Ivory has been desired since antiquity and sadly continues to be desired because it is easy to carve into intricate decorative items for the very wealthy. Despite changes in regulations in Africa over the past 100 years, the ivory trade continues to thrive driven by the demand for it in parts of Asia. Lets explore...

Bat-eared fox with her cubs. The bat-eared fox (Octocyon megalotis) is a species of fox that is fairly common throughout Southern and Eastern Africa. They are primarily found in areas where there are short grass plains and where there are an abundance of termites and beetles. As their name suggest, they have enormous bat-like ears...

Animals have evolved to have many remarkable adaptations to help them survive in the wild. Adaptations are any physical or behavioural characteristics of an animal that aid their survival in its natural habitat. The adaptations could be body parts, body coverings (i.e. markings) or behaviours. Predators have adaptations to make them successful hunters, whereas prey...

Where the warm current from the sub-tropical Indian ocean eaters meets the cold Atlantic waters, biodiversity flourishes. South Africa’s marine biodiversity is quite spectacular, making the waters very unique. The rich waters attract many marine species, especially turtles. Out of the seven species of sea turtle found worldwide, all but two (the flatback turtle and...

It is easy for the little guys to get over looked when you are on a safari. The African dung beetle is far to fascinating to ignore and we want to explain to you all why. Dung beetle on its perfectly round dung ball. Dung beetles Dung beetles belong to a group of insects in...

Tourists visiting South Africa are always eager to catch a glimpse of the ‘Big Five’, Lion, Rhino, Buffalo, Leopard and Elephant. These mammals are highly celebrated in the country but with this, the smaller wildlife is often neglected. Nature conservationist saw the marketing success of the ‘Big Five’ and a group of people came up...

White Rhino, typically identified by the wide, square lip. There are three species of rhino found in Africa. White rhinos are the second largest land mammal and two genetically different subspecies exist, Northern and Southern white rhino and are found in two different regions of Africa. Southern White rhinos Ceratotherium simum are classified as ‘Near...

Great white shark, photo credit : Gerald Schombs. There are more than four hundred and fifty known species of shark in the world, with 98 different species of shark found in South Africa’s ocean. Species include, the world’s largest shark, the Whale shark (Rhinocodon typus), the incredible Great white shark (Carcharodon Carcharias), the unmistakeable Tiger...

In the ideal world we would all live in harmony with wildlife and nature would thrive as it is intended. Unfortunately, our negative impact on this planet has caused detrimental effects and irreversible changes to the planet. Ecosystems are being destroyed at alarming rates and species are vulnerable to extinction or are already extinct in...

The African Elephant (Loxodonta africana) is the largest and heaviest living land mammal on earth, with an adult elephant weighing between 2,270-6,350kg and can grow as tall as 13ft. Despite their size, elephants can walk almost silently. ‘A thick epidermal layer of tissue acts as an incredible shock absorber, it helps maintain grip on the...