WILDLIFE REPORT SINGITA KRUGER NATIONAL PARK, SOUTH …469uj5355hpj1cwksq2n1n1a-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp... · 2017. 10. 31. · more elephants coming to these water sources as

WILDLIFE REPORT SINGITA KRUGER NATIONAL PARK, SOUTH AFRICA

For the month of July, Two Thousand and Seventeen

Photo by Nick du Plessis Temperature Rainfall Recorded Sunrise & Sunset Average minimum: 15°C (59°F) For the period: 2 mm Sunrise: 06h29 Average maximum: 27°C (81°F) For the year to date: 317 mm Sunset: 17h27 Minimum recorded: 12°C (54°F) Maximum recorded: 33°C (91°F) We are already more than halfway through winter and the sun is starting to rise earlier again. It has been an unusually warm winter and there are still quite a few leaves on many of the trees. The grass is still fairly tall and has now changed to a golden hue. It is slowly starting to get flattened by the movements of the animals, but there are still thick stands throughout the concession. The thick grass layer has meant that the gamebirds such as the francolins, spurfowl, harlequin quails and buttonquails have managed to raise quite a few clutches or broods this year. We are still seeing batches of small chicks with the adults. Some of these pairs have managed to have three clutches.

The thick grass layer has meant that there is still quite a bit of food for the grazers and we are still seeing large herds of zebras, wildebeest and even buffalos. In the hills, the grass has thinned out a bit and we have been seeing more Sharpe’s grysbok again. These are beautiful small antelope, similar to steenbok and are generally fairly difficult to see wherever they occur. The aloes have been in flower around the lodge and have attracted quite a few sunbirds, including collared sunbirds, white-bellied sunbirds and Marico sunbirds. The male sunbirds are absolutely stunning with their metallic green or blue feathers. Another plant that has been in flower this month, and that also attracts the sunbirds to its sweet nectar, is the pink mistletoe that parasitizes the knobthorn trees (which, incidentally, are also in full flower). The impala lilies are also in bloom and the beautiful pink and white flowers are very showy in the hills and some of the flat areas. The seasonal pans are almost all dry throughout the concession now and only the deeper parts of the river (in areas such as Dumbana Pool, Puff adder Pool, the confluence and the weir) still have water. Gudzani Dam is still full, as is Pony Pan. These deeper water points are now starting to attract quite a lot of game in the late mornings and early afternoons. Fortunately, it appears that these areas may hold water throughout the season until the rains come again next summer. Although the migrant birds have all left now we are still seeing some exciting species. The queleas are still roosting en masse in the thorn thickets on the granophyre ridge and it is an absolute spectacle to see them arriving in their large flocks to roost in the late afternoons. Other special birds that we have seen this last month have included a female greater painted snipe, kori bustards, ostriches, eastern nicators and martial eagles, amongst others.

Photo by Brian Rode Our wildlife review for the month of July is as follows: Buffaloes: The grass in the concession is still quite thick and lush and this has attracted quite a few buffalo herds into the area. This last month we had at least 55 sightings of these formidable animals. Quite a few of these sightings have been of herds in excess of 200 animals. There have also been a few

sightings of bachelor herds and lone dagha boys. These dagha boys are renowned to be grumpy and are some of the most dangerous animals in Africa. For a few days there was a really bad-tempered male that was hanging around the area of Dudu’s Crossing and he charged at few of the vehicles that came across him. Fortunately, the guides are aware of how cranky these bulls can be and so managed to avoid him. There was also one male who had an injured right shoulder that was seen loitering in the area around Xinkwenyana Crossing. He was unable to walk fast and we all knew that the day would come when the lions discovered his presence. This happened towards the end of the month when the Shish Pride managed to permanently relieve him of his pain. They fed upon his remains for two days. The large herds of buffalos have also attracted a few yellow-billed oxpeckers into the area. The yellow-billed oxpeckers are quite rare birds in the concession and we do not see them very often, although this month we have seen quite a few of them on the backs of the buffalos. Both the red-billed (which are much more common in the area) and the yellow-billed oxpeckers have a symbiotic relationship with large herbivores such as the buffalos. These birds feed predominantly on ticks and so they are often seen on the backs of animals cleaning them of external parasites. The birds benefit from the relationship by getting food and nesting material (they line their nests, which are usually in holes in dead trees, with hair taken from the animals), while the animals get cleaned and can also benefit from the warning calls of the birds (which they give when they see danger in the area).

Photo by Nick du Plessis Elephants: We have had some amazing elephant viewing this month. We have had more than 200 sightings of these majestic creatures. There have been quite a few sightings of herds in excess of 50 individuals. It is incredible to see so many elephants in one place at a time. Fortunately, this year we still have a lot of water at Gudzani Dam and in some of the deeper pools in the N’wanetsi River and this should keep elephants in the concession throughout winter and spring. We are expecting to see more and more elephants coming to these water sources as the dry season progresses. With all the large herds in the concession we have also come across quite a few bulls in musth. When bull elephants bring

themselves into musth they raise their testosterone levels, in order to compete with other males for access to females in oestrous.

Photo by Nick du Plessis By raising their testosterone levels, it is similar to humans taking steroids (in that they become stronger, more temperamental and confident), this means that they are able to fight off other males for access to females in heat. Usually male elephants only bring themselves into a state of musth when they are in prime condition, as when two bull elephants that are both in musth come across each other it could lead to a serious fight taking place in which one or both could get seriously injured or even killed. With all the large breeding herds in the area we have also been seeing quite a few baby elephants. Baby elephants are so special to watch, particularly when they are younger than six months old and have not yet learned to use their trunks properly. At this stage, they often wave their trunks around in the air as if they do not know what this strange, long appendage is. When they are this young they are not able to suck up water into the trunks and, therefore, when they drink water they have to kneel down and put their mouths straight into the pool. It is so cute to see! Spotted hyenas: The Lebombo Concession has relatively high concentration of spotted hyenas. We have at least four different clans in the area. Presently there are two den-sites that we can view. One of these den-sites is in a drain pipe under the H6 road, not far from the camp. This clan has quite a few youngsters and we often see them at night. They are often curious with the vehicles. There is another hyena den in the far north of the concession. This den is in a hole in the ground (probably originally dug by an aardvark). This is possibly the new den for the Nongo / Xinkelengane Clan. At present there are four youngsters, who have just changed from their black colouration to the spotted coats. We have still not been able to locate the new den-site for the Nyokeng Clan, but believe that they may have moved to an inaccessible valley in the hills.

Photo by Brian Rode

Towards the middle of the month two nomadic male lions killed a giraffe in front of Lebombo Camp. This giraffe carcass attracted quite a few hyenas from the Nyokeng and H6 Clans. This sighting is described in more detail later in the report. Here’s a great descriptive quote from the book “Life of Pi” by the author Yann Martel: "I am not one to hold a prejudice against any animal, but it is a plain fact that the spotted hyena is not well served by its appearance. It is ugly beyond redemption. Its thick neck and high shoulders that slope to the hindquarters look as if they’ve come from a discarded prototype for the giraffe, and its shaggy, coarse coat seems to have been patched together from the leftovers of creation. The colour is a bungled mix of tan, black, yellow, grey, with the spots having none of the classy ostentation of a leopard’s rosettes; they look rather like the symptoms of a skin disease, a virulent form of mange. The head is broad and too massive, with a high forehead, like that of a bear, but suffering from a receding hairline, and with ears that look ridiculously mouse-like, large and round, when they haven’t been torn off in battle. The mouth is forever open and panting. The nostrils are too big. The tail is scraggly and unwagging. The gait is shambling. All the parts put together look doglike, but like no dog anyone would want as a pet." Lions: We have had great lion sightings this month. We have seen the Shishangaan Pride a few times and, at present, the main portion of the pride consists of 19 lions. The famous white lion is still with the pride, although we are expecting him and the other sub-adult males to leave the area soon. They are now at the age where they need to leave and find their own territories. Soon the dominant males of the area will not tolerate them anymore. The young Shish males are already having trouble with the dominant males from the surrounding territories. Fortunately, the dominant Shish males have not yet turned against them, but the time will come soon when they do. Male lions have a very hard time when they are at this age. Upon leaving their natal territory, male lions will be running from other dominant male lions until they gain enough strength to challenge and beat the dominant

males of an area and take over the territory for themselves. During this time that they are trying to gain strength and muscle they cannot rely on the females to do the hunting. They have to feed themselves, and at the same time they have to avoid drawing the attention of other lions in the area to themselves. If a young male lion is lucky he has brothers who are of the same age as he and they can form a coalition and leave together. The young Shish sub-adults are in the fortunate position that there are a few young males of the same age.

Photo by Brian Rode On at least two occasions this last month the guides were lucky enough to see this portion of the pride hunting and killing impalas. When prides of lions as large as this one kill something as small as an impala there is always a lot of action as they fight amongst themselves for a mouthful of meat. This is often accompanied by lots of noise as they growl and swat at each other.

Photo by Nick du Plessis

One morning the guides were travelling on the bus from the Shishangaan Staff Village to the lodge when they came across three lionesses with six very small cubs. The thought that these females could be the break-away portion from the Shish Pride. If so, we could soon see them returning to the concession with the new cubs. The four dominant males (Shish Males) have also been seen a few times this last month. The male with the injured back leg and irritable disposition has still been following the Mountain Pride around. The other three males tend to be seen together. Towards the end of the first week of July we could hear lions roaring to the west of the concession. It sounded like the lions were heading towards our western boundary road. We managed to find them as they were about to enter into the concession. Just before crossing the road the three male lions surprised a hyena and immediately they attacked it. The hyena was too slow to get away and the lions grabbed hold of it and started biting it. One of the male lions hit the hyena hard on the back with its powerful paw and broke its spine. They then left the hyena to die in the grass as they carried on walking towards the east into the concession. We have only seen the Xhirombe Pride on two occasions this month. On both of these occasions they were lying very close to the Mozambique boundary. We believe that they have been spending most of their time in our neighbouring country. The Mountain Pride have also been seen a few times this last month. This pride consists of three adult lionesses and one young female cub. They have been moving around the central area of the concession. It appears that one of the lionesses is now coming into heat and the big male who often hangs around with them has taken a serious interest in her, although she does not seem to be too keen to mate with him yet. This month we have also been seeing two new male lions in the southern part of the concession and in the area nearby the lodge. These lions were initially very shy of the vehicles but seem to have relaxed a bit now and we have had good views of them. These two lions managed to kill a large male giraffe on the other side of the river in front of camp (this sighting is described later in this report).

Photo by Brian Rode

Cheetahs:

Photo by Brian Rode We’ve had at least four sightings of these beautiful animals this month. All these sightings occurred along the H6 Road, usually on the way to or from the airstrip. At the beginning of the month Jacques located a coalition of two male cheetahs in the big open grasslands close to the turnoff to the staff village. These animals were walking right next to the road. They then crossed the road in front of the cars and went and climbed up a fallen tree and marked it by defecating on it. They used the tree as a lookout to survey the grasslands for other cheetahs, possible danger or potential prey before climbing down and heading off further from the road into the plains. Later in the month two cheetahs were seen near the Shishangaan waterhole by JP and Margaux. They had made a kill, but were driven away from the carcass by large numbers of vultures that can down to scavenge. Wessel located a female cheetah and her four youngsters one day on a transfer to the airstrip. These five cheetahs were seen a few months back in our concession. It is amazing how far and wide these animals travel. Cheetah females are generally not considered to be territorial animals and make use of large, extended home-ranges. Cheetahs tend to be quite visible when they are in an area. They prefer open areas and often stand on exposed mounds or fallen trees. This means that they cannot stay in one particular region for long lengths of time as the prey species soon realise that they are there and then move to a different area. These five cheetahs were seen again on the H6 towards the end of the month. Leopards: The Ndlovu male is one of the more relaxed male leopards in the area, but due to the long grass, thick vegetation and the fact that there have been pools of water lying throughout the hills in the past few months we had not seen much of him.

Photo by Nick du Plessis

Now that the water has started drying up in the hills the animals have been attracted to the river and therefore we are starting to see him more often near the lodge. Towards the beginning of the month, Nick was on his way back to camp after dark when he found two leopards near the N’wanetsi River, fairly close to the lodge. It was a mating pair. The male was quite relaxed with the vehicles and we thought he might be the Ndlovu male. The female, however, was quite shy. She was trying to entice the male to move to a more secluded spot but since he was not worried about the cars she had to return to where he was. We watched them mating twice before we left them to their peace. Two days later Brian and Charles were heading back towards the camp in the late evening when they spotted (pardon the pun) a male leopard walking down the road towards them, marking his territory. He went and lay down next to the road and while they were watching him they heard a growl coming from the bushes behind the male leopard. The next thing a female appeared out of the bushes. She advanced towards the male and was flirting with him. They then mated right next to the vehicle, with all the guests watching. When leopards mate it is often accompanied by lots of vocalisation and growling. When female leopards or lions come into oestrous they often mate every twenty minutes or so for a few days running. We have also seen the Dumbana female and her youngster a few times this last month. They have mainly been moving around in the area between the ridge south of Green Apple Hill and the Milkberry Ridge. The cub is doing well and is growing up quickly. He is still fairly shy of the vehicles, but seems to be getting more and more relaxed as he is getting exposed to them. Nick had an amazing sighting of these two leopards one morning as they were chasing klipspringers up and down the cliffs near Green Apple Hill. The Xinkelengane female was also seen on two occasions this month. She was feeding on an adult male impala that she had taken up into a tree in the Nhlangulene drainage. We have not seen her cub again since Wessel saw it last month, but we are sure that she still has it hidden in the hills.

Photo by Brian Rode Clash of the clans Article and photos by Brian Rode It was a warm afternoon when we came to the main area at Lebombo Lodge, just before tea. The view from the lodge is outstanding with the rocks from the granophyre ridge standing to attention in the background, all covered with impressive candelabra trees. The N’wanetsi River lies beneath the lodge, with the main area and all the rooms looking out onto the ribbon of green in the gold and brown landscape. As we were looking out at the beautiful view stretching out in front of us we noticed that there were quite a few vultures descending into the trees at the edge of the river in front of the camp. As soon as the guests were ready the guides headed out on game-drive. Knowing that the vultures are often indicators of the presence of predators, some of the guides headed straight towards where they had seen the vultures descending. By now most of the dead trees in the area were adorned with these large scavenging birds. When the guides arrived at the site they discovered two male lions lying next to a carcass of a fully-grown, adult male giraffe that they had obviously killed either during the night or early that morning. The carcass had hardly been touched yet. The two male lions at the giraffe carcass were two new nomadic males that we had started to see in the concession a few weeks before. Initially they were very shy of the vehicles, obviously not having had much contact with these strange metallic creatures with live inhabitants before. Over the days after we first saw them they slowly got more relaxed to the cars, realising that we did not harm them or steal their food.

These two “new nomads” arrived in the concession only a few weeks after the guides at SKNP witnessed the four dominant Shishangaan male lions killing one of another pair of nomadic lions that had come into their territory (read up on this encounter in our May report). This is dangerous ground for nomadic male lions, as the Shish Males are large, fully-maned lions that have quite a lot of experience fighting other lions and have protected their territory from other invaders for quite a

few years now. These two new nomads are certainly “dancing with the devil” by coming into this concession. Fortunately for these two, the Shish Males have not been patrolling the southern edge of the concession very much but have been concentrating their efforts more to the west, where they have been guarding against the N’wanetsi Males (the male coalition that is often seen by the public towards the western end of the S100 public road and in the area near Satara camp). That afternoon we returned to the area of the giraffe carcass and found the two nomadic lions feeding. Nearby, another male giraffe had walked up towards the carcass staring at his unfortunate comrade that was being eaten by the large cats. Needless to say, he did not come too close, lest he, himself, ended up the same way. The next morning there were a few spotted hyenas in the area, but they did not venture closer to the carcass because of the presence of the two male lions. By the afternoon the numbers of vultures in the trees had increased dramatically. The two male lions had moved off from the carcass to rest, with their bellies full, and now a few hyenas were able to get at the meat. During the night, we could hear the giggling and laughing of hyenas, from the camp, as they argued over the carcass. The sounds that hyenas make, particularly when they are excited or agitated, is one of the weirdest noises that one can hear in the bush. Hyenas “whoop” and howl when calling or when communicating with other members of the clan. When they get excited, however, they start laughing and giggling. This is a very strange sound, almost reminiscent of a witch’s cackle. One can imagine that people living in reed and mud villages in the bush in the past could become quite concerned when they heard these strange sounds coming from the darkness at night. These strange sounds, and the fact that hyenas are often associated with death, has led to there being many superstitions about these misunderstood creatures. Hyenas, furthermore, have very strange appearances, with their sloped backs, their mottled, often mangy-looking coats – particularly in older individuals, their big necks and chests and strong jaws with dog-like teeth. Some of the tribes of southern Africa believe that hyenas are often familiars to bad witches or witch-

doctors and some even believe that these bad witches can change shape and morph into hyenas so that they can run faster and travel long distances without tiring. During the night the two male lions returned to the carcass, but the next morning we saw them leaving the area. By now the hyena and vulture numbers had increased even more and, as the lions moved away, the scavengers came down to the carcass. All in all, there were at least 25 hyenas in the area and more than 50 vultures in the trees surrounding the carcass. There were at least four different species of vultures including a white-headed vulture, numerous white-backed and hooded vultures and even two critically endangered Cape vultures. The hyenas were obviously from two different clans (possibly the Nyokeng Clan and the H6 Clan) and a fight started between the two clans over access to the giraffe carcass. Individuals from each clan would gather in numbers and then run towards the carcass, whooping and giggling, with their black,

bushy tails erect like battle flags. The hyenas at the carcass (from the other clan) would then take flight as the other hyenas charged towards them. The hyenas who had just taken over the carcass would then feed for a short while, while those hyenas that had just been displaced from the kill gathered together and psyched each other out, gaining confidence to retaliate. They would then charge towards the carcass, chasing the other hyenas away from the meat, and for a short while they would be able to feed before the vanquished group gathered enough clan members to initiate a charge themselves. This continued for most of the morning as the two clans chased each other away from the banquet only to be able to feed for a short period of time before they themselves were chased away. It was amazing viewing! One young male hyena from one of the clans was particularly energetic and led the charge on a few occasions. By the afternoon the hyenas had already reduced the carcass substantially and most of them had headed off into the shade with full bellies, or returned to their respective den sites. With fewer large predators near the carcass the vultures took the opportunity and descended from the trees. The large numbers of vultures at the carcass even persuaded the few hyenas that were left to leave the site. During the night we again heard the hyenas laughing and calling, and the next morning when we went to go and check out the carcass there were only one or two hyenas chewing at the last bones,

trying to get the marrow from within. Nearby, lying dead in the grass, we could see the young hyena that had led many of the charges the day before. Either the hyenas from the other clan finally got annoyed with him and managed to get hold of him or perhaps even the two male lions had returned and found him scavenging on the last bones. Either way it looks like he had pushed his luck a little too far. It is amazing how quickly the scavengers (the hyenas and vultures) can eat and clean up the carcasses that they find in the bush. Literally they managed to remove an entire carcass of a giraffe (possibly up to 1 000 kg in weight) in three days. That is quite amazing! They are such important creatures in the savanna ecosystems, and are vital in lowering the chances of diseases spreading from rotting meat that would otherwise lie around in the bush. Mongooses of the Lebombo Concession Article and photos by Brian Rode Mongooses are small carnivores that belong to the family Herpestidae. They usually have short legs, reasonably long snouts and bodies, and a long tail. They also have small rounded ears and often have long claws, that are non-retractable and are used for digging and climbing. The body-shape of mongooses is similar to that of weasels or genets (which both belong to different families - Mustelidae and Viverridae respectively). Mongooses often have oval-shaped pupils and have enlarged anal glands, with which they mark their territories. Mongooses are thought to have evolved from the Viverrids (genets and civets), which evolved from the felids (cats). Dwarf mongooses The name “mongoose” is supposedly derived from the Marathi (a language that is used predominantly in western India) word “mungus”, used to describe the Indian mongooses.

Mongooses became famous by Rudyard Kipling (the famous author who wrote “The Jungle book”) in the story “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi”. In this tale, an Indian grey mongoose is adopted by a British family. The mongoose, in this story, manages to kill two cobras that threaten the safety of the family. Mongooses are famous for their ability to kill snakes, including those that are highly venomous. In South Africa, the slender mongoose is well known to be able to kill snakes. This is partly due to their speed, agility and ferocity, but also because (according to various studies) some mongooses supposedly have receptors for acetylcholine within their bodies that, like the receptors in snakes, are shaped so that it is impossible for snake neurotoxin venom to attach to them. Other animals that have similar acetylcholine receptors include pigs, honey badgers and hedgehogs. There are 34 species of mongooses worldwide, of which the largest is the white-tailed mongoose (weighing up to 5 kilograms) and the smallest being the dwarf mongoose (weighing up to 300 grams). In South Africa there are 11 species of mongooses that have been recorded (including the suricate / meerkat, that occurs in the drier western half of the country). Mongooses belong to the order Carnivora, and therefore feed predominantly on live prey such as small vertebrates, for example birds (and even bird eggs), snakes, lizards and invertebrates including insects, spiders and scorpions. In turn, they are fed upon by various birds of prey (raptors) and sometimes killed by larger carnivores.

Mongooses can basically be divided into two main groupings i.e. those mongooses that are gregarious in nature and live in family groups (usually referred to as a “business of mongooses”) and those mongooses that are generally found alone (solitary mongooses), unless they are mating or females with youngsters. Young mongooses are known as pups, although they should theoretically be known as cubs as they are closer related to the cat family than the dog family. The gregarious mongooses are usually placed into the sub-family Mungotinae, whereas the solitary mongooses are usually placed into the sub-family Herpestinae. In the Singita Kruger National Park Concession we find the following mongooses: dwarf mongoose (Helogale parvula), banded mongoose (Mungos mungo), marsh / water mongoose (Atilax paludonisus), slender mongoose (Herpestes sanguineus) and white-tailed mongoose (Ichneumia albicauda). Of these the dwarf mongooses and the banded mongooses are gregarious mongooses, whereas the slender mongoose, the white-tailed mongoose and the water mongoose tend to be solitary mongooses. In the Kruger National Park, the following scarce mongooses have also been seen on rare occasions (although they have not yet been recorded in our concession) – Selous mongoose (Paracynictis

White-tailed mongoose attacked by honey

badger Slender mongoose attacked by a dark chanting

goshawk

selousi), large grey mongoose / Ichneumon (Herpestes ichneumon) and Meller’s mongoose (Rhynchogale melleri). Solitary mongooses of the Lebombo Concession: Slender mongoose (Herpestes sanguineus) Slender mongoose The slender mongoose is the most weasel-like mongoose in the area. It is generally brown in colour, with a long, black-tipped tail. This is the mongoose that is most famous in South Africa for killing snakes (even highly venomous snakes such as mambas, boomslangs and cobras). They are extremely agile and are able to climb well, although they are generally seen on the ground. They are usually seen alone and are diurnal in habits, sleeping at night in holes in the ground, in old dis-used termite heaps and hollow branches. They feed on a wide variety of creatures including birds (they are often mobbed by birds as they travel around). They have been seen on occasion to scavenge from carcasses. Slender Mongooses are known to be territorial and mark their areas using their anal glands and cheek glands. They tend to defecate at regularly used latrine sites, which is another form of territorial marking. Water / Marsh Mongoose (Atilax paludonisus) The water mongoose is a large, dark-brown, shaggy-coated mongoose that is usually found along waterways and in reedbeds surrounding inland water-bodies. It is generally nocturnal and feeds on a variety of vertebrates and invertebrates, including crabs, fresh-water mussels, fish, frogs, water-snails, aquatic insects, birds and snakes (amongst others). They have long, clawed, finger-like toes that they use to feel in muddy areas and in murky waters for prey species. Water mongooses are generally solitary animals. They are territorial creatures and use their glands to mark objects along the banks of the rivers. They are able to swim well. We very seldom see these creatures in the concession, but do see their distinctive, long-fingered tracks in muddy areas along the N’wanetsi River on occasion.

Water / marsh mongoose White-tailed mongoose (Ichneumia albicauda) White-tailed mongooses are the largest of the mongooses. They are grey in colour, with darkly-coloured legs and a conspicuous, bushy white tail (which they raise and fluff out when agitated). These creatures are solitary and nocturnal in nature. They feed predominantly on insects and other invertebrates, although they will also feed on small vertebrates such as mice and birds if they are able to catch them. During the day they hide in old termitaria, in holes in the ground or hollow logs. At night they become active and often walk around in a zig-zag fashion as they forage for insects and other prey. We do not see them very often, but find their tracks all over the concession during the early mornings. They are territorial and tend to defecate in middens, often close to their den-sites. White-tailed mongoose

Gregarious mongooses of the Lebombo Concession: Dwarf mongoose (Helogale parvula) Dwarf mongooses They are the smallest of the mongooses in southern Africa. They are dark-brown in colour and feed predominantly on insects, scorpions and small rodents. They are diurnal (active during the day). Although mongooses are renowned for their ability to kill snakes these mongooses are very small and more likely to be eaten by snakes than to catch and eat them (except perhaps very small snakes). These mongooses live in groups of between 2 and 21 members. Within the “business” there is only 1 dominant pair (the Alpha pair) that mate and breed and the rest of the group help to raise the young. They are territorial and mark their territories by anal pastings, by defecating in middens / latrines and by glandular cheek secretions. They usually have a few places, within their territories, that they use to sleep in (often in dis-used termitaria or under logs). They are quite vocal while out foraging and keep in contact with the rest of the group with high-pitched chirping noises. They are often found in association with hornbills. This is a mutualistic symbiotic relationship whereby the hornbill benefits by catching the flying insects that the mongooses disturb and the mongooses benefit by being alerted to possible danger in the area by the hornbills. Banded mongoose (Mungos mungo) Banded mongoose

Banded mongooses are fairly large mongooses that are grey in colour, with black or dark stripes across their backs. They live in groups that can number up to 40 individuals. They maintain territories by anal markings, glandular secretions and communal middens. Banded mongooses are diurnal and may have several sites within their territories that they use to sleep at night. These are usually in dis-used termitaria or under fallen trees. In the mornings the “business” will leave their sleeping site and move in a loose group as they forage, keeping constant contact with the rest of the group with soft chittering calls. They feed predominantly on invertebrates such as scorpions, beetles, beetle larvae and other insects such as grasshoppers. They often dig around and in antelope and other herbivore droppings in order to find prey. They will also eat bird eggs if they find them and tend to throw them through their back legs at a hard object such as a rock in order to break them open. Rival packs may fight if they encounter each other. Studies have shown that when rival groups fight, males from the opposing “business” may mate with females from the opposite group while the rest of the opposing males are pre-occupied with the fight. Within the group there may be more than one female that gives birth. Usually the dominant members within a group are the older members. When the “business” comes across potential danger the group will band together to fight off the enemy. Other members of the group will also come to the rescue of an individual that gets into trouble. July moments in time

Photo by Nick du Plessis

Photo by Nick du Plessis Photo by Brian Rode Photo by Brian Rode Photo by Brian Rode Photo by Nick du Plessis Photo by Nick du Plessis

Photo by Brian Rode

Articles by Brian Rode Photos by Brian Rode and Nick du Plessis Singita Kruger National Park, South Africa

Thirty-first of July, Two thousand and seventeen