo Elephant Park

With the proclamation of the Addo Elephant National Park in 1931, only 11 African Elephants remained in the Addo district. Addo’s elephants have responded wonderfully to the protection they’ve been afforded since the Park’s proclamation, and today number over 600! The population had an interesting trait however, due to hunting and the small founder population, in that the bulls had only small tusks and the cows had none at all. In order to address this, Park management translocated eight mature bulls from the Kruger National Park to introduce new genes into the pool in 2002 and 2003.

Valli was one of the bulls that moved to Addo from Kruger. He was named after then Minister of Environment and Tourism, Mohammed Valli Moosa. We saw Valli in bad light one afternoon in May 2010 while visiting Addo. Not a great photo, but a memorable experience! Sadly, Valli died in December 2017 following a fight with a younger bull.

Addo’s Valli seen in May 2010

We were most pleased to have this encounter with the beautiful Derek – certainly a contender for the vacant throne of Addo’s elephant king – during our December 2017 visit to Addo.

Addo’s Tusker Derek (2017/12/26)

Unfortunately we weren’t around yet when Addo’s most famous elephant, Hapoor, ruled the Park for 24 years from 1944 to 1968. Today, a reconstruction of his head with the characteristic nicked ear that earned him his name has pride of place in the information centre at Addo’s Main Camp.

Addo’s dsplay dedicated to Hapoor

Pilanesberg National Park

There’s a population of approximately 240 elephants in the Pilanesberg National Park. Most of the fully grown adults in the Park today were babies when they were brought to the Pilanesberg from the Kruger National Park in the 1980’s , as the local population was eradicated by hunters before the Pilanesberg was proclaimed a reserve.

Pilane was one of six dominant bulls translocated to Pilanesberg from Kruger Park in March of 1998, when the absence of older bulls caused behavioural problems in the young bulls then transitioning to adulthood at Pilanesberg. At the time he was estimated to be about 34 years old and was named after Chief Pilane of the Bakgatla. We saw Pilane in March 2012. Unfortunately he has broken both his tusks in recent years and passed away in October 2020 from old age.

Pilane (2012/03/17)

Mavuso is another of the Kruger Bulls transported to Pilanesberg in 1998. He is named after Mavuso Msimang, who was SANParks’ CEO at the time. We saw Mavuso on a visit to the Pilanesberg in November 2018 at which time he was estimated to be about 55 years old. Sadly, Mavuso was killed in a fight with a younger bull in August 2020.

Pilanesberg’s tusker Mavuso

Tembe Elephant Park

Tembe Elephant Park is home to over 250 elephants, the descendants of the last free roaming herds in this part of South Africa.

Isilo, meaning “The King”, was the biggest Tusker at Tembe Elephant Park and for a time also the biggest living Tusker in South Africa (after Duke of Kruger broke his tusks). It is believed that the gentle giant succumbed to natural causes, a dignified end befitting his royal stature, in January 2014. Sadly it was also made known that his enormous tusks have been stolen, presumably by rhino poachers who happened upon the carcass before rangers found it. We were fortunate to spend some time in Isilo’s majestic presence during our visit to Tembe in May 2013. You’re welcome to have a look at our special blogpost recounting our audience with Isilo.

Tembe’s Isilo (2013-05-24)

When we visited Tembe Elephant Park in 2013 we were lucky to see several other impressive tuskers – Tembe is renowned for them! Even though Ucici, Lebo and Zero is no longer roaming Tembe’s sandy forests and marshland, there’s still a number of up-and-coming Tuskers flying the Park’s flag high as a hotspot for majestic elephants.

Tembe’s Ucici died in 2017 (seen May 2013)

Tembe Tusker (May 2013)

Tembe’s Lebo died in January 2014 (seen May 2013)

Tembe’s Zero died in May 2014 (seen May 2013)

Tembe’s Mr. Half Ear died in 2020 (seen in May 2013)

Kruger National Park

Our flagship National Park, the Kruger, and the surrounding reserves has a combined population of around 21,000 elephants, but only a handful of these can be considered true “Tuskers”. Kruger’s renown as a home of elephant bulls carrying impressive ivory started with the naming of the Magnificent Seven in 1980 – Shawu, Mafunyane, Ndlulamithi, Kambaku, Dzombo, Shingwedzi and Joao. These seven big bulls immediately captured the imagination of the public, both in South Africa and overseas. Today, the tusks of six of them (Joao’s tusks broke before his death), along with the tusks of a few other big bulls that came after them (notably Nhlangulene, Mandleve and Phelwana) may be marveled at in the Elephant Hall in Letaba Rest Camp.

Letaba Elephant Hall

Letaba Elephant Hall – tusks of Dzombo

Letaba Elephant Hall – tusks of Kambaku

Letaba Elephant Hall – tusks of Mafunyane

Letaba Elephant Hall – the tusks of Mandleve was the heaviest ever recorded from Kruger

Letaba Elephant Hall – tusks of Ndlulamithi

Letaba Elephant Hall – tusks of Nhlangulene

Letaba Elephant Hall – tusks of Phelwana

Letaba Elephant Hall – the tusks of Shawu is the longest ever recorded from Kruger

Letaba Elephant Hall – tusks of Shingwedzi

Over the years we were blessed to see several impressive Tuskers in the Kruger Park. Here’s a few of them.

Hahlwa

We’ve had two encounters with the big bull known as “Hahlwa“, which is Tsonga for “twin” because he looks so similar to Masasana, another big Tusker roaming the Kruger Park (see further below). When we saw him the first time in June 2016, Hahlwa didn’t have a name yet, but this was corrected in May 2017 when the Kruger’s Emerging Tuskers Project announced him as one of the new crop of magnificent Tuskers to be seen in the Park. When we therefore saw him again in April 2018 we could put a name to the face. Unfortunately Hahlwa broke off most of his right tusk later in 2018.

Hahlwa (2016/06/30)

Hahlwa (2018/04/01)

Hlanganini

Hlanganini was named after a small stream that has its confluence with the Letaba River in his relatively small home range around Letaba Rest Camp. We were fortunate to see Hlanganini just a stone’s throw from Letaba one afternoon in September 2007. Hlanganini’s carcass was found in August 2009, with rangers speculating that he died as a result of a fight with another bull about two months earlier. Just a couple of months before his death Hlanganini broke his left tusk. The stump of his left tusk measured 2.04m and weighed 45kg, his right tusk was 2.7m long and weighed 55.8kg.

Hlanganini (2007/09/11)

Kukura

Kukura was first noticed by the staff in the Kruger Park during 2015 and was given his name due to the speed at which his tusks are growing since then (the word Kukura being Shona for “growing”). We were lucky to see him drinking from a spruit on the 24th of December, 2021.

Tusker Kukura, 24/12/2021

Tusker Kukura, 24/12/2021 (photo by Joubert)

Tusker Kukura, 24/12/2021

Machachule

Machachule means “the lead dancer” and was the nickname of late ranger Joe Manganye who served for 33 years in the Kruger National Park. Machachule originally had a large home range that stretched between the Letaba and Shingwedzi Rivers, but was later regularly seen only around Shingwedzi Rest Camp. With Shingwedzi being one of our favourite places in the Kruger National Park, we were treated to two sightings of Machachule; the first being in October 2008 and the next almost three years later in June 2011. Sadly there doesn’t seem to have been any sightings of Machachule in the last few years and it is possible that he has died somewhere in the wilderness.

Machachule (2008/10/09)

Machachule (2011/06/16)

Masasana

To date we’ve had two encounters with Masasana, one of the biggest Tuskers currently roaming the Kruger National Park. Our path crossed with his in June 2011 and then again in May 2018. Masasana shares his name, which means “one who makes a plan”, with retired Kruger staff member Johan Sithole who worked in the Park for 35 years.

Masasana (2011/06/17)

Masasana (2018/05/19)

Tusker Masasana (2018/05/19)

Masasana (2018/05/19)

Masbambela

Marilize and I saw Masbambela, at the time thought to be the second biggest Tusker in the Kruger Park, on the 15th of January 2006 along the S56 Mphongolo Road between Shingwedzi and Punda Maria Rest Camps. His usual home range was in the wilderness area west of Shingwedzi and he was seldom seen near the tourist roads. Masbambela was named after late ranger Ben Pretorius, who’s nickname means “one who can stand his man”. Some months after we saw Masbambela he broke the tip off his left tusk. Masbambela died of natural causes in November 2006. His tusks were recovered and the right measured 2.31m long with a weight of 49.05kg, while the remainder of his left tusk was 2.07m in length and weighed 42.75kg.

Masbambela (2006/01/15)

Mashangaan

Mashangaan was named after ranger Mike “Ma Xangane” English, who was fluent in the Shangaan language and worked in the Kruger Park for 33 years. This old Tusker, who had a limited home range around Letaba Rest Camp, was estimated to have been around 58 years old when he died in August 2011. His left tusk measured 2.48m in length and weighed 42.9kg, the right weighed 37.3kg and was 2.07m long. We had just one encounter with Mashangaan, in September 2007.

Mashangaan (2007/09/14)

Masthulele

Masthulele, “the quiet one”, was named in honour of renowned scientist and elephant expert Dr. Ian Whyte, who served in the Kruger National Park for 37 years. Masthulele roamed a vast area between Giriyondo Gate (north of Letaba Rest Camp) and the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve west of Kruger, and we were lucky to have had six different encounters with him (September 2007, June 2011, April 2012, June 2013, September 2013 and April 2014), all close to Letaba, making him a familiar favourite for the Wild de Wets. At the time of his death of natural causes late in 2016, Masthulele was considered the biggest Tusker in the Kruger Park and South Africa. His left tusk weighed 51kg and the right 54kg, and they were 2.34m and 2.45m long respectively.

Masthulele (2007/09/12)

Masthulele (2011/06/17)

Masthulele (2012/04/29)

Masthulele (2013/06/19)

Masthulele (2014/04/29)

Masthulele (2013/09/20)

Muliliuane

This big Tusker was named after ranger Harry Kirkman who spent 36 years working in both the Kruger National Park and Sabi Sand Wildtuin (game reserve) until his retirement in 1969. Like Mr. Kirkman, Muliliuane’s home range included both these conservation areas. We saw Muliliuane only once, in June 2005, and unfortunately he didn’t want to give us a good view of his enormous ivory. Muliluane died at the end of 2007, in Sabi Sand.

Muliliuane (2005/06/02)

Nambu

Nambu is becoming an ever more familiar sight for tourists and his tusks have grown impressively recently. We had a few encounters with Nambu during September 2019.

Nambu (24/09/2019)

Nambu (26/09/2019)

Ndlovane

Our first sighting of Ndlovane was way back in September 2005, when he was much less an imposing animal than later in life. We then saw him in July 2016 and again in May 2018. Although very impressive already, Ndlovane was still considered a young bull (Ndlovane means “small elephant”) and with age on his side Ndlovane could have grown to be one of Kruger’s biggest Tuskers. Ndlovane died of natural causes in October 2020, having been in poor condition for some months prior. It was determined post-mortem that a growth inside Ndlovane’s mouth severely hampered his chewing action, leading to him losing condition and dying. Ndlovane’s left tusk measured 257cm long and weighed 45kg while his right tusk was 267cm long and weighed almost 53kg.

Ndlovane (2005/09/25)

Ndlovane (2016/07/02)

Ndlovane (2018/05/18)

Tusker Ndlovane (2018/05/18)

Ngonyama

Ngonyama is a much larger Tusker today than when we saw him in February 2009 while enjoying a guided walk through the mopaneveld of northern Kruger. He was named after the late Dr. Uys de Villiers Pienaar, who started working in the Kruger National Park in 1955 and ended his career in 1991 as Chief Director of National Parks. “Ngonyama” is the isiZulu word for lion.

Ngonyama (2009/02/15)

Ngunyupezi

Ngunyupezi, meaning “one who likes to dance”, was named after late ranger James Maluleke (33 years service). In April 2007, the de Wets were among the first people to lay eyes on this irritable bull with his uniquely shaped left tusk. He roamed a vast area from Pafuri to south of the Shingwedzi River, but was later seen mostly near Shingwedzi Rest Camp. Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to have been any recent sightings of Ngunyupezi and it is doubtful whether he is still alive.

Ngunyupezi (2007/04/30)

Nkombo

Nkombo was named by research NGO Elephants Alive, who kept track of this emerging tusker with a satellite collar, which he lost in 2014. We were lucky to see him twice during a visit in September 2014. Sadly Nkombo’s carcass was found in September 2020. His right tusk broke shortly before his death and measured 197cm long, weighing in at 42kg. Nkombo’s left tusk weighed 46kg and was 233cm long.

Nkombo (2014/09/25)

Nkombo (2014/09/27)

N’wendlamuhari

We’ve had four encounters with the often irritable bull known as N’wendlamuhari, who’s name means “the river that is fierce when in flood”. Our first encounter with him was in 2009, and his tusks weren’t all that big then. It was therefore amazing to see him again in August 2011 and September 2012 and see how much his tusks have grown in stature. Today he is a very impressive specimen and we were fortunate to see N’wendlamuhari again on the 2nd of January 2020.

N’wendlamuhari (2009/02/14)

N’wendlamuhari (2011/08/08)

N’wendlamuhari (2012/09/29)

Tusker N’wendlamuhari (photo by Joubert)

Gorgeous Tusker N’wendlamuhari (2020/01/02)

N’wendlamuhari (2020/01/02)

Xidudla

Xidudla is an impressive bull, the name being in reference to his large size. We were fortunate to cross paths with Xidudla twice in one day during a visit to Kruger in March 2018.

Xidudla (2018/03/29)

Xindzulundzulu

This bull’s Tsonga name means “walking around in circles” and is in reference to his very small home range centred around one of the Kruger National Park’s camps, where he is regularly seen. We were lucky to have seen Xindzulundzulu twice already – in September 2012 and December 2015 – and hope to see him at least a few more times still!

Xindzulundzulu (2012/09/25)

Xindzulundzulu (2015/12/18)

We’ve seen many more aspirant and impressive emerging Tuskers in Kruger over the years, many of which have not been named yet. These are a few of them.

Unknown Kruger Tusker (2008/10/13)

Unknown Kruger Tusker (2010/03/23)

“Nshawani” (Not official name)(2011/08/08)

Unknown Kruger Tusker (2012/02/09)

“Shikomu” (Not official name)(2012/09/25)

“Hlahleni” (Not official name)(2013/09/20)

Unknown Kruger Tusker (2014/04/26)

Unknown Kruger Tusker (2014/04/27)

“Mshatu” (Not official name)(2014/08/10)

Unknown Kruger Tusker (2014/09/24)

“Marhumbini” (Not official name)(2014/09/24)

Unknown Kruger Tusker (2014/09/25)

“Nsemani” (Not official name)(2015/07/22)

“Mfuleni” (Not official name)(2015/12/17)

Unknown Kruger Tusker (2015/12/20)

Unknown Kruger Tusker (2016/06/30)

Unknown Kruger Tusker (2018/03/21)

Unknown Kruger Tusker (2018/04/02)

Unknown Kruger Tusker (2018/05/19)

Unknown Kruger Tusker (21/09/2019)

Gentle Tusker

Old Tusker

Big old tusker

Big Elephant Bull

One-tusked Elephant Bull

Elephant bull

Big old bull, but couldn’t save his friend

Elephant Bull

Not wanting to attract the unwanted attention of poachers to these beautiful animals I’ve purposefully omitted the exact locations where we saw those Tuskers that are still alive. And if we are fortunate enough to see some of these big guys and others like them in future, we’ll come update this post with those pictures.

Kalahari Scrub Robin

11 Replies

Cercotrichas paena

The Kalahari Scrub Robin inhabits arid and semi-arid, open habitats with scattered trees and bushes, particularly thorn-savannas, where it hunts on the ground for insects and spiders. Adults grow to a length of about 15 cm and weigh around 20g.

The breeding season for Kalahari Scrub Robins stretch from mid-winter to the end of summer, peaking around October and November. Their untidy nests are built of plant material and hair and placed low in shrubs. Pairs are monogamous and territorial, the male defending the nesting site with the female being solely responsible for incubating the clutch of 2-4 eggs for a period of 2 weeks. The chicks leave the nest about 2 weeks after hatching.

Apart from South Africa (Northern Cape, North West, Free State and Limpopo), the Kalahari Scrub Robin is found in Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and marginally into Angola. The IUCN lists it as being of least concern.

Kalahari Scrub Robin

Bibron’s Thick-toed Gecko

17 Replies

Chondrodactylus bibronii

Bibron’s Thick-toed Gecko, also known as Bibron’s Giant Gecko, is a nocturnal reptile occurring in South Africa’s Western, Eastern and Northern Cape, Free State and North West Provinces, and marginally into adjacent parts of Botswana and Namibia. Here it inhabits rocky outcrops and human habitations in Karoo and semi-desert scrublands. It feeds on a wide variety of insects, other invertebrates, and even smaller lizards, often hunting around the lights of buildings at night. They are often found in colonies but are territorial and aggressive to each other, the males especially so, and they will also readily bite to defend themselves against predators and humans. Bibron’s Gecko is one of the largest geckos in South Africa, growing to between 15 and 20cm in length (including the tail, which makes up about half their total length). Adult females typically lay two clutches of two eggs each per year, hiding them in crevices or under bark.