South African Wildlife

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The wildlife in South Africa is, to put it simply, bloody unbelievable. Not only do you have the world's largest land mammal (African Elephant), bird (ostrich) and two APEX predators (lion and great white) but there is wildlife eeking out of each little nook and cranny. South Africa is also home to it's own floral kingdom in the Cape of good hope, which is the only country to be able to say that. There are so many different types of 5s too - The Big 5 (lion, buffalo, leopard, rhino and elephant), The Shy 5 (the meerkat, the aardvark, the porcupine, the aardwolf and the bat-eared fox.) The elusive 5 – so elusive no-one knows who they are. I lost count of the different species we'd seen about four days into the trip.

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Photos

Penguins at Boulders Beach
William Morris said one can never be angry when one looks at a penguin. He was right.

Masked weaver in Oudtshoorn
These beautiful little birds weave their nests high in the reeds to protect their young from snakes.

Kingfisher in Oudtshoorn
This shiny critter sat on the fence around the lake where we were staying, and took his time before pouncing on the small fish below.

Ostrich farm, Oudtshoorn
There are thousands of ostriches in South Africa's ostrich capital Oudtshoorn. This one didn't want to mate with my husband. Thankfully.

Ostrich in Cape of Good Hope
Our first Ostrich of the trip this huge beast seemed to pop out of nowhere!

Male ostrich mating display, Oudtshoorn
On seeing my husband, this ostrich promptly began a mating display, rolling its head from side to side and shaking it's feathers.

Weaver's nest, Madikwe
These nests are also made in the tree tops to avoid snakes, and hang from the bush like little garden party lanterns. Beautiful.

Dassie Rat, Boulders Beach
You hear rat and don't quite picture these cute critters, who are also referred to rock rats. They are rodents, and bizarrely share DNA with the elephant...