South Africa is recognised as one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. It is home to 20,000 species of flora, an astonishing 10% of the worlds flowering species, making it one of the top contributors to the global ecology. Seventy percent of the Capes Floral Kingdoms impressive 9,600 plant species, are found no...

When you think about poaching in South Africa, you may see a chilling image of a mountain of rhino horns, or an elephant brutally killed for its tusks. So what do you think of when I say ‘abalone’? Do you picture the worlds most valuable shellfish? An invertebrate, that is victim to poaching? This week...

To start things off, I would like to introduce myself. Hello! My name is Amy, I am 13 years old and have a passion for caring for animals. When I am older, I would like to concentrate my education on becoming a exotic vet. I want to help as many animals I can and help...

The rock hyrax (Procavia capensis), commonly referred to in South Africa as the Dassie is a medium-sized terrestrial mammal native to Africa and the Middle East. The Dassie is one of the five living species of the order Hyracoidea, and the only one in the genus Procavia. There are three hyrax species, two known as...

Continuing with the theme about ‘love’, we will be looking at the facts around animals and if they can fall in love. What is love? Love is one of life’s greatest mystery. Loving someone can be the most amazing feeling but this can lead to vulnerability and heart break. Emotions that is thought to be...

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...