Ears and Tails – Lions, Leopards and Cheetah

When searching for the three largest cats in our parks, we often find them but can only see an ear or tail twitching in the grass. These fortunately can be used to distinguish one from another as each species have different markings.

Educational slides

Vine-leaf Vagrant (Eronia cleodora) Pieridae

Males have a wingspan of around 45-60mm Mainly found along the eastern coastal areas.

Sulphur Orange Tip Butterfly (Colotis auxo) Pieridae

Wingspan 35-40mm. Found along the eastern coastal regions.

Common Orange Tip (Colotis evenina)

Family Pieridae Pierinae

Males have a wingspan of 38-45mm

Elephant - mixed herds

Although animals mix freely at waterholes, elephants dominate and will chase others away.

Young elephants have a lot of fun running after warthogs which run away with tails in the air. :)

Kerstens Sprite (Psuedagrion kersteni)

Family Coenagrionidae

A mating pair - the female being held under the water during the process.

Long-tailed Starling

Family Sturnidae

A local resident in the northern regions and are fruit and insect eaters.

Small Orange Tip (Colotis evagore antigone)

Family Pieridae Pierinae

A smallish butterfly with a wingspan of 28-35mm in the males who are larger than females.

They are found throughout the year.

Serrated Hinged Terrapin (Pelusios sinuatus)

Family Pelomedusidae

This is the largest of our fresh water terrapins with the females being bigger than the males and can weigh up to 7kg.

Musk glands are located on the soft skin which exude a foul smelling substance when they are stressed.

They breed throughout the summer and lay between 8 and 48 soft-shelled eggs in a clutch and two clutches per year.