- Baboon
- Buffalo
- Bushbuck
- Cheetah
- Duiker
- Eland
- Elephant
- Giraffe
- Grysbok
- Hippopotamus
- Hyena (Spotted)
- Impala
- Jackal (Black-Backed)
- Klipspringer
- Kudu
- Leopards
- Lion
- Mongoose (Banded)
- Nyala
- Porcupine
- Rhino
- Roan Antelope
- Sable Antelope
- Smaller Carnivores
- Steenbok
- Tssessebe
- Vervet Monkey
- Warthog
- Waterbuck
- Wilderbeest (Blue)
- Wild Dog
- Zebra
Civet, Genet, Serval, Wild Cat and Caracal
THE SMALLER CARNIVORES
_elephant_plains.jpg)
Several species of smaller cat- or dog-like carnivores are widespread and surprisingly abundant in the Park, but none of them is seen very often as they hunt and are active in the dark of night. Then they prowl singly, stealthily creeping up on any small creatures such as mice, rats, birds, lizards and insects. By day, they hide in sheltered crevices, hollow logs, old burrows and tunnels, or in thick masses of shaded vegetation. A feature of many of these species is that, like leopard and cheetah, their shaggy coats are spotted and striped with bold camouflage patches and blobs of black and white.
The fairly large Civet cat (Viverra civetta) is common throughout much of the area, but has a preference for more open bushveld near rivers or dams. Civets are well-known for the strong smell of the secretions from their scent glands. Commonly known as musk, this secretion is one of the important components of some perfumes.
The Small-spotted Genet (Genetta genetta) and the Rusty or Large-spotted Genet (Genetta tigrina) are also widely distributed, but are less common than the civet. Long-tailed and spotted in a way reminiscent of cheetah, these small animals have a mass of about two kilograms and a shoulder height of about 150 millimeters.
Fairly large and with lean and athletic spotted bodies similar to cheetah, Serval (Felis serval) are very rare but nevertheless found throughout the Park. They prefer the more open grassland areas where they can see and catch their prey more easily.
Very similar to domestic cats in size and appearance, the African Wild Cat (Felis lybica) has a grayish body patterned with dark lines and streaks. They are fairly common and widely distributed through out most of the vegetation zones, only avoiding the steep mountainous areas and densely overgrown forests.
Lithe and powerfully built, Caracal (Felis caracal) are rather large and have a shoulder height of about 450 millimeters. Characteristic long black tassels of hair curve outwards from the tips of the triangular ears, and the body is handsome in a fawn or red-brown coat, slightly lighter on the underside of the belly. Very effective predators, caracal will often chase and kill antelope larger than themselves, but more often prey on steenbok, duiker, rats and birds. They are widely distributed in most areas.
Resources
