Category Archives: South African Wildlife

The inhabitants of South Africa’s wild places

Common Scimitarbill

Rhinopomastus cyanomelas

The Common Scimitarbill feeds almost entirely on insects and other invertebrates scrounged from behind the bark of trees, a task that its characteristic bill is well adapted to perform. These restless birds inhabit open, dry woodlands and are usually encountered singly, in pairs or small family groups.

Common Scimitarbills form territorial pairs and breed in spring and summer, nesting in cavities in tree trunks and often using the same nest for several consecutive years. The female is solely responsible for incubating the clutch of 2-4 eggs for a 2 week period, with the male providing her with food on the nest , and the chicks take their first short flights around 3 weeks after hatching. The chicks may remain with their parents for up to 6 months. Adults weigh about 35g and measure approximately 26cm in length.

In South Africa the Common Scimitarbill is found in all provinces with the exception of the Western Cape. They’re also found as far north as Angola on the African west coast and up to Kenya and Somalia on the eastern seaboard of the continent. Despite suspecting their populations to be decreasing due to habitat loss (and in particular the removal of trees with holes for breeding) the IUCN lists the Common Scimitarbill as being of least concern.

Common Scimitarbill

Scimitarbill

Common Scimitarbill

Flat-crown Tree

8 Replies

Albizia adianthifolia

The Flat-crown is a large tree occurring in coastal and mountain forests, in South Africa restricted to the subtropical coast of Kwazulu-Natal and an apparently isolated population in north-eastern Limpopo Province. It usually grows to about 25m tall with exceptional specimens towering to 40m high.

Elephants love browsing on the leaves and pods of the Flat-crown and several kinds of butterfly raise their caterpillars on it. While the bark is poisonous in sufficient quantities it is used in traditional medicine to treat intestinal parasites. Due to its interesting growth form the Flat-crown is often found in large gardens in frost-free parts of the country.

Flat-crown Tree

Looking up into the branches of a Flat-crown tree

Flat-crown Tree

Flat-crown Trees overhanging a road in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, with a stump of a dead specimen in front

Flat-crown trees

African Veined White Butterfly

7 Replies

Belenois gidica

The African Veined White is a commonly encountered butterfly species occurring in the savanna-bushveld habitats stretching from the Eastern Cape through Kwazulu-Natal to the Lowveld and Limpopo Valley in the north of the country. Adults are on the wing throughout the year and have a wingspan of around 5cm. The widespread wild caper bush (Capparis sepiaria) is an important food plant for the larvae of these butterflies.

African Veined White

African Veined White slurping nectar from an Impala Lily flower

African Veined White

Red-billed Spurfowl

3 Replies

Pternistis adspersus

The Red-billed Spurfowl is a game bird that is found in Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia, and only marginally in South Africa’s North West and Northern Cape Provinces. They inhabit dry savanna habitats, often near water courses, and feed mainly on seeds and berries, with insects and other invertebrates making up a lesser percentage of their intake. They are generally very confiding around humans, especially in camp sites.

Outside of the breeding season Red-billed Spurfowls can be found in groups of up to 20. They nest in shallow scrapes among bushes or clumps of grass and may breed at anytime of year, often in response to rainfall. The female incubates the clutch of 3-10 eggs over a 3 week period. Fully grown they weigh up to half-a-kilogram and measure about 37cm in length.

The IUCN considers the Red-billed Spurfowl to be of least concern.

Red-billed Spurfowl

Striped Skaapsteker

5 Replies

Psammophylax tritaeniatus

The Striped Skaapsteker is a diurnal snake that is found over much of northern and central South Africa, where it inhabits grassland and savanna and takes shelter in burrows, termite mounds or under rocks and logs. It uses its mild venom to subdue to its preferred prey – rodents, frogs and lizards – but the venom has virtually no effect on humans. These snakes are exceptionally quick but rather meek when handled. Females lay 5-18 eggs in summer. Fully grown they measure almost a metre in length.

The name Skaapsteker (Afrikaans meaning “Sheep Stinger”) is entirely undeserved as this snake’s venom is unlikely to have any effect on a sheep.

Striped Skaapsteker

Millipedes

11 Replies

Millipedes are among the most ancient of animals in all of Creation, and more than 12,000 species populate the planet. Only one known species actually has a thousand (or more) feet as the translation of their name from Latin would imply, with most boasting anywhere between 40 and 400 legs – still a number huge enough to be deserving of all the jokes told of them being late for some event or another due to the time it takes to tie their shoelaces…

Millipedes feed on a wide range of decaying organic material, playing a massively important role in the nutrient cycle of the ecosystems in which they occur, ranging from tropical forests to deserts. Depending on the species females may lay up to 300 eggs, which hatch after a few weeks. The tiny hatchlings usually have only 6 legs, adding more segments and legs to their body every time they moult. Some species of millipede may live for up to 10 years.

The most endearing trait exhibited by most species of Millipede, and also the primary protection measure they employ, is to roll into a tight coil that protects their legs and undersides. Others again may start wriggling manically to imitate a snake! Many species also excrete a noxious substance that make them unpalatable for almost all predators.

Millipedes range in size from tiny 2mm midgets to giants of 35cm in length.

Millipede

Shongololo (large millipede)

Millipede

Giant Millipede

Millipede

Millipede disappearing down a burrow

Millipede

Knob Thorn

12 Replies

Senegalia (Acacia) nigrescens

The Knob Thorn is a well-known tree, thanks to its characteristic spines, occurring in the low-lying areas of northern Kwazulu-Natal, the Lowveld of Mpumalanga and Limpopo, and along the Limpopo River Valley. Beyond our borders it is found as far north as Tanzania. It may grow up to 18m tall and is very drought resistant. Many animals, particularly giraffes and elephants, love browsing on the leaves and pods of the Knob Thorn.

Knob Thorn in bloom

Knob Thorn

Knob Thorn leaves

Knobthorn flowers

Spotted-necked Otter

8 Replies

Hydrictis (Lutra) maculicollis

The Spotted-neck Otter inhabits freshwater habitats with good water quality and well vegetated margins. They feed mainly on fish, crabs, frogs and occasionally waterbird chicks. These otters hunt by sight and are consequently mainly diurnal and most active at sunrise and sunset. By night they sleep in tunnels in river banks, in dense vegetation or among logs and rocks.

Spotted-necked Otters live in family groups of 2-6 individuals consisting of an adult pair and their latest offspring. They’re very intelligent, curious and playful. Cubs are born after a two month gestation, with births in South Africa peaking in the summer months. The babies stay in their den for up to 3 months and have to be taught to swim, a task undertaken mostly by their mother. The little ones remain with their parents until the next litter is born. Fully grown Spotted-necked Otters weigh between 3 and 6kg, with males being considerably bigger than the females. They’re about a metre long.

The IUCN considers the Spotted-necked Otter to be near-threatened, concerned by the degradation of the otter’s habitat throughout its wide distribution over most of sub-Saharan Africa. In South Africa, Spotted-necked Otters occur mainly on the highveld of the Free State, Gauteng and Mpumalanga and in adjacent parts of the Eastern Cape and Kwazulu-Natal. In our country their population is estimated at a maximum of 10,000 animals and they’re considered to be vulnerable to extinction, with habitat destruction being the major threat. Our local Rietvlei Nature Reserve on the outskirts of Pretoria is one of the best places to see these endearing creatures, and all the following photographs were taken there.

Spotted-necked Otter

Spotted-necked Otters

Spotted-necked Otter on the run

Spotted-necked Otters

Spotted-necked Otter

Spotted-neck Otter

Spotted-necked Otter

Black-striped Hairtail Butterfly

9 Replies

Anthene amarah

The Black-striped Hairtail is a tiny (wingspan less than 3cm) butterfly with a wide distribution across southern, eastern and northern South Africa and a special fondness for thorn trees – adults relish the flowers while caterpillars subsist on the leaves. Adults can be seen year-round though they’re much more numerous in summer when they can sometimes be seen together in groups numbering several dozen.

Black-striped Hairtail

Red-capped Lark

8 Replies

Calandrella cinerea

The Red-capped Lark is a common bird species that occurs throughout South Africa, with greatest population densities on the Highveld, in the Karoo and in the Fynbos-biome, indicating their preference for open grasslands and shrublands. They’ll also utilise recently burned or ploughed fields to search for food, which consists mainly of seeds and insects. Beyond our borders they occur over most of the continent south of the equator.

Red-capped Larks breed on the ground, usually just before the first spring or summer rains, using natural hollows – often hoofprints – lined with soft plant material gathered mostly by the female as a nest. The female incubates a clutch of 2-4 eggs for around 2 weeks, with the male providing her with food. Once hatched the chicks are reared by both parents and leave the nest before they’re 3 weeks old. Outside of the breeding season they may form flocks of up to 30 individuals.

Citing a widespread and increasing population, the IUCN considers the Red-capped Lark as being of least concern.