Mammals of South Africa
Seeing a wildlife film engages your intellect, watching animals interact with each other from a comfortable vehicle activates the photographer in you, but coming across a leopard makes you feel like prey…
Learning about the mammals of South Africa gives you an insight into the animals behaviour. And learning about the mammals of South Africa is now so much easier for all South Africans - SouthAfrica.co.za is an excellent source of information in all 11 official languages of the country.
Aardvarks are equipped with muscular, short legs covered with long dark fur. They have strong, powerful nailed claws that are ideal for digging and walking through the bush in South Africa....
moreThe aardwolf is native to South Africa and throughout Eastern and Southern Africa. The aardwolf enjoys wide, open, dry spaces among savanna and grassland. The aardwolf population is split into two populations....
moreThe African buffalo can be found in South Africa. This large wild bovine reaches up to 1.5 meters in shoulder height and can weigh up to 750 kg. While both sexes have horns...
moreArmoured with strong hides and a menacing horn, the African rhinoceros can graze undeterred alongside resting lions in the bushveld of South Africa. They are characterised for the great horns...
moreThe African weasel is a carnivore and prefers to eat prey that lay close to the ground. Prey includes small rodents, small birds and sometimes insects found in South Africa....
moreThe African wildcat prefers to feed on small rodents such as mice and rats but will opt for other food sources in times of scarcity. They are known to also eat hare, rabbits, small...
moreBaboons generally inhabit mountainous areas around South Africa. You can also find them in woodlands, semi-desert areas and sub alpine meadows found along the Drakensberg Mountains...
moreThe banded mongoose is limited to woodland savannah areas found in South Africa. These environments can be found from KwaZulu Natal’s coastal area right up to the...
moreThe tiny teeth of the bat-eared fox limit them to a diet of fruit, small rodents and insects found in South Africa....
moreThe breeding season of the black-backed jackal occurs between July to October in South Africa. After a gestation period of 2 months, a litter of around 1-6 pups (rarely 9) are born....
moreThere are four subspecies in Africa namely the southern central black rhino (Diceros bicornis minor); eastern black rhino (Diceros bicornis michaeli);...
moreThe black wildebeest is endemic to South Africa, historically having inhabited the open grasslands of the Northern Cape, Free State, southern Highveld regions,...
moreThe blesbok and bontebok are closely related. Historically, the bontebok and blesbok inhabited different areas of land in South Africa, however interbreeding has occurred between the two subspecies....
moreThe blue wildebeest is distributed in large parts of Southern Africa, but is concentrated to the northeastern regions of South Africa. Population numbers are drastically decreased...
moreThe bontebok is a seasonal breeder, the rut occurring between January and mid-March. After a gestation period of 238 to 254 days, single calves are born in South Africa during September and October....
moreThe Burchell’s zebra prefers savanna woodland and grassland plains as its habitat in South Africa and avoids areas of dense vegetation. Being very dependent on water, it never wanders further than ten to...
moreBush pigs prefer dense forests and underbrush along rivers and streams. They can be found at the foot of mountains in South Africa in the Eastern Cape, Kwazulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape...
moreBeing a South African species, the lesser bushbaby has a high tolerance of temperature variation. It prefers savannas, woodlands, the fringes of the forest and riverine bush as its habitat...
moreThe bushbuck is closely related to the nyala and the kudu. Rams are graceful in appearance with a dark greyish-brown fur, white spots on the flanks and white socks. They measure 700mm at the shoulders...
moreThe Cape fox is the smallest canid and only true fox found in South Africa. Adults measure about 35 cm at the shoulder, are 94 cm in length and weigh only 2.5 to 3 kg. Its coat is silver-grey in colour and it has large,...
moreThe Cape ground squirrel is a rodent endemic to South Africa. It has a coarse, cinnamon coloured coat with a white stripe running down either side of its body. Its white underparts and fluffy, fan-like tail have white...
moreThe Cape grysbok is found in South Africa in the mountain valleys and shrubby plains of the Western and Eastern Cape. It is endemic to the Fynbos Biome....
moreThe Cape hare is abundant and widely distributed throughout South Africa’s arid regions, and is also found in Botswana and the central areas of Namibia....
moreThe South African government thereby established the Mountain Zebra National Park, despite strong opposition....
moreThe Cape clawless otter inhabits the areas of higher rainfall on the eastern coastline of South Africa. It is an uncommon animal, and entirely absent from the drier and arid regions of the country....
moreThe caracal can be found throughout South Africa in rocky, hilly terrains and open woodland savannas....
moreAfter a gestation period of about 140 days, a single young is born. Having no specific breeding season, female chacma baboons can give birth throughout the year in South Africa....
moreHaving no specific breeding season, the cheetah female can give birth throughout the year in South Africa. After a gestation period of three months, 1 - 5 cubs weighing about 272 g are born to a litter....
moreLeopards are very territorial and males will defend large territories which include those of females. The female leopard also defends her territories from other females....
moreLionesses usually hunt as a pack for the pride. Lions prey on large animals such as the wildebeest, zebra, gemsbok, buffalo and even giraffe....
moreThe springbok prefers grass savanna, dry river beds, and calcareous pans as their habitat in South Africa, avoiding tall grass. They tend to live in harsh and unpredictable areas....
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