A close-up of a grasshopper

Family Acrididae (Acanthacris ruficornis) Garden Locust
I recently found this grasshopper which had just dies and it was a great opportunity to take some close-up photographs of it which one would normally not be able to get.

Two-spotted Ground Beetle

(Thermophilum homoplatum) This is a large beetle, about 2.5 inches in length.
If you disturb it, it is quite prone to playing dead and hoping that you will go away. "You ain't kidding me mate, not until I have my pictures." (I wonder if he understood me? LOL!!)

It preys on other ground dwelling insects.

For more extremely interesting information on this and other beetles, please visit Beetles in the Bush by Ted MacRae, a site well worth the visit.

Augrabies Flat Lizard (Platysaurus broadleyi)

Family Cordylidae

Some animals/insects are only found in one small area and this lizard is one of them.

 They occupy a small area around Augrabies Falls which is situated in the Northern part of SA, near the Namibia border. The male reaches a length of about 15cm. The female looks very different to the male.

Natal Acraea (Acraea natalica) Female

Family Nymphalidae Heliconiinae

Found in the northern regions as well as the east coast from about East London northwards.

Isn't he just the cutest? (Mantis)

Family Mantidae Giant Mantis (Sphodromantis gastrica)
We have many kind of mantis here and this is a baby of the Giant Mantis which gets to be about 5 inches in body length. The tail end eventually straightens out when it gets its first wings. It is a very common species and feeds mainly off caterpillars.
All mantids have large heads and compound eyes.

The female lays her eggs in cocoons like this which is mainly attached to branches. The cocoon is about 1 inch in length but there are hundreds of eggs in them.

Whitefaced Duck

Easily identified by white face.

Found from Swaziland and central regions and northwards.

Have a distinctive whistling call.

Habitat: All inland waters.

Eat seeds, grain, buds, tubers.

Info: Robert’s Birds of Southern Africa

Garden Orb Web Spider (Argiope lobota)

Family Araneidae Argiopinae

 I found this spider in Kruger National Park in the beginning of the year. It is the first time it is recorded as see there.

Cape Fox

One of the most wonderful experiences I have had in a long time was seeing these in the wild for the first time. What beautiful animals they are!! We were sitting around the camp fire when this one paid us a visit. Pictures were taken in Kgalagadi by Roberta as I did not have my camera with me at the time and she kindly sent these to me. Thanks Roberta. Hope to see you again soon.

 These are small animals which weigh between 3-6Kg at most.
They are found only in the arid regions of South Africa where they are active at night.

 Their lifespan is about 10 years.

Their food consists mainly of small reptiles and insects but they also eat fruit.

Diverse White (Appias epaphia contracta)

Family Pieridae Pierinae

 About 4-5cm wingspan.

 Found in the eastern regions and as far south as the Eastern Cape.

Info: Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa (Steve Woodhall)

Salt pans - Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

 

Natural salt pans are found in desert or semi-desert areas and on the way to Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, I passed this one.

Pans are found where water has evaporated and the minerals are left exposed to the sun.

They have developed over thousands of years and especially when flying over the region, the white gleam stretching for many miles can be easily seen.