The Ostrich (struthio camelus) is a member of a group of birds known as ratites, that is they are flightless birds without a keel to their breastbone. Of the 8,600 bird species which exist today, the ostrich is the largest. Standing tall on long, bare legs, the Ostrich has a long, curving, predominantly white neck. The humped body of the male is covered in black patches and the wings and tail are tipped with white. The female is brown and white. These huge birds, which sometimes reach a height of 2.6 m and a weight of 135 kg, cannot fly, but are very fast runners.

Lechwe, (genus Kobus), antelope species of the genus Kobus. The lechwe, a member of the waterbuck and kob tribe (Reduncini), ranks second only to the nyala among the most aquatic African antelopes. The lechwe is one of only three antelopes (including the closely related kob and the topi) known to form breeding arenas, or leks, with a high population density.

These peaceful animals are reasonably common in the region and seem to be on the increase in recent years.
They average around 30kg in weight with only the rams having horns which curve forward at the tips. They are found very strictly in areas with steep sloping hills. With their specialised digestive systems they feed almost exclusively on grass and can utilise even the coarse winter grasses.
Groups of 2-5 ewes have territories that they occupy. Rams move around singly and over wide areas.  They have a daily routine – at night they move to the tops of the hills, to be safer from predators like caracal. At dawn they move downhill to the slopes to feed until the heat of the day, when most time is spent lying down resting. In the late afternoon they feed intensively while moving uphill.

Identification: Athletically-built medium sized antelope. The Black Impala is not a subspecies, but a color phase of the Southern Impala. Black Impala were developed by selective breeding; the color of the entire body is all black. Horns: Only the males have horns.

Distribution: South Africa – Private land only.

Appearance

The Bontebok is a medium-sized, generally dark brown antelope with a prominent, wide white blaze on its face, with a pure white rump, belly and hocks, and black-tipped tail. Both sexes have horns, although the horns of rams are heavier and longer than those of ewes.

Behaviour

Gregarious and diurnal. Rams are territorial and during the breeding season will defend a small nursery of two to eight females and their young. Young males congregate in large bachelor herds.

Kudu show strong sexual dimorphism in that bulls bear massive, long, spiral horns which reach record lengths of up to 1.8 m. Horns grow to their full length at the age of six years. Bulls also attain much larger sizes than cows. Bulls can weigh as much as 300 Kg with a shoulder height of 1.4m and cows weigh 210 Kg with a shoulder height of 1.25m. Tawny-brown to grey-brown coat, marked with white stripes on flanks which vary greatly in shape, size and pattern. V-shaped band on forehead and white spots on cheeks. Manes of long hair extend from the back of the head along the back to the tail, as well as on the lower neck to the belly.

An interesting fact is that the juvenile males look like females. It is thought that this camouflages the young males and protects them from the jealous eyes of the dominant bulls. The young males are therefore allowed to grow up peacefully under the protection of the herd.

Males can grow to a shoulder height of 1,7 metres and weigh about 900 Kg. In spite of its heavy physique, eland are remarkably agile and large bulls can easily jump over regular fences. They have a slight hump at the shoulders and prominent dewlap. The heavy horns of both sexes slant backwards and lengths of as much as one metre have been recorded. Females are much smaller, weighing about 450 kilograms. Males have a patch of dark hair on their foreheads that covers glandular skin. Both males and females have fawn coloured coats. They also have faint vertical white stripes on their flanks, which are distinctive to the eland

Read More

This is a large, robust antelope. Bulls have a shoulder height of 1.4 metres and can weigh up to 260 Kg. Cows are smaller than bulls. Waterbucks have a brownish-grey shaggy coat. The eyes and nose are patched with white, and there is a white collar under the throat. The rump has a characteristic white ring. The large rounded ears are a prominent feature. Only the bulls have long, forward curved horns. Both sexes emit a, not unpleasant, musky smell which normally lingers at resting sites. Read More

Warthogs are day animals and spend most of their time looking for food. They are normally found in family groups. Warthogs have the peculiar habit of kneeling on the front knees while feeding and foraging in a localised area. They shelter in burrows at night, which they enter tail first. Socially, three main groups are encountered, namely solitary boars, bachelor groups and matriarchal groups. Matriarchal groups consist of adult sows with their young and yearlings. Boars play no part in rearing piglets and seldom associate with sows outside the mating process. Promiscuous, both sexes will mate with more than one partner. Warthogs can frequently be found at waterholes where they dig in the marsh and wallow in the mud with obvious enthusiasm.