MAMMALS
Springbok, Antidorcas marsupialis
Springbok have been an important part of human life in the Karoo for many centuries. To the /Xam hunter-gatherers who lived in the Karoo, the springbok was a source of food and many myths and superstitions were associated with it. A 100 years ago, springbok migrations several million strong would pass through the Karoo. Today, the large historical herds of springbok no longer exist, but you'll see game farms with herds of springbok almost as often as you'll see sheep, the traditional livestock of the Karoo. Springbok inhabit the dry inland areas of south and southwestern Africa. Springbok are mixed feeders, switching between grazing and browsing seasonally. Springbok adults are between 70 and 90 cm tall at the shoulder, depending on weight and gender; they weigh up to 35 kg for the females, and up to 48 kg for the males. Their colouring consists of white, reddish/tan and dark brown. Their backs are tan-coloured and they are white beneath, with a dark brown stripe extending along each side from the shoulder to inside the thigh. Rams are slightly larger than ewes, and have thick horns; the ewes tend to have skinnier legs and longer, more frail horns.
Riverine rabbit, Bunolagus monticularis
Deelfontein hare, doekvoetjie or pondhaas
First discovered in 1901, the riverine rabbit is endemic to the central Karoo, and regarded as critically endangered. Solitary and nocturnal, it feeds at night and rests during the day. Riverine rabbits are habitat specialists occupying riverine shrubland. It has a typical rabbit shape but the body is more elongated and the ears are longer and more hare-like. Distinguishing facial marks include a white eye ring around each eye and a black brown stripe along the sides of the lower jaw. The tail is brown and resembles a “pom-pom”. The coat is a reddish-brown grizzled with black, the underparts are a gray. Their average body length is 52 cm and they can weigh up to 1,9 kg. Predominantly a browser it also grazes on new grass shoots during the wet season. The most serious threat to the survival of the riverine rabbit is the fragmentation and destruction of its unique habitat type by overgrazing and other agricultural practices.
Visagie's golden mole, Chrysochloris visagiei
The Visagie's golden mole is a small mammal, listed in 2003 as a critically endangered species, and strictly endemic to the Nama Karoo. They are a burrowing animal, and spend the majority of their time underground. They range in size between 8 cm to 20 cm. Golden moles have an amazingly efficient kidney, and some species do not need to drink water at all. Agriculture has dramatically transformed the habitat at the type locality, but the impact thereof cannot be judged given the doubt that exists about the origin of the type specimen collected, and/or the habitat requirements of this species. Visagie's golden mole is known from a single specimen collected from Gouna in the Northern Cape, where extensive agriculture on the alluvial sand floodplains of the Vis and Renoster rivers, has severely altered the environment. No specimens have been seen or collected since its description.