When visiting iKhaya LamaDube or any other game lodge for that matter, you’re a visitor in a completely different environment than you spend your daily lives. At iKhaya we are avid lovers of all wildlife that you might find around the lodge, including the less-likely-to-spot species that often get confused with more common animals.
While we would love to share a comprehensive list of every animal you’re likely to spot when visiting the reserves of South Africa, we will only touch on a few fascinating creatures and some of the most commonly confused animals.
Fascinating creatures
Many of these animals are quite often missed when on a game drive, however they are spectacular sightings should you have a keen enough eye to spot them. South Africa is home to a wonderful arrangement of incredible species that many of us have never seen or perhaps don’t even know of.
Pangolin
This Jurassic looking mammal, despite its scaled appearance, is not a reptile – its scales are, in fact, made up of keratin. If you’ve never seen a Pangolin in-the-scales it is more than likely due to their size, how they blend into the African landscape and the fact that they are predominantly nocturnal.
Spotting one of these treasured creatures is a very special sighting indeed as they are the most trafficked animals in the world and their numbers are sadly dwindling because of this fact.
Bat-Eared Fox
A small and extremely cute looking animal, the bat-eared fox as their name would suggest has extremely large ears in comparison to their body. While some farmers consider them a predator to their livestock, the bat-eared fox plays a critical role in keeping harvest termites under control.
They live and raise their young in dens which could contribute to their evasive nature however if you do happen to see one, keep your eyes peeled because they are almost definitely not alone.
Elephant Shrew
Oddly enough the elephant shrew in spite of their name are not actually shrews. More closely related to moles or tenrecs, elephant shrews are small furry animals that get their name thanks to the long and mobile trunk-like nose – also making them part of the Little Five – read more in our blog Discovering the ‘Little Five’.
Being such a small animal it’s no wonder they aren’t spotted very often but they definitely make for a unique sighting if you’re ever lucky enough to see one in the wild.
Elephant Shrew
Oddly enough the elephant shrew in spite of their name are not actually shrews. More closely related to moles or tenrecs, elephant shrews are small furry animals that get their name thanks to the long and mobile trunk-like nose – also making them part of the Little Five – read more in our blog Discovering the ‘Little Five’.
Being such a small animal it’s no wonder they aren’t spotted very often but they definitely make for a unique sighting if you’re ever lucky enough to see one in the wild.
Galago (Bush Baby)
The lesser Galago, also known as the lesser bush baby, is one of the smallest primates in the world, no larger than a squirrel. While they may be small in stature they produce surprisingly loud cries, remarkably similar to that of a human baby – hence their nickname of ‘Bush Baby’.
The Bush Baby is quick and nimble, jumping between tree branches with incredible speed. It’s no wonder they are often missed and only seen as a flash between branches of thorn trees.
Aardwolf
This unusual member of the Hyena family is rather interesting. Unlike the hyena, the aardwolf is much smaller and is insectivorous, with its diet mainly consisting of termites. In fact, the aardwolf’s canine teeth are practically incapable of chewing meat.
They may seem cute but they are still capable of defending their territory with their still very much intact front fangs.
Honey Badger
This may seem like a sweet and almost cute little animal, but the honey badger has a very well-deserved reputation of being feisty and incredibly fierce. From the same family as weasels and wolverines (yes it’s not just an X-man) the honey badger is known to attack lions, buffalo and even humans when threatened enough.
With mighty claws and teeth strong enough to crush through a tortoise shell the honey badger is built for battle. Much stronger than its size would predict it packs a punch and its loose skin makes it rather slippery in a fight.
Commonly confused animals
Most people, South Africans included, are only familiar with the more common animals that inhabit our beautiful country. However, there are some animals that are commonly mistaken. Here is a look at a few of them.
Aardvark
About as South African as they come, the aardvark gets its name because of its porcine-like features and the Afrikaans words for “earth pig”. Completely nocturnal the aardvark sleeps in its burrow during the day and emerges at night to feast on ants and termites.
Understandably the aardvark is commonly mistaken for an ant-eater largely because of its primary diet but its closest living relative is in fact the little elephant shrew.
Civet
The African civet is a very cat-like mammal, with features that often fall into the same family of mammals such as the Genet. This predominantly solitary animal is relatively common across most of the African continent and is best known for its Civetone – the musky scent its perennial glands excrete.
These remarkably distinctive animals have unique markings on their body, much like a fingerprint, with no two civets sharing the same pattern are commonly mistaken for other African cats or foxes.
Serrated Hinged Terrapin
Often called turtles or even tortoises, terrapins are almost a combination of both of these. While turtles, tortoises and terrapins are all from the same family and their distinctions are derived mainly from the habitats.
Tortoises are terrestrial land-based and usually found in hot and dry areas. Turtles are marine animals living most of their lives at sea and only returning to land to lay their eggs. While terrapins are semi-aquatic freshwater versions of turtles and spend their lives predominantly in lakes and ponds and spend time on land basking in the sun.
Serval
A stunning creature the serval is sometimes mistaken as a leopard or cheetah, while they are much smaller in size they share similar markings as well as remarkably long legs in relation to their body, much like the cheetah.
With its long legs and neck the serval peers over the top of the savannah grasses to track its prey with its large ears and an acute sense of hearing. It is a formidable hunter of rats, birds and small reptiles.
Genet
The genet is another in the long list of African mammals that share many traits of wild cats but are in fact not cats themselves. Genets are often confused with civets and vice versa.
These spotted little animals are unique in the way that there are no clear markings or traits that set the males apart from the females, making it nearly impossible to tell the difference from afar.
Always keep an eye out
We all long to spot the Big Five when out on a safari getaway but there’s a host of other interesting and wonderful animals scattered across the African plains for you to test your wits in finding and identifying.
On your next trip and trips going into the future, keep your eyes peeled for these spectacular species and if you ever spot something you’re unsure of feel free to get in touch with us at iKhaya LamaDube and we will gladly help you identify it.