wild facts - sabi sabi private game reserve
Sabi Sabi is situated within a recognised 'hotspot' of biodiversity in South Africa. The reserve supports over 300 species of birds, 47 large mammal species, 57 species of reptile as well as a myriad of smaller animals such as bats, small rodents, amphibians and invertebrates such as spiders, scorpions and insects. It has over 90 species of trees and many more shrubs and grass species.
And while the many visitors from all over the world come to spot the 'Big 5' - lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo; just as important are the 'Small 5005' other species.
Bi-monthly, we focus on one of the spectacular creatures that inhabits our beautiful reserve in our 'Wild Facts' section.
monthly bird sightings
Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve is a bird watcher's paradise with over 350 bird species found on the reserve. Studying the resident birdlife adds a special dimension to any safari and skilled rangers will provide insight into their fascinating world. A bird list featuring which species have been spotted during each month will now be posted on the Sabi Sabi website. - Sabi Sabi Bird List
-
the nightjar
Nightjars are a species of nocturnal or crepuscular birds which are found in most countries of the world except in the Arctic or Antarctic. Nightjars can be found throughout Africa, south of the Sahara in grasslands, forests, woodlands, wetlands or bushveld.
Read More
-
black-bellied bustard
These birds have distinctive long legs and necks which enable them to see over tall grass. In Afrikaans the Black-bellied Bustard is called the "Langbeenkorhaan" which translates as "long-legged" bustard.
Read More
-
the tamboti tree
The trees are monoecious, meaning male and female flowers grow separately on the same tree. In this species there are large quantities of golden pollen covered male florets all situated in the top of the tree and a smaller quantity of red female florets growing lower down.
Read More
-
common / blue wildebeest (gnu)
Wildebeest have a broad muzzle with wide incisor row and loose lips specially adapted for close, rapid bulk feeding on short grass. They favour grass plains covered by colonial grasses which spread by means of rhizomes which carpet the ground and respond to grazing and trampling by means of re-growth.
Read More
-
functional evolution in animals
Over many eons, several animal species have developed adaptations which enable them to use limbs and other modified appendages on their bodies as "tools". These profound evolutionary changes are all part of the on-going quest for survival.
Read More
-
the serval
Servals are the most successful hunters of all cat species. Whereas lions and leopards are only successful in taking down prey 3 or 4 times in every 10 attempts, these little cats are able to make a kill 50% of the time.
Read More
-
spider hunting wasp
All species of spider hunting wasps are solitary, and most species will paralyse their prey after capturing it. Being solitary these wasps don't colonize; they nest alone in crevices or burrows.
Read More
-
side-striped jackal
The Side-striped jackal is found in West, Central and Southern Africa, except for the most southern part of the continent, and has a wider distribution than its Black-backed cousin. It is found in many different habitats, from game reserve areas, to towns and cultivated farms, in woodland savannah, marshlands and bushveld.
Read More
-
knob-thorn tree
The Knob-thorn is a slow-growing, medium to tall tree reaching heights of between 8 - 20 metres. It is found growing from the wooded grasslands of the lowveld in Southern Africa to as far north as Tanzania, surviving in many different soil types.
Read More
-
southern ground hornbills
The Southern Ground Hornbill which can be seen at Sabi Sabi, is a gigantic bird (sometimes referred to as a Turkey Buzzard - although it is neither a turkey nor a buzzard), and is the largest of the hornbill species. It can grow to a height of 130cm, with the males attaining a weight of up to 6 kgs and the females being around 2 kgs lighter.
Read More
-
giraffe
The scientific name of the giraffe refers to its skin pattern which is reminiscent of a leopard, and its face which somewhat resembles that of a camel. Giraffes are only found on the African continent, from Central to Southern Africa.
Read More
-
tree squirrel
Smith's Bush Squirrel (Paraxerus cepapi), otherwise known as the Yellow-footed Squirrel or in South Africa simply as the Tree Squirrel is found in Central Africa, Eastern Africa and the northern regions of Southern Africa. This species lives in savannah woodland areas, favouring trees with suitable nesting holes.
Read More
-
the leadwood tree
The Leadwood tree is a very long-lived but slow-growing tree, found from the southern regions of South Africa as far up the continent as Northern Tanzania. There are Leadwood trees at Sabi Sabi which are thought to be nearly a thousand years old.
Read More
-
baboon spiders - part 1
The Southern African baboon spiders are largely terrestrial and are found in a variety of habitats such as dry acacia scrubland, grassland or savanna woodland. They have powerful jaws and fangs which can loosen soil and excavate burrows.
Read More
-
anting and dust bathing for birds
Coming back from a safari, one of our rangers was very excited to share video footage where he captured one of the unique behaviours acted out by birds - dust bathing.
Read More
-
puff adder
In general these are sluggish snakes relying on their camouflage to ambush their prey - birds, amphibians, small mammals and lizards. Their colour varies in shade of brown, black and sometimes yellowish or orange, making them very hard to see on the ground.
Read More
-
how the big ones sleep
When looking at size and weight, the question is always, how and when do big animals like elephants, rhinoceros, hippopotamus and giraffes sleep.
Read More
-
redbilled oxpeckers
The redbilled oxpecker is a starling sized-bird. Although it is a fairly plain olive-brown with creamy under-parts, the bird is very easy to identify. Adults have totally red beaks and distinctive yellow rings around their bright red eyes. They have strong legs and long, particularly sharp claws which enable them to cling onto the sides and backs of their hosts at precarious angles.
Read More
-
epauletted fruit bat
The Southern African fruit bats are mostly frugivorous, meaning fruit-eating. Their diet is largely very ripe soft-fleshed, pulpy fruits such as guavas, mangos, peaches and figs and they will remain in areas close to fruit bearing trees whether in the wild or near cultivated areas.
Read More
-
african wild dog
Wild dogs weigh between 20-30kgs, with the males being just slightly larger than the females. They have large ears capable of hearing the slightest sound, and excellent eyesight which they need for hunting.
Read More
-
golden orb web spider
Its size and formidable looks make this one of the most recognisable and easy to identify spider species. Although it is frightening to look at, this spider is non-aggressive and relatively harmless.
Read More
-
mud-wallowing
Mud-wallows (and their nearby rubbing posts), are found throughout the bushveld, their length of existence directly dependent on the number of animals visiting them on a daily basis.
Read More
-
sycamore fig tree
The Sycamore Fig species is characterized by a unique pollination system. The trees have a symbiotic relationship with a wasp species from the family Agaonidae, known as a fig wasp.
Read More
-
leopard
Unless they are the rare, dark melanistic form of the species, leopards are usually a light tawny colour, with dark spots on the head, neck and legs, and with patterns called rosettes over the rest of their bodies.
Read More
-
sausage tree
The genus name Kigelia Africana is derived from the words kigeli-keia, its name in one of the African languages spoken in Mozambique. The common name is self-explanatory, the fruit looks just like an enormous sausage.
Read More
-
the steenbok
The species is abundant and common, and can be found throughout Southern Africa, in semi-arid countryside, as well as in savannah bushveld and grassland. They favour areas where they can gain cover and camouflage from shrubs and grasses and are seldom seen in rocky or forested areas.
Read More
-
the marula tree
The tree is deciduous, and also dioecious, which means it has a specific sex. This lead to an African belief that drinking an infusion of the bark of a male tree would lead to the birth of a boy child, or that of a female tree, to the birth of a girl child.
Read More
-
southern white faced scops owl
The Southern White-Faced Scops Owl is a smallish owl easily recognizable by its very striking white facial disc, with a border of black plumage.
Read More
-
praying mantis
In South Africa, the Khoi and San tribes call the praying mantis Hottentotsgot, which means God of the Bushmen.
Read More
-
violet-backed starling
Less noisy than other starlings, this bird is a monogamous species, and will remain so unless its mate dies.
Read More
-
chacma baboons
Within the families are males, females and their offspring. Females give birth to a single baby after a gestation period of around 6 months.
Read More
-
lions
Uniquely for cats, Lions live and hunt in groups, called prides. They have a highly evolved social structure in the pride.
Read More
-
bateleur
The name Bateleur means "tight-rope walker" in French. This aptly describes its distinctive, erratic and unstable manner of flying.
Read More
-
dung beetles
The Scarabaeidae are a super-family of tens of thousands of beetles, including the sub-grouping Scarabaeinae, the dung beetle, which on its own has more than 5,000 species.
Read More
-
woodland kingfisher
It has very bright blue feathers on its back, wing panels and tail, with black shoulders and a white belly.
Read More
-
buffalos
While old Buffalo bulls can be seen by themselves or in groups of two or three, generally Buffalos are gregarious, moving together in herds that can number in the thousands.
Read More
-
zebra
Plains zebras are social animals, often seen standing nose to tail mutually grooming each other. They live in small family groups known as harems (colloquially called dazzles).
Read More
-
warthog
With a flat head and large warts, this is a really unattractive member of the pig family.
Read More
-
southern yellow-billed hornbill
The yellow-billed hornbill is mainly an omnivorous ground feeder, eating small insects, spiders, seeds and occasionally fruit.
Read More
-
dwarf mongoose
The dwarf mongoose is a social, diurnal, territorial carnivore, living in groups of as many as 20 members.
Read More
-
lilac breasted roller
The rollers have a distinctive courtship flight, during which they dive from extreme height, rocking and rolling..
Read More
-
chameleons
Chameleons are a specialised group of lizards forming the family Chamaeleonidae, which, loosely translated means ground lion.
Read More
-
spotted hyena
Although hyenas appear fairly similar to dogs, they make up a separate biological family that is more closely related to cats...
Read More
-
elephant
The gentle giants of the African bush, Elephants can weight up to six tonnes and live upwards of 60 years.
Read More
-
small 5
The small 5 are those fascinating little creatures in the bushveld with similar names to the real 'Big 5'.
Read More
-
hippopotamus
The name hippopotamus means "riverhorse" from the Greek words "hippos," meaning horse, and "potamus," meaning river....
Read More
-
impala
The impala is a gregarious antelope species encountered in large numbers at Sabi Sabi. Impalas have developed a number of adaptations that allow them to thrive.
Read More
-
jupiter
Jupiter is a massive planet, the largest by far in our solar system - with a diameter 11 times that of the Earth.
Read More
-
klipspringer
The Klipspringer ('rock jumper' in Afrikaans) is a small African antelope that lives on rocky outcrops from the Cape of Good Hope all the way up East Africa and into Ethiopia
Read More
-
scorpions
Scorpions are from the class arachnida, and are very closely related to spiders. There are almost 2000 scorpion species, of which only a small percentage have deadly venom.
Read More
-
termites
Insects, including termites, are the most successful group of living creatures in the world today. Termites are the only insect order in which all species are highly social.
Read More
-
vultures
Vultures play a very important role in the environment by helping to remove carcasses of animals, which prevents the spread of disease.
Read More
