MAMMALS
African elephant, Loxodonta africana
Elephants are herbivorous and can be found in different habitats including savannahs, forests, deserts and marshes. They prefer to stay near water. They are considered to be keystone species due to their impact on their environments. Females (or "cows") tend to live in family groups, which can consist of one female with her calves or several related females with offspring. The latter are led by the oldest cow, known as the matriarch. Elephants have a fission-fusion society in which multiple family groups come together to socialize. Males (or "bulls") leave their family groups when they reach puberty, and may live alone or with other males. Adult bulls mostly interact with family groups when looking for a mate and enter a state of increased testosterone and aggression known as musth. An elephant's gestation period is 20 to 22 months. Calves are the center of attention in their family groups and rely on their mothers for as long as three years. African elephants live for about seventy years, and die when their molars wear down; they can't eat so they starve. They appear to have self-awareness and show empathy for dying or dead individuals of their kind. African elephants are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Elephants in the Eastern Cape have a long history of conflict with humans . Hunted down by ivory hunters only about 140 survived in the region of the Addo. At the time of the proclamation of the Addo National Park in 1931, only 11 remained.
Vervet monkeys, Chlorocebus pygerythrus
The vervet monkey is of the family Cercopithecidae and native to Africa. Vervets live in social groups ranging from 10–50 individuals, with males changing groups at the time of sexual maturity. The vervet monkey has a black face with a white fringe of hair, while the overall hair color is mostly grizzled-grey. The adult male of all species has a pale blue scrotum and a red penis. The males are larger in weight and body length and weigh up to 8 kg. Adult females weigh up to 5 kg. Typically, a female can give birth at any time during the year after a gestation period of about 165 days. Usually. only one infant born at a time, though twins can occur rarely. A normal infant weighs 300–400 g Male hierarchies are determined by age, tenure in the group, fighting abilities, and allies, while female hierarchies are dependent on maternal social status.
Vervets have been noted In for having human-like characteristics, such as hypertension and anxiety. Within groups, aggression is directed primarily at individuals that are lower on the hierarchy. Spiteful actions are extremely rare in the animal kingdom. Vervet monkeys have been observed to destroy a competitor's food source rather than consume or steal it themselves. In agricultural areas, vervets become problem animals, as they will raid bean crops, peas, young tobacco plants, vegetables, fruit, and various grain crops.
Black backed jackal, Canis mesomelas
Black-backed jackals are small, fox-like canids and are the smallest of the three species called jackal. They measure 30–48 cm in shoulder height and 60–90 cm in length. The tail measures 26–40 cm in length. Their skulls are elongated, with pear-shaped braincases. The general colour is reddish-brown to tan, while the flanks and legs are redder. Males tend to be more brightly coloured than females, particularly in their winter coat. The back is intermixed with silver and black hairs, while the underparts are white. Their tails have a black tip, unlike side-striped jackals, which have white-tipped tails. Jackals usually den in holes made by other species, though they will occasionally dig their own. Black-backed jackals are monogamous and territorial animals. During the mating season, they become increasingly more vocal and territorial, with dominant animals preventing same-sex subordinates from mating through constant harassment. Litters usually consist of three to six pups. For the first three weeks of their lives, the pups are kept under constant surveillance by their mother, while the father and elder offspring provide food. They typically leave the den after three weeks, and become independent at six to eight months. Black-backed jackals are omnivores. The main threat to adults are leopards.
Black backed jackals live in conflict with human settlements as they are often regarded as vermin by chicken and sheep farmers. They are persecuted in large areas of the thicket biome.
Elephants are herbivorous and can be found in different habitats including savannahs, forests, deserts and marshes. They prefer to stay near water. They are considered to be keystone species due to their impact on their environments. Females (or "cows") tend to live in family groups, which can consist of one female with her calves or several related females with offspring. The latter are led by the oldest cow, known as the matriarch. Elephants have a fission-fusion society in which multiple family groups come together to socialize. Males (or "bulls") leave their family groups when they reach puberty, and may live alone or with other males. Adult bulls mostly interact with family groups when looking for a mate and enter a state of increased testosterone and aggression known as musth. An elephant's gestation period is 20 to 22 months. Calves are the center of attention in their family groups and rely on their mothers for as long as three years. African elephants live for about seventy years, and die when their molars wear down; they can't eat so they starve. They appear to have self-awareness and show empathy for dying or dead individuals of their kind. African elephants are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Elephants in the Eastern Cape have a long history of conflict with humans . Hunted down by ivory hunters only about 140 survived in the region of the Addo. At the time of the proclamation of the Addo National Park in 1931, only 11 remained.
Vervet monkeys, Chlorocebus pygerythrus
The vervet monkey is of the family Cercopithecidae and native to Africa. Vervets live in social groups ranging from 10–50 individuals, with males changing groups at the time of sexual maturity. The vervet monkey has a black face with a white fringe of hair, while the overall hair color is mostly grizzled-grey. The adult male of all species has a pale blue scrotum and a red penis. The males are larger in weight and body length and weigh up to 8 kg. Adult females weigh up to 5 kg. Typically, a female can give birth at any time during the year after a gestation period of about 165 days. Usually. only one infant born at a time, though twins can occur rarely. A normal infant weighs 300–400 g Male hierarchies are determined by age, tenure in the group, fighting abilities, and allies, while female hierarchies are dependent on maternal social status.
Vervets have been noted In for having human-like characteristics, such as hypertension and anxiety. Within groups, aggression is directed primarily at individuals that are lower on the hierarchy. Spiteful actions are extremely rare in the animal kingdom. Vervet monkeys have been observed to destroy a competitor's food source rather than consume or steal it themselves. In agricultural areas, vervets become problem animals, as they will raid bean crops, peas, young tobacco plants, vegetables, fruit, and various grain crops.
Black backed jackal, Canis mesomelas
Black-backed jackals are small, fox-like canids and are the smallest of the three species called jackal. They measure 30–48 cm in shoulder height and 60–90 cm in length. The tail measures 26–40 cm in length. Their skulls are elongated, with pear-shaped braincases. The general colour is reddish-brown to tan, while the flanks and legs are redder. Males tend to be more brightly coloured than females, particularly in their winter coat. The back is intermixed with silver and black hairs, while the underparts are white. Their tails have a black tip, unlike side-striped jackals, which have white-tipped tails. Jackals usually den in holes made by other species, though they will occasionally dig their own. Black-backed jackals are monogamous and territorial animals. During the mating season, they become increasingly more vocal and territorial, with dominant animals preventing same-sex subordinates from mating through constant harassment. Litters usually consist of three to six pups. For the first three weeks of their lives, the pups are kept under constant surveillance by their mother, while the father and elder offspring provide food. They typically leave the den after three weeks, and become independent at six to eight months. Black-backed jackals are omnivores. The main threat to adults are leopards.
Black backed jackals live in conflict with human settlements as they are often regarded as vermin by chicken and sheep farmers. They are persecuted in large areas of the thicket biome.