Mammals of Southern Africa
Southern Africa is one of the best places in the world for mammals. There are over 140 species and many are endemic. On our trip we were able to visit Southern Africa and went to South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana.We had great luck and saw almost everything we wanted to see with our guides, Trevor (Most of Southern Africa) and Craig (Cape Town) including the “Big Five” (Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Rhino, and African Buffalo). We also saw the “Super Six” which is the “Big Five”+Cheetahs. Below are the most interesting animals that we saw in the wild (except for the Eland, which was in semi-wild). Each animal description below has a matching picture that I took of the animal while we were in southern Africa.
This is by far the most common antelope in most of southern Africa. They were everywhere while we were in southern Africa. They usually live in herds of more than 20. When a male breaks its antler off, they immediately drop to the bottom in the ranks because they can no longer fight with other males. (African antelopes? antlers DO NOT ever re-grow).
Springbok are the national animal of South Africa and are very common in some areas. Unlike the Impala, Springbok are more solitary although you may occasionally find them in herds. They are only found in the western part of Southern Africa, since Impala have taken over the more humid East.
Eland are huge antelope and are southern Africa?s biggest antelope. The females ?moo?, the males bellow, and the babies bleat. Eland can easily jump 2 meters/ yards high. They are usually in herds of 8-12 individuals.
Gemsbok have huge, long horns and are white, light-brown, and black colored. They live in herds of 12 or more and can survive for long periods of time without water. They live in the north-western part of southern Africa.
Klipspringer
Klipspringers are very small, but interesting antelope. They live on big boulders and look out for predators. They are very good at climbing boulders and usually are solitary or found in pairs. Their coat is thick to provide protection against bumping into rocks. Klipspringers’ horns are short and straight.
Bontebok are rare antelope restricted only to the cape area. At one point, there were only 42 left, but today there are about 2000. They are easily spotted because of their bright white patches on their head and bottom.
Blue Wildebeest are very common in the northern part of southern Africa and can be found in implausibility (herds) of up to 30 individuals. They can easily be told apart from the Black Wildebeest by the entirely white tail and the forward pointing horns. Blue wildebeests are often seen in large groups especially during migrating as shown in The Lion King.
Being a member of the ?big five?, African Buffalos are considered to be one of the most dangerous African animals. They form huge obstinacies (herds) of several hundred while migrating only. when they are not migrating, buffalos will usually form groups of up to 30 animals. They look very similar to cows.
Zebras are one of the most well-known African animals. They form huge dazzles (herds) while migrating and the stripes make it difficult to make out individuals or to hunt them. A few years ago, just