Africa Wild

Posted: **Sun Nov 10, 2013 12:00 pm**

As an addition to BJ’s thread “Mammals of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier park” I will be asking you to help and see how long it will take AW members to complete this checklist as a joined challenge of Rietvlei Nature Reserve. I will start off with a few and as we go along I will copy any contribution onto my list.

Each specie will fall under a separate post, but you can start posting pics of any animal and Toko will assist and move your pic together with the others under one species post.

Rule 1: The pic must be taken in Rietvlei Nature Reserve.
Rule 2: Scores will be given per animal pic (only 1 pic per animal allowed). See score card below
Rule 3: Only post pics, no comments. Welcome to add anything interesting about the specie (the same as for the Bird book)

The winner will be announced after we have completed the list up to the common small mammals. We can continue with round two adding reptiles and birds, but we will start only with LARGE MAMMALS and then the smaller mammals.

Hope you will enjoy the challenge and if you have not completed the full list there will be no restriction to join the " SAMIR club (Spotted All Mammals In Rietvlei) later on. An index will be added later as we continue with the listings.

The prize is to have fun with the challenge and all contributing will be winners.

We can update the list as we go along – some mammels I have not yet awarded points because they either no longer in Rietvlei and others have never been introduced there.

Posted: **Sun Nov 10, 2013 12:01 pm**

Large Mammals: Score Card

Family Cercopithecidae (Monkeys & Baboons)
Galago moholi Bushbaby – 200 points
Cercopithecus pygerythrus Vervet monkey – 50 points

Family Manidae (Pangolin)
Manis temminckii Pangolin – 150 points

Family Hystricidae (Old-world Porcupines)
Hystrix africaeaustralis Cape porcupine – 100 points

Family Hyaenidae (Aardwolf & Hyenas)
Proteles cristatus Aardwolf – 90 points
Paraphyane brunnea Brown hyaena – 50 points

Family Felidae (Cats)
Acinonyx jubatus Cheetah – 100 points – not at the moment
Panthera pardus Leopard – 20 points
Felis silvestris African wild cat – 50 points
Leptailurus serval Serval – 80 points
Caracal caracal Caracal – 30 points

Family Canidae (Wild Dogs, Foxes & Jackals)
Canis mesomelas Black-backed jackal – 10 points

Family Mustelidae (Otters, Honey Badger, Weasels & Polecat)
Aonyx capensis Cape clawless otter – 100 points

Family Viverridae (Civet & Genets)
Civettictis civetta African civet
Genetta genetta Small-spotted genet
Genetta tigrina Large-spotted genet

Family Herpestidae (Mongooses)
Suricata suricatta Suricate, Meerkat - 70 points
Cynictis penicillata Yellow mongoose – 50 points
Galerella sanguinea Slender mongoose – 30 points
Ichneumia albicauda White-tailed mongoose 50 points
Atilax paludinosus Water mongoose - 80 points

Family Orycteropodidae (Aardvark)
Orycteropus afer Aardvark – 100 ponts

Family Procaviidae (Dassies, Hyraxes)
Procavia capensis Hyrax

Family Suidae (Pigs)
Potamochoerus larvatus Bush pig – 100 points

Family Equidae (Zebra)
Equus quagga Plains zebra – 20 points

Family Rhinocerotidae (Rhino)
Ceratotherium simum Square-lipped (white) rhinoceros – 5 points

Family Hippopotamidae (Hippo)
Hippopotamus amphibius Common hippopotamus – 80 points

Family Bovidae (Antelopes & Buffalo)
Connochaetes gnou Black wildebeest – 10 points
Alcelaphus buselaphus Red hartebeest – 20 points
Sylvicapra grimmia Common duiker – 100 points
Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi Blesbok – 5 points
Ourebia ourebi Oribi – 200 points
Antidorcas marsupialis Springbok – 50 points
Raphicerus campestris Steenbok – 100 points
Tragelaphus oryx Common Eland – 20 points
Redunca fulvorufula Mountain reedbuck – 100 points
Kobus ellipsiprymnus Waterbuck – 50 points
Redunca arundinum Common reedbuck – 50 points
Syncerus caffer caffer Cape buffalo – 50 points

TWO IN ONE :
Rhino and any mammal - 80 points
Any other two mammals - 60 points

THREE IN ONE:
Rhino and any two mammals - 90 points
Any other three mammals - 70 points

Posted: **Sun Nov 10, 2013 12:32 pm**

Posted: **Sun Nov 10, 2013 12:32 pm**

Cape Buffalo

by Amoli

by Toko
29th August 2013

by Dewi
23rd July 2011

by steamtrainfan

by Flutterby
June 2014

Posted: **Sun Nov 10, 2013 12:52 pm**

Common Eland Taurotragus oryx

Numbers of Eland in Rietvlei as on 01/07/2008: 81

General Characteristics
Body Length: 200-345 cm
Shoulder Height: 130-180 cm
Tail Length: 60-90 cm
Weight: 300-1,000 kg
The smooth tan or fawn coat may have narrow white vertical stripes on flanks. Males are usually darker, with a gray or bluish tinge to their coat, and have a distinctive dark 'rug' of hair on their foreheads. There is a pendulous, black-tufted dewlap on the lower throat. The slightly diverging horns are found in both sexes and are virtually straight, with 2 tight twists. Horns in females are longer and thinner than in males, growing up to 68 cm in length. Horns in males may grow to 65 cm long.

Reproduction
Gestation Period: 9 months.
Young per Birth: 1
Weaning: After 6 months.
Sexual Maturity: Females at 15-36 months, males at 4-5 years.
Life span: Up to 25 years.
After birth the young lie briefly in concealment before joining a creche or nursery with other infants.

Ecology and Behavior
The common eland is most active in the morning and late afternoon, lying sheltered in the heat of the day. A very gregarious species, the common eland is always found in large herds, with no dispersion during the rainy season. A possible explanation for this is the strong mutual attraction by calves, and a "safety-in-numbers" strategy. Elands are remarkably fast, have have been recorded running over 70 kmph. Despite their size, they exceptional jumpers, easily clearing heights of 1.5 m. Home range sizes vary dramatically with respect to sex and season. In the dry season, males used an average of 11.7 square kilometers out of their 41.1 square kilometer total range. Female herds had a dry season range of 26.1 square kilometers, while in the wet season this expanded to 222.0 square kilometers. There is no exclusive use of space or evidence for territoriality, but adult males within a maternal herds have a distinct social hierarchy.
Family group: Large mixed groups, usually containing 25-70 individuals, though up to 400 have been observed.
Diet: Leaves, branches, grasses.
Main Predators: Lion, Wild dog, leopard, spotted hyena.

by Toko
29th August 2013

by Flutterby

by Dewi
24th July 2011

by Amoli
June 2013

by steamtrainfan

Posted: **Sun Nov 10, 2013 1:05 pm**

And a Two in One

: Eland and Rhino

29 Aug 2013, by Toko

Rietvlei's’s white rhinos have been dehorned for a second time in August 2013 to protect them from poachers.
They were first dehorned in March 2010.

Posted: **Sun Nov 10, 2013 2:01 pm**

Plains Zebra

by Flutterby
September 2010

by Dewi
23rd July 2011

by Amoli
December 2012

by steamtrainfan

by Flutterby
Foal

by Lisbeth

Posted: **Sun Nov 10, 2013 2:09 pm**

Reedbuck

by Dewi
8th August 2011

by Flutterby
8th December 2013

Posted: **Sun Nov 10, 2013 2:10 pm**

Yellow Mongoose

by Dewi
8th August 2011

by Amoli
September 2012

by Lisbeth

by Flutterby
June 2014

Posted: **Sun Nov 10, 2013 2:11 pm**

Bushpig

by Dewi
23rd August 2011

Africa Wild

AW Challenge: Mammal Checklist of Rietvlei Nature Reserve

AW Challenge: Mammal Checklist of Rietvlei Nature Reserve

AW Mammal Checklist of Rietvlei Nature Reserve

Index to the Rietvlei AW Challenge

Cape Buffalo - 50 Points

Common Eland - 20 Points

Two in One: Common Eland & White Rhino - 80 Points

Plains Zebra -20 Points

Common Reedbuck - 50 Points

Yellow Mongoose - 50 Points

Bushpig - 100 Points