The "rainbow nation" of South Africa is known not only for its multi-ethnic society that encompasses a wide variety of cultures, languages, and religions, but is equally famous for its stunning natural beauty and incredible fauna and flora. South Africa boasts 22,000 different higher plant species (9% of all the known species on Earth), 297 species of mammals (including Africa’s famed Big Five), a bird count of at least 858 species, 447 species of reptile and 132 species of amphibians. And learning about the mammals of South Africa is now so much easier for all South Africans - South Africa Online ® is an excellent source of information in all 11 official languages of the country.
AFRICAN SAFARI 4K | Incredible Big Five animal sightings (Kruger National Park)
This is a list of the mammal species recorded in South Africa. There are 299 mammal species in South Africa, of which two are critically endangered, eleven are endangered, fifteen are vulnerable, and thirteen are near threatened. Some species were assessed using an earlier set of criteria.
Here's an overview of some of the fascinating mammals you can find in Southern Africa:
Aardvark
Aardvarks are equipped with muscular, short legs covered with long dark fur. Aardvarks are seldom seen in the places I visited. But ‘seldom’ is pretty good when it comes to Aardvarks. The Aardvark has a body length of 110 cm and a shoulder height of 60 cm, and the tail is 60-70 cm long. The skin is pinkish-gray or grayish-brown with coarse, yellowish hair. They have strong, powerful nailed claws that are ideal for digging.
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Aardwolf
The aardwolf is native to South Africa and throughout Eastern and Southern Africa. The colour of an Aardwolf varies from yellow-brown to dull yellow, with ± 5 distinct vertical black stripes on the flanks and some on the legs. The aardwolf enjoys wide, open, dry spaces among savanna.
African Buffalo
The African buffalo can be found in South Africa. A large and powerful bovine, the African Buffalo reaches shoulder heights of up to 1.5 m and a mass of 750 kg.
African Elephant
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African elephant or African bush elephant (loxodonta africana). The Elephant is the world's largest land mammal, and weighs up to seven tonnes and reaches heights of 3.3 m at the shoulder. With a weight on 7 tonnes and a height that can reach 3.3 m to the shoulder.
African Giant Pouched Rat
The African giant pouched rat lives in forest scrub and forested areas within South Africa that receive a rainfall over 80 mm per annum. The African Giant Rat has a long tail, which is bare with a white tip.
African Weasel
The African weasel is a carnivore and prefers to eat prey that lay close to the ground. Prey includes small rodents, small birds and sometime.
African Wild Cat
A slender built animal resembling the grey housecat. The colour of African Wild Cat varies from grey to dark grey with ± 6 reddish to blackish-red vertical stripes on the flanks and some on the legs. The African wildcat prefers to feed on small rodents such as mice and rats but will opt for other food sources in times of scarcity.
Baboon
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Baboons generally inhabit mountainous areas around South Africa. You can also find them in woodlands, semi-desert areas and sub alpine meado. The Chacma Baboon is a large primate with a dog-like face and large, prominent canines.
Banded Mongoose
The banded mongoose is limited to woodland savannah areas found in South Africa. The Banded Mongoose is usually seen in troops and is unmistakable as a result of the distinct banding across its back. These environments can be found from KwaZulu Natal’s coas.
Bat-eared Fox
The tiny teeth of the bat-eared fox limit them to a diet of fruit, small rodents and insects found in South Africa. The Bat-Eared Fox has a shoulder height of only 30cm, a length of about 75cm and weighs less than 5 kilograms.
Black Backed Jackal
The adult Black Backed Jackal is brownish black all over, except for a white spot above and below the eye. The centre of the chest and throat are white, with a broad black median streak. The breeding season of the black-backed jackal occurs between July to October in South Africa. After a gestation period of 2 months, a litte.
Black Rhino
As such the Black Rhino is smaller than the White Rhino. There are four subspecies in Africa namely the southern central black rhino (Diceros bicornis minor); eastern black rhino (Diceros bicornis.
Black Wildebeest
The black wildebeest is endemic to South Africa, historically having inhabited the open grasslands of the Northern Cape, Free State, souther.
Blesbok
The blesbok and bontebok are closely related. Historically, the bontebok and blesbok inhabited different areas of land in South Africa, howe.
Blue Duiker
The blue duiker consumes fresh leaves and flowers, and fruits dropped from the forest canopy.
Blue Wildebeest
Blue Wildebeest are characterised by a long black mane and a beard of hair hanging from the throat and neck. Both sexes grow short curved horns. The blue wildebeest is distributed in large parts of Southern Africa, but is concentrated to the northeastern regions of South Africa. Popul.
Bontebok
The bontebok is a seasonal breeder, the rut occurring between January and mid-March. After a gestation period of 238 to 254 days, single cal.
Brown Hyena
Brown hyena is primarily a scavenger. The brown hyena will occasionally kill smaller animals, should it not find a kill to scavenge off. The.
Burchells Zebra
Body stripes of the Burchells Zebra are less numerous and broader than that of the Cape Mountain Zebra, whereas body stripes extend around the belly. Leg striping is less prominent. The Burchell’s zebra prefers savanna woodland and grassland plains as its habitat in South Africa and avoids areas of dense vegetation. Be.
Bush Pig
The Bush Pig is a strong, stocky pig with powerful forequarters. Its upper tusks are barely visible, but the lower tusks are razor sharp and grow to 7cm in length. Bush pigs prefer dense forests and underbrush along rivers and streams. They can be found at the foot of mountains in South Africa in the Ea.
Bushbaby
Being a South African species, the lesser bushbaby has a high tolerance of temperature variation. It prefers savannas, woodlands, the fringe. The Lesser Bushbaby, known to scientists as Galago moholi, is a small, tree-dwelling primate active by night.
Bushbuck
Bushbuck are mainly browsers, but on rare occasions will consume grass. The bushbuck is closely related to the nyala and the kudu. Rams are graceful in appearance with a dark greyish-brown fur, white spots on the.
Cape Fox
The Cape fox is the smallest canid and only true fox found in South Africa. Adults measure about 35 cm at the shoulder, are 94 cm in length.
Cape Ground Squirrel
The Cape ground squirrel is a rodent endemic to South Africa. It has a coarse, cinnamon coloured coat with a white stripe running down eithe.
Cape Grysbok
The Cape grysbok is found in South Africa in the mountain valleys and shrubby plains of the Western and Eastern Cape. It is endemic to the F.
Cape Hare
The female Cape Hare is slightly larger than the male. The mass varies from 1.5 - 2.5 kg. The fur is pale brownish-grey. The Cape hare is abundant and widely distributed throughout South Africa’s arid regions, and is also found in Botswana and the central are.
Cape Mountain Zebra
The South African government thereby established the Mountain Zebra National Park, despite strong opposition.
Cape Otter
The Cape clawless otter inhabits the areas of higher rainfall on the eastern coastline of South Africa. The Cape Clawless Otter is larger than the only other species which occurs in southern Africa, the Spotted-Necked Otter. It is an uncommon animal, and entire.
Caracal
Caracal have short, sleek fur which is more or less grizzled-rufous. The caracal can be found throughout South Africa in rocky, hilly terrains and open woodland savannas.
Chacma Baboon
After a gestation period of about 140 days, a single young is born. Having no specific breeding season, female chacma baboons can give birth.
Cheetah
The Cheetah must surely be the most elegant of the large cats. It cannot fully sheathe its claws. Having no specific breeding season, the cheetah female can give birth throughout the year in South Africa. After a gestation period of three.
Civet
The colour of African Civet is whitish-grey with indistinct spots on the front quarters and regular black spots, which merge to stripes, on the hindquarters. The African civet measures about 680 to 890 mm in head and body length, and has a 445 to 463 mm long tail. Its mass varies from 7 to 20 kg. The Civet is solitary, except when breeding.
Common Duiker
The Common Duiker is a tiny, shy antelope with only the males having short horns. The name ‘duiker’ comes from the Afrikaans word meaning ‘to dive’, describing this antelope’s manner of ducking and dodging into t.
Dwarf Mongoose
The Dwarf Mongoose is the smallest of the mongoose family, and both males and females weigh only 350-400 gr. The common dwarf mongoose feeds on invertebrates such as grasshoppers, termites, beetles and their larvae which they scavenge and dig from t.
Eastern Rock Elephant Shrew
The total body of the Rock Elephant Shrew measures 260 mm and the tail is longer than the head and body length. The eastern rock elephant shrew is widely distributed in South Africa and can be found in North West, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Gauteng,.
Eland
The Eland is a browser, utilizing a wide diversity of plant species. Despite its size and heavy physique the eland is an agile animal, and large bulls can jump over fences easily. Both sexes carry heavy horns.
Gemsbok
The gemsbok can be found in the desert regions of Southern Africa, such as the Kalahari, the Namib desert, the Gemsbok National Park as well.
Genet
There are two species of genet in the Lowveld, the Large Spotted Genet (Genetta tigrina) and the Small Spotted Genet (Genetta genetta).
Giraffe
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