Page 101 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - South Africa

FIELD GUIDE  99

Springhare
Species: Pedetes capensis • Best Seen: Kgalagadi,
Augrabies Falls, Mapungubwe
LC
This peculiar and unmistakable rodent most
resembles a miniature kangaroo, with power ful
hind legs that enable it to cover up to 2 m (6 ft)
in one bound. Sandy brown with a long, black-
Fruitbats generally roost in colonies in trees tipped tail, the springhare weighs up to 4 kg (9 lb)
and is most likely to be seen after dark – initially
Bats as a pair of eyes bouncing around in the
Order: Chiroptera • Best Seen: Common in most non- spotlight. By day, the springhare rests up in
urban environments deep burrows in sandy soils, and is particularly
Most Species: Variable common in the semiarid savannah of the
Kalahari region.
Chiroptera (bats) is the second-most successful
mammalian order, with 1,000-plus species
globally. Although widely feared, no African
bat sucks blood, and they play a vital ecological
role in controlling flying insect populations.
Small, insect-eating bats are often seen
hawking at dusk throughout South Africa,
most commonly in game reserves and other
relatively unspoiled habitats. The larger
fruitbats tend to prefer forest and other
wooded habitats, and are seldom seen
in South Africa. The springhare, with its long black-tipped tail
Common Warthog
Species: Phacochoerus africanus • Best Seen: Kruger,
Hluhluwe-Imfolozi, Pilanesberg
LC
The most common and conspicuous of Africa’s
wild pigs, the warthog is a long-legged, slender-
bodied swine that stands 80 cm (32 inches) high
at the shoulder and weighs up to 150 kg (331 lb)
in exceptional cases. It has an almost hairless grey
coat, a long dorsal mane, upward-curving tusks
and a trio of callus-like “warts” on its face. Family
The bushpig lives in dense forest and along rivers groups, a regular sight in many savannah reserves,
are often seen trotting briskly away with long, thin
Bushpig tails stiffly erect. The warthog is an unfussy
Species: Potamochoerus larvatus • Best Seen: Sabi Sands, omnivore whose favoured food consists of roots
Kruger, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi and bulbs. It defends itself against predators by
LC reversing into a burrow with tusks facing out
aggressively. The common warthog’s South
Larger, more hirsute and shorter-legged than the African range is now confined to the north and
warthog, the bushpig is also fairly widespread in east, but a similar-looking race of desert warthog,
South Africa. It is less conspicuous as a result of its Phacochoerus aethiopicus, also known from the
strictly nocturnal habits, its secretive nature and a Horn of Africa, inhabited the Cape until it was
preference for dense riverine and forested hunted out in the 1860s.
vegetation. The bushpig can be recognized by its
small eyes, blunt snout, pointed, tufted ears and
buckled toes. It has small tusks, and can be quite
aggressive when cornered. It displays a high
degree of colour variation, ranging from grey-
brown to chestnut. Bushpigs are quite often seen
after dark at the rest camp in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi
Game Reserve, and you might well see traces of
their foraging for roots on forest trails elsewhere
in the country. The tusks of the warthog are the largest of any swine
Key to Field Guide icons see p72

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