Savanna
Made famous by the images of tremendous herds of buffalo, wildebeest and zebras crossing the plains and enduring the onslaught of predators. Also known as the bushveld and characterised by the well-studied large mammals and rich bird life. Cattle ranching is a popular practice with most of the savannah vegetation providing some source of food to wild and domesticated animals. Eco-tourism is very popular thanks to the occurrence of the flagship, big-five species occurring in the savannah.
Mammals:
Plains Zebra (Equus quagga): the adult with a cream / white coat colour and black stripes that continue under the belly has an average shoulder height of 1,3m and weighs 290-340kg. Previously known as Equus burchellii, it occurs in vast herds, usually following grazing wildebeest. They are nervous, restless and noisy creatures and are related to the extincty karoo quagga. When pursued by predators the males take a defensive stance and stallions and mares alike will defend the herd (and their young) with bites and very powerful kicks. After a year of gestation a mare will produce a foal weighing 30-35kg.
Blue Wildebeest (Connochates taurinus): the adults vary in size between average shoulder height’s of 1,5m and 1,3m and average weights of 250kg and 180kg, for males and females respectively. Its pelt may appear blue in certain light (hence the name). Its true pelt colour is greyish brown with dark vertical stripes on its neck and flanks. It has a horselike tail and an erect mane. They constantly follow paths leading to water and good grazing grounds. During migrations, the younger bulls will be found at the edges of the herd. This, together with the company of the always nervous zebra, acts as a defense against predators. They characteristically stare at a predator or unknown object before whirling round and galloping away.
Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus): on the face of the adult are distinctive tear marks that run from each eye to the corner of the mouth. Its coat is cream yellow with black spots distributed over entire body and tail but are absent on its pale chest and abdomen. It reaches an average shoulder height of 80-85cm and weighs 40-60kg. It can reach speeds of 80-100km/h, making it the fastest living mammal on earth, though it is classified as vulnerable. It is built for speed not for brawling, and is easily scared off by larger predators such as lions, leopards or hyena. For this reason the mother would always move her litter (consisting, on average, of three cubs) from one hiding place to the next.
Birds:
Secretarybird (Sagittarius serpentarius): easily spotted in tall grass. The adults can reach heights of up to 1,5m. It has a pale grey upper body; yellow or bright orange face; black wings, thighs and crest and long, pinkish legs. The 4kg adults are usually seen alone or in pairs, striding through the veld, foraging for insects and rodents. They feed, without a hint of fear, on even the most poisonous of snakes (e.g. puffadders and cobras). All food items are eaten in large chunks and the undigested parts are later regurgitated. Regarded as outstanding fliers, their manner of take-off (running take-off), flight (using thermals) and landing (taking a running stop) is similar to that of stalks. Breeding occurs mostly from August through September and the two large eggs are laid in a large, stick nest. The eggs hatch at 42-46 days and the one surviving hatchling would take off on its first flight after 80-100 days. S. serpentarius is an excellent example of a creature of flight perfectly adapted for living and ruling on land.
Kori Bustard (Ardeotis kori): the world’s heaviest bird capable of flight, reaches a height of 1,35m and an astonishing weight of 16,5kg. Its body is mostly greyish brown, with a grey, barred neck and a black crown. It feeds on insects, small vertebrates and seeds and is very fond of tree gum (hence its Afrikaans name: “Gompou”). This very large bird is an excellent flier and may take off without a running start. Bee-eaters are often spotted sitting on the back of A. kori, catching the insects f;ying up from the bushes. . When breeding, it may be seen alone or in pairs. During courtship the male inflates his neck, raises his tail, droops his wings till the tips touch the ground, bends his neck to touch the tip of his tail and lets loose a loud mating call. There is no effort in making a nest and the pale green eggs are laid on the ground. The eggs hatch in 4-5 weeks.
African Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer): this very well-known bird of prey is common and occurs at most large water bodies (estuaries included) and are even spotted at farm dams and sewage disposal ponds where there are large tall trees to perch in. It reaches a length of 63-75cm. The male weighs 2-2,5kg and the larger female may weigh 3,1-3,6kg. Its head, neck, chest and tail is white; its back and wings are black; its belly and underwing is maroon and its feet and legs are bright yellow. Perched, up high, alongside a dam it scans the closest water body for the slightest movement of a fish. It takes off in a steady, shallow glide. Nearing the fish it brings its feet forward and without a second glance it gracefully snatches the fish out of the water. The two white eggs are laid mid-winter in a sometimes very deep, bowl-shaped stick nest. Both parents incubate the eggs and after 75 days the chicks are ready to fly, but stay with the parents for another two months.
Reptiles / Amphibians:
Black Mamba (Dendroaspis polypis): probably the most feared African snake, this slender 2,5-3,5m reptile is able to travel at 15km/h. It is usually olive-green, grey-brown or dark grey (rarely black), depending on the current environment. Its neurotoxic and cardiotoxic venom is fast-acting and without treatment could cause death in mere hours. Bites are accidental since a mamba is nervous and would rather flee than attack, but when cornered it will strike without hesitation. They are often found in houses and outbuildings (where the most fatal incidents occur, for either party). In their natural environment they live in holes (any suitable hole created by any animal), hunt at first light (for birds and rodents usually), ascend a tree mid-day to sun-bathe and at the hottest period of the day it would retreat to the cooler patches in koppies or trees. The female lays her eggs mid-summer and her hatchlings are just as poisonous as she is.
Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus): the largest specimen ever recorded was 5,86m long and weighed roughly 800kg. The average length of C. niloticus is 3,5-4m and the average wight 450-600kg (males are usually much larger than females). Its colouration is green or greenish-yellow and darkens with age. Its belly and underparts remain cream-yellow. It spends the largest part of the day basking in the sun, only entering the water to hunt or escape overheating. It spends its night partially submerged underwater. It has valves to seal off its throat and nasal passages when submerged, and can stay underwater for up to 4 minutes. Its main diet consists of fish but often includes mammals, birds and carrion. Larger prey gets dragged underwater where the crocodile engages in, what is commonly known as a, “deathroll”. This helps the crocodile to drown its prey and tear large chunks of the victim’s body. The female lays 15-80 eggs, layered in a 40cm deep nest on a river bank. She covers the nest and is always close by till the eggs have hatched.
Giant Bullfrog (Pyxicephalus adspersus): a very aggressive and intimidating amphibian, the 20cm in length (largest amphibian species in southern Africa) a bullfrog inflates itself when it feels threatened and will not hesitate to attack. It has a nasty bite, owing to the two bony teeth in its lower jaw, which leaves a mark even on a wooden broomstick. During the mating season the male makes an extremely loud noise, similar to the bellow of a bull. It digs a burrow using the hard spade-like outgrowths on its hind feet. It feeds on insects, mice, reptiles as well as other frogs and retreats to its burrow whenever feeding is not necessary. During the rainy season large numbers aggregate in shallow ponds / pans to breed. During these mating times the males are particularly fierce and make a lot of noise during their territorial tussles. These tussles may even last to the death. The female lays a batch of 3000-4000 eggs. These hatch after two days to become tadpoles and after three weeks large numbers of tiny bullfrogs leave the pond.
Invertebrates:
Green Milkweed Locust (Phymateus viridipes): these locusts may be seen in swarms of thousands of individuals migrating long distances over the savannah. They are large (body length reaching 7cm), with green body and fore wings, red and blue hind wings. Pronotum: raised, serrated thoracic ridge (on the locust’s back, behind the head), tipped red. The nymphs appear a spotted black and yellow colouring. When intimidated it raises and rustles its wings whilst releasing a toxic-smelling foam from the thoracic joints.
Reticulate Bagnet (Anaphe reticulata): this species is in the family Thaumetopoeidae, known as the Processionary moths. The latter is derived from the instinctive habit of A. reticulata’s hairy larvae to move from food plant to food plant (wild pear and hornpod trees) in a single file line. These moths are medium sized (wingspan of 42mm) with comb-like antennae, silvery white fore wings marked by a network of thick brown lines and two white patches on its hairy thorax. Larvae are usually seen crowded together and they also pupate together in a sack-like structure known as a “bagnet”.
Reticulate Bagnet (Anaphe reticulata): this species is in the family Thaumetopoeidae, known as the Processionary moths. The latter is derived from the instinctive habit of A. reticulata’s hairy larvae to move from food plant to food plant (wild pear and hornpod trees) in a single file line. These moths are medium sized (wingspan of 42mm) with comb-like antennae, silvery white fore wings marked by a network of thick brown lines and two white patches on its hairy thorax. Larvae are usually seen crowded together and they also pupate together in a sack-like structure known as a “bagnet”.
Herbs:
White Buffalo Grass (Panicum maximum): a leafy perennial tufted grass also known as Guinea grass. It is palatable and a very valuable grazing grass, supporting livestock as well as wild antelope across southern Africa. In a healthy condition it is a broad bush reaching a height near 30cm. This grass easily colonises disturbed areas where the soil is highly fertile and is a common weed in sugarcane fields. The millet-like spikelets are very popular food for seed eating birds.
Tsamma Melon (Citrullus lanatus): a rigid annual with long (up to 3m), tough stems growing horizontally with the ground and large rough leaves. It is monoecious (male and female flowers occur on the same plant but not within the same flower), producing flowers 3cm in diameter, green on the outside and yellow on the inside. The fruits are large (up to 20cm in diameter), and as the name suggests resemble melons. The rind of the fruit is hairless, hard (not woody) and a mottled grey-green. The flesh of the fruit is white to a very light green and the seeds are numerous. It has a bitter taste and serves a very important purpose in providing a remarkable store of water to animals and humans with no other source of water.
Poison Bulb (Boophone disticha): an attractive, deciduous bulb with a thick covering of dry black scales. The inflorescence appears to grow directly from the bulb, but a very short stem is present. The flowers are sweetly scented and vary from pink to red. The flowers are usually pollinated by bees, flies and ants. After flowering the pedicels elongate to form a capsule enclosing the mature seeds. The inflorescence then breaks off and rolls through the veld dispersing its seeds. The erect leaves, appearing in a fan formation are produced after flowering. B. disticha will flower even in a period of drought. The bulbs are extremely poisonous.
Trees / Shrubs:
Sweet Prickly Pear (Opuntica ficus-indica): a native of Central America; declared weed in South Africa, this succulent shrub is a very rapid and successful invader of almost all southern African biomes. It was introduced for its edible fruit and use as animal fodder. It has greyish-green cladodes (flattened stems resembling leaf like structures), with tufts of sturdy spines, on which the yellow flowers are born. The flowers develop into yellow berries, approximately 8cm long, which turn reddish as they ripen. It makes use of the animals feeding on its fruit for seed dispersal but easily reproduces asexually through cladodes broken off from the plant body. The berries are covered in minute, very irritating spines. The overall plant body can reach a height of 2,5m.
Red-Leaved Fig (Ficus ingens): this dwarf spreading shrub supports a great diversity of life in the savannah. Its pinkish figs feeding birds, monkeys and baboons, to name a few, and it serves as larval food for the butterfly Myrina silenus ficedula. It makes use of the animals feeding on its fruit for seed dispersal. The leaves are, however, toxic to live stock. It occurs on rocky hills and often acts as a rock-splitter (aiding in the biological weathering of rocks). Its bark is greyish and smooth with the branchlets often having short hairs. Its young leaves are bronze-red and form ovate mature leaves with a heart-shaped base.
Tamboti Tree (Spirostachys africana): a medium-sized (5-10m), deciduous tree with upright stem and rounded crown. The bark is a dark grey and the cracks form tiny, rectangular blocks. The tree sap is milky. The leaves are small, dull green with bent edges. The flowers are very small and clumped together on short leaf veins. The fruit are three-lobed woody capsules and often infected with the larvae of Emporia melanobasis. After the fruit have fallen from the tree the moth larvae jack-knife erratically inside the capsule, causing the fruit to jump and seem alive.