Animal Index

Respect. Protect.

Discover our species

Cape Buffalo

  • Weigh between 530 – 625 kg.
  • Males have larger heads, thicker necks and heavier horns than females. Eats 15 – 17,5 kg dry matter per day.
  • Gestation 330 – 346 days. A single calf is born at any time of the year.

Hippopotamus

  • Weigh an average of 1700 to 2000kg.
  • An adult can consume up to 130kg food a night.
  • The gestation period is 215 days. Their lifespan is 30 years

Pygmy Hippo

  • Weighs and average of 160-250 kgs.
  • The bulk of a pygmy hippo’s diet consists of ferns, broad-leaved plants and fruits.
  • Gestation period 6-7 months.
  • When they are newly born, they weigh about 5 to 6Kg’s and males weigh a little more.
  • Lifespan between 30 and 50 years.

White Rhinoceros

  • Larger than black rhino with males weighing up to 2300kg.
  • They have two horns on the face with the front horn being longer.
  • The gestation period is 16 months after which a single calf weighing about 40kg is born.
  • All rhino horns on this reserve have been treated against ticks and parasites and are not fit for human consumption.

Bat Eared Fox

  • Weigh 3.2 – 5.3 kg
  • Eats mostly insects.
  • Gestation period 2 months with 2 – 6 young being born.

Bengal Tiger

  • The coat has rich warm shades of brown with patterns ranging from chocolate to black.
  • The Bengal measures 2.6m long and weighs up to 230kg.
  • The gestation period is from 98 to 11 0 days where two to three cubs are born .

Black Backed Jackal

  • Wide spread carnivore weighing up to 11 kg.
  • A litter of up to 6 young follow a gestation period of two months.

Black Jaguar

  • Weight: 31-121kg
  • Has dark markings just like the common Jaguar, but is hard to notice on the dark coat
  • Nocturnal animal that hunts when light is scarce
  • Black Jaguar is black due to melanism

Black Leopard

  • Weight: between 40 and 80 kg.
  • Spots can be observed in direct sunlight.
  • Colour is the result of a genetic mutation in normal leopards when both parents carry the gene.

Brown Hyena

  • Weighs 28 – 57 kg
  • Eats mostly carrion, but sometimes hunt.
  • Gestation period 3 months with 1 – 5 young being born.

Brown Lion

  • Largest African Cat with males weighing up to 240kg.
  • Adult males have a mane.
  • Their gestation period varies from 100 to 119 days.

Cheetah

  • Endangered species.
  • Weighing between 55 and 59kg.
  • A litter of 2 to 4 cubs follows a gestation period of 90 to 95 days .
  • Clouded Leopard
  • Average weight: 15 – 23 kg.
  • Originally from South-East Asia.
  • Highly endangered – these are the only twfour Clouded Leopards in all of Africa.

Clouded Leopard

  • Weight: 15 – 23kg
  • Originally from South-East Asia
  • Highly endangered – these are the only two clouded leopards in all of Africa.
  • Did you know these 8 Facts about the Clouded Leopard

Eurasian Lynx

  • Weight: 15-36kg
  • Feeds on small ugulates (hoofed mammals) such as roe deer and smaller prey like hares
  • Gestation period of 67-74 days with an average of 2-3 cubs
  • North Europe to East Asia

Fennec Fox

  • Weight: 1-1.75kg
  • Smallest of all the foxes with very large ears which radiate excessive body heat
  • Gestation period of 50-52 days with a number of 2-5 kitten per litter

Genet

  • Weigh 1.5 – 2.0 kg
  • Nocturnal hunter of rodents and insects.
  • Gestation period 10 – 11 weeks with 2 – 4 young being born.

Leopard

  • They are solitary animals except when mating
  • Will feed on anything from fish to smaller antelope
  • Their habitat is the most diverse of all wild cats
  • Mass: 60-80 Kg
  • Life span: 12 years
  • Status: vulnerable
  • Gestation period is 90-50 days with 1-4 cubs being born

Nile Crocodile

  • Oldest surviving animal on earth.
  • Weighs up to 500kg. Female lays 50 to 70 eggs in nest site.

Serval

  • Tawny or yellowish coat with variable dark markings; lighter beneath, large ears with long legs, short tail.
  • Weight: Male; 11 kg and Female; 9.5 kg.
  • Gestation period of about 75 days.

Siberian Tiger

  • Coat: Orange colouring is paler than all other tigers.
  • Its stripes are brown rather than black and widely spaced & white ruff of fur around its neck.
  • Length: Males 3.0m, weigh up to 300kg
  • Length: Females 2.6m, weigh 100-170kg
  • The gestation period: 98 to 110 days. Two to three cubs are born.
  • Largest cat species.

Striped Hyena

  • They live in small groups of 2-3 animals
  • They are primarily scavengers, and also eat wild fruit
  • Almost completely nocturnal
  • Mass: 25-55 Kg
  • Life span: 20 years
  • Status: Near threatened
  • Gestation period is 90-92 days with 1-4 cubs being born

White Lion

  • They are not albino. Albino’s are white but have pink eyes and cannot breed.
  • White lions eyes are blue. Their colouring is the result of recessive gene. For gestation see “Lion”.

White Tiger

  • The White Bengal Tiger is not an albino. They have beautiful blue eyes, with an unusual white pigmentation.
  • A recessive gene causes rare white/ivory coat colour.
  • Gestation and info see Bengal Tiger.

Wild Dog

  • Endangered species.
  • Weight 24 – 30kg
  • Their gestation period is about 60 days.

Cape Ground Squirrel

  • Upper parts are cinnamon coloured with a lateral white stripe on either side of the body.
  • Uses tail for shade while looking for grass seeds.
  • Weight: Male; 650 g and Female; 600 g
  • Breed after one year old, litter of up to 6.

Suricate

  • Small mongoose weighing about 600g to 1 kg.
  • Gestation period is 84 days.

Yellow Mongoose

  • Endemic to southern Africa.
  • Weighs between 500 and 800 grams.
  • They eat insects. Scorpions, spiders, reptiles. Frogs, birds and mice.

Arabian Oryx

  • Weight: 65 – 75kg
  • The Arabian Oryx live in the desserts of Oman, Saudi Arabia & Jordan.
  • They eat melons and succulent bulbs to obtain water, as an Arabian Oryx is built to survive in dessert areas where water is not commonly found. They feed on diverse types of grasses and shrubs.
  • The gestation period is about 240 days.

Black Wildebeest

  • Also known as the white tailed gnu.
  • Weigh 113 to 159 kg.
  • The gestation period is 7 to 8 months.

Blesbuck

  • Weigh between 59 and 80 kg.
  • Gestation period lasts 8 months.

Blue Wildebeest

  • Also known as the brindled gnu.
  • They weigh 185 to 249 kg.
  • Gestation period is 7 to 8 months.

Common Waterbuck

  • They weigh between 250 and 270kg and are easily identified by the white ring around their rump.
  • A single calf follows a gestation period lasting about 8 months.

Eland

  • Largest African antelope with bulls weighing up to 1000kg.
  • Both sexes carry horns.
  • A single calf follows a gestation period of 8~ months.

Gemsbok

  • Both males and females have the long, straight horns which point backwards.
  • They weigh about 200kg and have a gestation period of 8 to 9 months.

Giraffe

  • Weight: 800-1200kg
  • 15 month gestation period with only 1 calf
  • Giraffe can run a speed of 55km/h and cruise a comfortable 16km/h
  • Tallest animal in the world
  • The heart of a Giraffe weighs about 11 kg

Hartmann Zebra

  • Also known as the mountain zebra
  • The stripes are distinct and have no shadow.
  • Weigh between 227 and 272 kg.
  • Gestation period of 12 months.

Impala

  • Only the males possess lyre shaped horns averaging 40-60cm in length.
  • Males weigh about 50kg.
  • Ewes give birth to a single lamb after a gestation period of about 6 and half months.

Klipspringer

  • A small antelope with a thick coat to protect it from injuries caused by rocks.
  • Males have short, straight horns with a slight forward curve, approximately Bcm in length. Females have no horns.
  • Females are heavier than males.

Ostrich

  • Largest bird weighing up to 150kg. Can run at 70km/h.
  • They lay 15 to 20 eggs which hatch after an incubation period of 40 days.
  • Each egg has a capacity equal to about 24 chicken eggs.

Red Duiker

  • They live in small groups of 2-3 animals or alone
  • They feed on leaves and wild fruit
  • They are mostly nocturnal
  • Mass: 10-14 Kg
  • Life span: 12 years
  • Status: Rare
  • Gestation period is 92 days with 1 lamb being born

Red Hartebeest

  • Weigh about 150 to 159 kg.
  • One calf follows a gestation period of 7 to 8 months.

Rhea

  • Although their large wings are useless for flight, they are used for balance and for changing direction as the bird runs.
  • Females lay their eggs—one every other day for a week or ten days—in a ground nest of the male’s design. Several females deposit their eggs in the same nest, which may hold 50 eggs or more.

Sable Antelope

  • Males black with white belly. Females’ dark brown.
  • Weigh between 181 to 227 kg.
  • Gestation period of about 9 months.

Scimitar-Horned Oryx

  • Weight: 100 – 210kg
  • The World Conservation Union’s Red List of Threatened Species list Scimitar-horned Oryx as extinct in the wild.
  • The Scimitar Oryx once lived in the northern African countries of Egypt, Senegal and Chad.
  • They once lived in arid plains and desert and to a lesser extent, rocky hillsides and thick brush.

Springbuck

  • Unmistakable reddish brown coat, white belly and black horizontal stripe down its sides.
  • Weigh 36 to 50 kg and have a gestation period of about 5 months

Steenbuck

  • Weigh 12 to 14kg.
  • A single lamb which follows a 5 month gestation In period is kept hidden in tall grass for the first few weeks of its life.

Suni

  • They live alone or in small family groups of 2-3 animals
  • They feed on leaves and wild fruit and do not drink water
  • They are one of the smallest antelope species
  • Mass: 4-7 Kg
  • Life span: 12 years
  • Status: Low risk
  • Gestation period is 120 days with 1 lamb being born

Warthog

  • These animals are named for their facial warts.
  • Males have two pairs and females have one pair of of warts.
  • They feed on roots, grass, herbs and fruit.
  • They weigh between 50 and 70 kg. They produce a ~ a litter of 2-4 piglets.

Black Shouldered Kite

  • Nest in trees where usually 3 to 4 white eggs capped at the thick end with brown streaks are laid.
  • The nestling period is 35 days.

Cape Vulture

  • They lay one pure white egg. Both sexes incubate for a period of 53 days.
  • The nestling stays in the nest for 80 to 90 days.

Grass Owl

  • Breeding between November to May. Nest is a flattened pad of grass at the end of grassy tunnel in dense tuft of grass.
  • Clutches of 3-5 eggs.
  • Incubation: About 32 days.

Lappet-Faced Vulture

  • Wingspan over 9 ft. The nest is in trees and measures about 6 ft across. A single, white egg marked with reddish brown is laid.
  • The nestling remains in the nest for about 120 days.

White-backed Vulture

  • They nest in trees laying 1 pure white egg with red blotches or plain.
  • Incubation is done by both sexes.

Yellow Billed Kite

  • They lay 2 to 3 white eggs with brown markings.
  • Both sexes incubate for a period of about 6 weeks.
  • The nestling period is also about 6 weeks.

Black Swan

  • Swans in general have the largest eggs of any flighted bird.
  • Clutches: 5-6 eggs
  • Incubation: 29-36 Days

Black-Necked Swan

  • The black-necked swan is the largest South American waterfowl.
  • Male swans are called cobs, females are pens, and young are cygnets.
  • Clutches: 4-8 eggs
  • Incubation: 36 Days

Blue Crane

  • Blue cranes are summer breeders, laying a clutch of two eggs in a shallow depression.
  • Incubation: After 30-33 days

Coscoroba Swan

  • These swans get their name because of their loud, ringing ‘cos-cor-ooo’ when vocalizing.
  • Clutches: 4-7 eggs
  • Incubation: 36 Days

Crowned Crane

  • Common resident
  • A nomadic bird that roosts in trees or reed-beds.
  • Has a trumpeting call.

Greater Flamingo

  • Abundant resident and visitor
  • Always in large flocks, wading in shallow water.

Ground Hornbill

  • Endangered turkey sized bird.
  • Walks in small groups in search of rodents and insects.
  • Has a deep booming call.

Marabou Stork

  • Breeds through the year in Southern Africa. Nest is a platform of sticks lined with smaller sticks and green leaves in a tree or on a cliff.
  • Clutches 1-4 eggs.
  • Incubation: About 30 days.

Mute Swan

  • The name ‘mute’ derives from it being less vocal than other swan species.
  • Clutches: 3-5 eggs
  • Incubation: 29-30 Days

Trumpeter Swan

  • The heaviest living bird native to North America, it is also the largest extant species of waterfowl with a wingspan that may exceed 10 ft (3.0 m).
  • Clutches: 4-6 eggs
  • Incubation: 32 – 37 Days

Tundra (Whistling) Swan

  • Columbianus is the smallest of the Holarctic swans.
  • Clutches: 3-5 eggs
  • Incubation: 29-30 Days