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The dwarf mongoose eats insects, small lizards and snakes as well as eggs.  You probably remember Rudyard Kipling’s story of “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, the mongoose that saved a family from a cobra snake; although that story took place in India. Thus guy was up in a tree when we passed by.  Probably looking for insects to snack … Read more

I saw two different species of monkeys in Africa. Vervet and Baboons.  Obviously there are many different species spread over Africa but these two were the only ones in the area I was in. Lets start with the long tailed, black faced, Vervet Monkey.  They spend most of their time in trees but do have to get … Read more

I saw two different pigs in Africa.  The common wart-hog and the bush pig.  The wart hog is quite common and we saw many but the bush pig is rare.  We Only saw one. This is the Bush Pig.  Sort of cute in a homely sort of way.  They spend most of their time in … Read more

With a name like Hippopotamus lets just call them Hippo’s. Or we could use the other common name of River Pig, but at their size and temperament, not to their faces. The hippopotamus or hippo, from the ancient Greek for “river horse” (sorry river pig seems a better name) is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal. … Read more

The giraffe is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant, meaning it chews a cud like a cow. Its species name refers to its camel-like appearance and the patches of color on its fur. No two giraffes have the same color patch design. It just like a fingerprint. Its chief distinguishing characteristics are its extremely … Read more

The nyala feeds upon foliage, fruits and grasses. A shy animal, it prefers water holes rather than open spaces. Nyala are spiral-horned and middle-sized antelopes, between a bushbuck and and a kudu which we will see later in this site.  the female Females and young males have ten or more white vertical stripes on their … Read more

There are many different species of hoofed animals in South Africa.  While some are individual species that I will deal with separately, the larger category represented are the antelope.  When we think of antelope, we usually think of the Prong horns of the American West.  You will be surprised at the difference in the African … Read more

The horns of Cape Buffalo are very peculiar. A characteristic feature of them is the adult bull’s horns have fused bases, forming a continuous bone shield referred to as a “boss”, which can not always be penetrated even by a rifle bullet. From the base, the horns diverge, then bend down, and then smoothly curve upwards … Read more