The fauna of South Africa is astonishingly varied, but largely typical of the ecosystems of Africa.
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The topography and geology of South Africa is extremely varied, resulting in a wide variety of habitats. Due to this, South Africa is ranked sixth out of the world’s seventeen megadiverse countries.[1] In the extreme northwest of the country is true desert, which is the southernmost end of the Namib desert, a desert that is at least 55 million years old,[2] making it the oldest desert in the world. This arid corner intergrades into the extensive semi-arid Karoo found across much of South Africa, covering the Northern Cape and into parts of the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and the Free State. This biome used to be extensive grassland in the past, but has become dominated by small shrubs and succulents due to centuries of overgrazing. To the north and east of these biomes is the Kalahari, which is mainly semi-arid woodland, dominated by thorn trees of the genus Acacia. The north-east and eastern parts of South Africa (Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Kwa-Zulu Natal)is covered with savanna and open woodlands known as bushveld. This area supports the widest variety of wildlife in the country. The most prevalent biome in South Africa is grassland, particularly on the Highveld, where the plant cover is dominated by different grasses and low shrubs. In this biome trees are rare and occur only along watercourses where fires are uncommon. Towards the southern coast, the vegetation is again dominated by shrubs in ecological communities known as Thicket and noorsveld, where succulent species such as Euphorbia, Aloe, and Portulacaria afra are common, as well as Cape Honeysuckle Tecoma capensis and Cape Leadwort Plumbago auriculata. To the west, the vegetation intergrades into Mediterranean shrubland known locally as fynbos, dominated mainly by plant families rare in other habitats, such as Proteaceae, Ericaceae and Restionaceae. Here the vegetation is made up of sclerophyllous plants which do not support much mammal or bird life. finally, the last biome found is forest, which only covers 1% of South Africa and is concentrated around the Knysna area and scattered along the escarpment of the Drakensberg mountains upwards along Kwa-Zulu Natal.
The country has over 300 species of mammals.
Many carnivores, both large and small, inhabit South Africa. Most carnivoran families are well-represented in South Africa, such as Canidae, Felidae, Hyaenidae, Mustelidae, Viverridae, Herpestidae, and Otariidae. Most famous of these is the African Lion, the largest carnivore on the continent and the second-largest cat in the world. The other two big cats are the leopard and the cheetah. The Spotted Hyena is commonly found in most large game reserves, while the Brown Hyena inhabits the arid parts of the country, and the Aardwolf is widespread. The African Wild Dog is an endangered species and is found mainly in the Kruger National Park and surrounding areas.
Smaller carnivores are common across the country, and two species, the black-backed jackal and the caracal, are seen by some as pest species, often taking livestock such as sheep and goats, as lion, leopard, cheetah, African wild dog, and both species of hyena have been largely extirpated outside of protected areas. The Serval is a rodent specialist and often occurs in marshy areas. Bat-eared foxes, Cape Foxes and small felids such as the Black-footed Cat (Felis nigripes) and African Wild Cat (Felis sylvestris cafra) are widespread, although there are concerns about the genetic purity of the African Wild Cat, as it breeds readily with both domestic and feral Domestic Cats (Felis sylvestris catus), which dilutes the African Wild Cat's gene pool. There are many species of mongoose, such as the Meerkat, and Water Mongoose. There are two genet species, the Common Genet and the Large Spotted Genet. The mustelids are well represented, the Honey Badger and the Striped Polecat among the best known. The only seal native to the region is the Brown Fur Seal, which breeds in large colonies off Namibia and South Africa.
Artiodactyls
South Africa has many antelope species, some which are widespread and are well-known in other parts of the world, and some that are endemic. There is an extinct species of antelope endemic to South Africa known as the Bluebuck. Several antelopes are found in different habitats. Species such as the Gemsbok are found in arid areas, the Black Wildebeest (an endemic species) in grasslands, the Cape Grysbok in fynbos, the Impala in savanna and the Klipspringer in rocky terrain. Other species range in a wider variety of habitats, such as the Springbok in arid shrublands, semidesert and grassland, and the Greater Kudu in thicket, open woodlands and riverine vegetation. South Africa has a wealth of small antelope species, such as the aforementioned Klipspringer and Cape Grysbok, Common Duiker, Blue Duiker, Steenbok and Oribi.
There are also larger artiodactyl species, such as the Cape Buffalo, Common Eland and the Giraffe. These are preyed upon mainly by lions.
Warthogs are common in the east of the country. Bushpigs occur in habitats with dense cover.
Distantly related to the warthog and the bushpig but closer to cetaceans is the Hippopotamus, an amphibious mammal that usually submerges itself in water bodies during the day and comes on land to feed on grasses during the night. The Hippopotamus is found in the eastern part of the country down to the St Lucia wetlands/ Kosi Bay estuary in Kwa-Zulu Natal, although they used to be much more widespread, occurring as far west as Cape Town and down the length of the Orange River. There is a small population of hippos in Cape Town,[3][4] where they were reintroduced to control alien vegetation. After their arrival in 1652 the Dutch settlers, led by founder of Cape Town Jan van Riebeeck, shot the resident hippopotamus population to extinction for meat and hides.[5]
Perissiodactyls
Herbivores which are not artiodactyls also occur in the region. There are two native species of equids in the country, the Plains Zebra and the Mountain Zebra. An extinct subspecies of the Plains Zebra, the Quagga, was endemic to the country.
Both the white rhinoceros and the black rhinoceros occur in the country. Neither can be distinguished by the colour, as both are a similar colour, but can be told apart by the shape of their mouths: with the white rhino, it has a wide or square mouth, while the black has a hook-lipped mouth. Both also behave differently, with the black rhino being smaller, shyer, and more aggressive.
There are again many species of rodents in South Africa, such as the Vlei Rat and Four-Striped Grass Mouse.
The three alien species of muriod rodents, the brown rat, the black rat and the house mouse, are all widespread in the country.
The Cape Ground Squirrel is common in arid areas and often shares its burrows with mongooses and meerkats, and is known to use its bushy tail as an umbrella from the harsh sun. There are tree squirrels, one of which is an introduced species: the Eastern gray squirrel, introduced in Cape Town by Cecil John Rhodes from Europe. The rest, such as Paraxerus cepapi, are found in the savanna biome in the north-east of the country.[6]
Shrews occur, which prey on invertebrates. The Southern African Hedgehog (Atelerix frontalis) is a hedgehog that is native to South Africa. It differs from the European Hedgehog in having a dark face bordered by white fur and longer legs, an adaptation to a warmer climate. They are found in the Eastern Cape northwards to Zimbabwe.
The Springhare is common in savanna and semiarid habitats. This animal is similar in appearance to a small wallaby, but it is actually a rodent. It consumes tubers and bulbs.
Scrub Hares and Cape Hares are common in all regions of South Africa, and are a common prey item of many predatory species such as leopards, cheetahs and birds of prey. The Riverine Rabbit is a critically endangered species of rabbit that is confined to several small populations in the Karoo. Smith's Red Rock Hare (Pronolagus rupestris), Jameson's Red Rock Hare (Pronolagus randensis) and the Natal Red Rock Hare (P. crassicaudatus) are three species of hare that live in rocky environments, hence their name. These species are isolated from one another in where they live. There is an introduced population of European Rabbits on Robben Island, which is under a culling programme.[7][8][9][10]
The origins of the taxon Afrotheria is deeply rooted in the African continent. The best known of these is the aardvark and the African Bush Elephant. Most members of the Afrotheria have remained in Africa.
The African Bush Elephant is the only proboscidean in South Africa, and the largest native animal. It is an ecosystem engineer, opening up dense thicket and woodland for more open-habitat species.
The aardvark is an odd creature. It is a prodigious digger and sleeps in burrows during the day. It feeds mainly on termites and ants.
There are two species of dassies or hyraxes, the Rock Hyrax and the Tree Hyrax, the former widespread over the country and the latter occurring in the eastern part of the country. They are relatives of the elephants, although not the closest (sirenians are more closely related). Their major predators are the Verreaux's Eagle and the Caracal.
Elephant shrews resemble shrews but are not related to them. They similarly eat arthropods.
The largest primate in the region, excluding humans, is the Chacma baboon. A true generalist, it is found in virtually all habitats in South Africa. The other primates in the region are the Vervet Monkey and the Samango Monkey. They are mainly frugivores, although they are true opportunists and may take eggs and nestlings from bird nests.
858 species of birds have been recorded in South Africa.
There are many raptor species found in South Africa, some of which are the eagles, hawks, falcons and vultures.
Eagles are widespread over the country. Different species inhabit different habitats. The African Fish Eagle is found wherever there are large bodies of water, and takes mainly fish and occasionally other vertebrates. The Martial Eagle is found in savanna, while Verreaux's Eagle is found in areas with rocky terrain and mountains. It is an important predator of the Rock Hyrax. The Crowned Eagle is a forest species, and takes monkeys and duikers.
There are myriad species of hawk found across the country; examples are harriers, sparrowhawks, the African Harrier Hawk, Buteo species known as buzzards (the Jackal Buzzard), and kites, such the Black-shouldered Kite.
The falcons are well-represented by a number of species. The Peregrine Falcon is both a resident and a visitor, and nests mainly on cliffs. More common than the Peregrine and similar in appearance is the Lanner Falcon. Both prey mainly on other birds. The Rock Kestrel is widespread. There is a highly localised population of the Taita Falcon.
The vultures that occur in South Africa are Old World vultures, locally represented by the Lappet-faced Vulture, the White-backed Vulture, the Cape Vulture and the highly unusual Palm-nut Vulture. The Egyptian Vulture is extinct as a local resident and occurs only as a rare vagrant. All the vultures except the Palm-nut are scavengers.
Gamebirds
The gamebirds are represented by the families Numididae and the large family Phasianidae.
The guineafowls are represented in South Africa by the Crested Guineafowl which is restricted to bushveld, and the Helmeted Guineafowl,which is widespread and common in urban and agricultural areas.
The Phasianidae are represented by the francolins, quails, partridges and the Indian Peafowl, which is an alien species that has escaped from captivity in some areas. Some of the francolins include the Cape Francolin, Swainson's Francolin, and Natal Francolin, to name a few. The quails are represented by the Harlequin Quail and the Common Quail. The Chukar partridge, another alien species from Eurasia, is restricted to Robben Island.
The waterfowl are much better represented in South Africa than the gamebirds are. They include the dabbling ducks of the genus Anas the shelducks and the sheldgeese, and the Spur-winged Goose.
Hornbills, Bee-eaters, Rollers, kingfishers, the Hoopoe and woodhoopoes are all common in the region.
Hornbills
The largest species is the Southern Ground Hornbill. It occurs only in nature reserves. Other well-known species include the Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill, the Red-billed Hornbill, the African Grey Hornbill and the Trumpeter Hornbill. Hornbills are characterised by a large downcurved bill which is frequently brightly-colored and sometimes has a casque on the upper mandible. They are omnivores, eating both fruit and small animals such as chameleons; the Ground Hornbill is an adept hunter and will forage in packs, flushing out prey such as locusts, lizards and even tortoises.
Bee-eaters
Bee-eaters are brightly coloured birds with a long dark, decurved bill, useful for holding bees and wasps at beak's length. The most common is the Southern Carmine Bee-eater. Bee-eaters nest in holes on river banks.
Rollers
Similar in colour to the bee-eaters but resembling crows in size and shape are the rollers, family Coraciidae. Among the most well-known is the Lilac-breasted Roller and the European Roller. They hawk for insects from perches.
Kingfishers
The kingfishers are famous as hunters of fish, but not all species hunt fish or over water. Indeed, some hunt away from water, such as the Brown-hooded Kingfisher, which is a woodland species that hunts large insects and small vertebrates. Some South African species are among the largest of their kind, such as the Giant Kingfisher and the Pied Kingfisher. Others are the smallest, such as the Malachite Kingfisher.
Hoopoe and Wood-hoopoes
The Hoopoe is one of the most wide-ranging bird species in the world, resident over much of Europe, Asia and Africa. The African subspecies (which some authorities elevate to full species status), is more russet in colour than its northerly relative and feeds similarly on insects, hawking for them and probing the soil with the long bill.
Wood-hoopoes, despite the name, are not related to the Hoopoe, but along with the scimitarbills reside in a family all of their own, the Phoeniculidae. The Green Woodhoopoe is widespread over much of the country, and the other South African species is the Common Scimitarbill. The wood-hoopoes feed on arthropods, especially insects, which they find by probing with their bills in rotten wood and in crevices in bark, such as on the Paper-bark Thorn.
The passerines are one of the largest bird orders, with over 5,000 identified species.[11]
There are several species of starling in South Africa, two of which are introduced species: the Common Starling and the Common Myna. The Common Starling was introduced by Cecil John Rhodes in 1890 from Europe in Cape Town.[12] The Common Myna was introduced in Durban in 1902 and has become common in Kwa-Zulu Natal and has spread further north to Gauteng. Fortunately, it has no significant impact on rural and natural habitats.[13]
The Red-winged Starling is extremely common and widespread across the country, absent only in the arid north-west, where it is replaced by its close relative the Pale-winged Starling. The difference between the two is that the Red-winged has rufous primaries while the Pale-winged has whitish primaries edged with orange. The Pale-winged has a bright red or orange eye, while the Red-winged's is dark, almost black[14]. Only the female of the Red-winged has a grey head.
The Pied Starling occurs over much of the country.
The only ratite in the country and the largest bird in the world is the Common Ostrich. It is widely farmed in the Little Karoo region.
Poaching of rhinoceroses has become a national issue for South Africa.[15][16] In 2010, 333 rhinos were killed for their horn,[17] which is an ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine.[18] Currently, poaching is carried out by sophisticated criminal syndicates.[19]
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