Elephant touching

Elephants not only use their trunks for eating, smelling and drinking, but also touching each other, especially when young.

This re-enforces the bond between the animals of the herd

This baby is only about 18 months old.

Rock Hyrax (Dassie)

 Family Hyracoidae Procaviidae

The Rock Hyrax reaches a length of 50 cm (20 in) and weighs around 4 kg (8.8 lb),  

They eat a varied species of plants and grass and are able to go for many days without water due to the moisture they obtain through their food.

Hyraxes live in colonies of up to 30 individuals. These colonies are subdivided into smaller groups consisting of a few families. These consist of 3 to 15 related adult females, a dominant male, and several young. The dominant male defends and watches over the group. The male also marks its territory

They give birth to two or three young after a gestation period of 6–7 months. The young are well developed at birth with fully opened eyes. Babies can ingest solid food after two weeks and are weaned at ten weeks.

They live on and amongst rocks and can be found in most habitats. They come out early in the mornings to absorb the first rays of the sun

Scorpion - Uroplectes triangulifer

Family Buthidae  - Uroplectes triangulifer

This species lives under rocks and is about 5cm in length.

Stick Insect

Family Phasmatodea - Bacillidae 

 Can anyone give me an idea of what is going on here? Stick Insects normally have 6 legs but this one has 4 and it looks like this baby one is eating its own leg????

Caterpillar pupa moth - Geometridae

Probably Geometridae - Emerald Moth species

Mushrooms

A selection of mushrooms found on my recent travels. 

 Please do not pick and eat wild mushrooms. They can make you very sick!!

Lion cub

"How boring to be a two year old male lion cub!"

 Yawn .......

 "I think I will go and lay in the elephant dung for a change of pace!"

Mountain Sandman (Spialia spio)

Family Hesperiidae - Skipper

Spittal bug

Spittal bugs surround themselves with a ball of foam attached to grass to hide in from predators.

Shelduck Duck

Family Anseriformes Anatidae

My first sigting of this species seen in Mountain Zebra National Park.