Animals of South Africa

Burchell's Zebras are one of the many beautiful animals in South Africa.

Many people know them for their iconic stripes and the never ending riddle about them being black with white stripes, or white with black stripes. A group of zebras is called a 'dazzle'.

The Zebra with its beautiful individual stripe pattern belongs to the horse family and they are pure herbivores. The purpose of the special fur colouring of the Zebra has so far not been unequivocally clarified. The black and white stripe colouring is only partially suitable as a camouflage colour. What is certain, however, is that Zebras are less pricked by parasites because of their fur colour. Young Zebras grow extremely quick. A year after birth, they have reached their final size. Take a closer look when you see the young animals, the stub legs are just as long as those of the mother.

Hippos rank as one of the largest animals in Africa

Although its size makes it fearsome looking, the hippo is often one of the most underrated animals in Africa in terms of its fearless and potentially bad-tempered nature. Hippos are not known for their sunny dispositions, causing more human deaths in Africa annually than lions, leopards, crocodiles, or any other of the major predators.Although they are clumsy on land and cannot jump or navigate over obstacles, they can reach speeds of up to 36 km/hour if provoked.

The name hippopotamus comes from the ancient Greek word hippopótamos, which means ‘river horse’. The direct English translation is ‘horse’ (hippos) of the ‘river’ (potamós).

The African elephant is the world's largest land mammal.

Weighing up to 6000 kg (6.6 tons) and measuring up to 3.3 m (10 ft.) at the shoulder, It is characterized by its highly dexterous trunk, long curved tusks, and massive ears.Their ears can reach up to 5 feet long. When flapped, they act as big fans, cooling the blood that runs close to the surface behind their ears.

Having roamed the wild for 15 million years, unfortunatly today, this iconic species faces the biggest threats to its survival due to ivory poaching, human-wildlife conflict and habitat destruction.

The Honey Badger is a ferocious, fearless, and pugnacious animal.

The honey badger is a relatively small animal averaging about 25 pounds, with large males occasionally reaching 35 pounds. They are long-bodied with short, powerful legs, standing about 12 inches at the shoulder. But dinamite comes in small packages!

Honey badgers are not only able to accept stings from bees, but can also handle bites from the world’s deadliest snakes, like puff adders, mambas and cobras, which they happily hunt, kill and devour. Up to 25% of their diet is snake.

Everyone recognises giraffes. They are plentiful and impossible to misidentify.

“Oh, a giraffe” is a common response when they are spotted on a game drive. “Lovely eyelashes.” And there the conversation often ends but there is a lot more ...

The name ‘giraffe’ supposedly comes from the Arabic word ‘zarafah’, which means to ‘walk swiftly’. The species name camelopardalis is derived from ancient Greek and refers to a combination of camel and leopard (i.e. a camel with leopard-like spots).

These little beetles are some of the most fascinating insects out here in the bush.

Dung Beetles are unique insects that play an important role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. Even their name is very fitting as their life revolves around dung – they literally can’t live without it!

For the whole of winter they have been in a state of torpor waiting for the heat of summer and the first rains to arrive, then bush has started buzzing with the wing beats of these flying decomposers.

The Big Five are Lion, Leopard, Rhinoceros, Elephant, and Cape Buffalo

South Africa's Big 5 was originally a hunting term and refers to the five most difficult and dangerous animals to hunt down on foot

Big game hunters coined the term which is now a marketing term used by safari tour operators and indicates that the game reserve is large enough to maintain these amazing animals and offer an authentic safari experience.

The Great Wildebeest Migration SAfari

The Serengeti is one of the most famous parks in Africa and is synonymous with wildlife and classic African scenery. It is Tanzania’s oldest park and a Unesco World Heritage Site. It is home to the spectacular wildebeest migration and offers top-class wildlife viewing throughout the year.

This annual event is arguably one of the greatest safari spectacles on earth. Although this journey follows a similar annual route, exact timing varies based on rainfall.

When the rains beckon, the wildebeest go. In spite of the big cats in waiting, or the rivers thick with crocodiles, they diligently follow their inner compass in a never-ending circular journey.