Page 86 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - South Africa

84  WILD SOUTH AFRIC A

Dogs and Hyenas Family

Cats aside, the two major families of large carnivore in Dogs and hyenas look
similar, but their evolution ary
South Africa, Canidae (dogs) and Hyaenidae (hyenas), are lines split about 45 million
exciting to see in the wild. Indeed, spotted hyenas are years ago. The sub order
probably the most socially complex of the region’s carnivores, Feliformia comprises cats,
and it is riveting to watch clan members meet and greet at a mongooses and hyenas.
Caniformia includes seals,
den. Jackals, foxes and wild dogs are also at their boldest bears, otters, pandas
and most inquisitive while denning, offering plenty of and dogs.
opportunity to watch pups at play.
Side-Striped Jackal
Species: Canis adustus • Best Seen: Kruger
LC
Associated with brachystegia woodland, the side-
striped jackal is more strictly nocturnal and less
vocal than other jackals. It is similar in gen eral
Young jackals often play in a puppy-like manner coloration to the black-backed jackal, but with a
pale stripe along the flanks. An adaptable omnivore
Black-Backed Jackal seen singly or in pairs, it supplements a meat-
Species: Canis mesomelas • Best Seen: Kruger, Kgalagadi, based diet with fruit, grain and carrion. Its South
Madikwe African range is more or less restricted to the
LC Kruger and adjacent private reserves.
The more common of two closely related small
dog species in South Africa, the black-backed
jackal lives in pairs rather than in packs. It is most
active at dusk and dawn, and its shrill yelping is
a characteristic sound of the African night. It
has a shoulder height of 40 cm (16 inches),
and an ochre coat offset by a prominent silver-
flecked black saddle. An opportunistic feeder, it
subsists on small mammals, birds and carrion,
and is often seen lurking near lion kills. The side-striped jackal also has a white-tipped tail

Bat-Eared Fox
Species: Otocyon megalotis • Best Seen: Kgalagadi,
Augrabies Falls
LC
Easily distinguished from any jackal by its
huge ears and black eye-mask, this small canid
is not a true fox. A number of peculiarities – up
The small Cape fox, with its black-tipped tail to 50 sharp teeth, for instance – have led to it
being placed in its own genus. Exclusively
Cape Fox insectivorous, it tends to be nocturnal during
Species: Vulpes chama • Best Seen: Kgalagadi, the hot months and diurnal in the cooler ones.
Pilanesberg Pairs and small fam ily groups can be seen
LC throughout the year.
The only true fox occurring in sub-Saharan Africa,
the Cape fox is a secretive nocturnal species
whose range runs from southern Angola to the
Western Cape. With a grizzled grey back and
browner underparts, its general coloration is
jackal-like, but its long bushy tail precludes
confusion with any other canid in the region. A
versatile feeder, it has an exclamatory yap, and is
heard more often than it is seen – unsurprisingly
so, given that it was officially persecuted as
vermin for over a century. The large ears help detect subterranean insect activity
IUCN status EN: Endangered; VU: Vulnerable; LC: Least Concern

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