Meet Our Animals
MEET OUR ANIMALS
Meet some of our animals on the farm. Our farm is equipped with several bush cameras to capture images and videos of animals in their natural habitats. Most of all, we are happy to have finally witnessed the illusive Aardvark making an appearance.
AARDVARK
The Aardvark is sometimes colloquially called the “African ant bear”. The name Aardvark originates from the Afrikaans name “Erdvark” which means “earth pig” or “ground pig” because of its burrowing habits. The Aardvark is found over much of the southern two-thirds of the African continent, avoiding areas that are mainly rocky. A nocturnal feeder, it subsists on ants and termites, which it will dig out of their hills using its sharp claws and powerful legs. It also digs to create burrows in which to live and rear its young.
The Aardvark weighs up to 65 kg and measures up to 2.2 metres long, including the heavy, 70 cm (28 inch) tail. The face is narrow with an elongated snout, significantly reduced eyes, and ears up to 24 cm (9.5 inches) long. The Aardvark’s coat is scant and yellowish grey; the face and tail tip may be whitish. The four toes on the front foot (five on the hind feet) are equipped with strong, flattened nail-like “hooves” resembling spades.
CARACAL
(ROOIKAT)
Caracals are the largest and most beautiful of the “small cats” found in South Africa and on Aardvark. They have dark marks around their eyes and white highlights. The tufted ears are diagnostic – no other cat in Africa has them. As nocturnal animals, they are however highly secretive and difficult to observe.
They typically prey on birds, rodents and other small mammals but a large Caracal can take down an adult Springbuck or Kudu calf.
TORTOISE
Afrikaans name for this little creature – ‘donderweerskilpad’ or ’thundery weather tortoise’ is one of several others on the same theme: onweerskilpad, reenskilpad, swaarweerskilpad. The name in each case is to a belief in the Karoo, the sole habitat of the species – that this secretive tortoise is usually seen only shortly before a thunderstorm when it emerges from its shelter and briskly takes a walk in the open veld. It is welcomed as a forecaster of rain.
The Karoo padloper is one of five diminutive tortoises belonging to the genus Homopus, four of which are virtually restricted to the Cape Province. Despite the generic name, derived from Greek and indicating that there is the same number of claws (four) on all four feet, the Karoo species has the more normal tortoise complement of five claws on the front feet and four on the rear ones. It feeds on succulent Karoo plants and their flowers, and as it forages moves relatively rapidly over the ground.
The tortoise’s carapace is flattened and not high-domed, which equips it well to wedge itself under rocks for protection as well as to make progress over stony terrain without overbalancing and ‘turning turtle’ though if it is unlucky enough to do just this, it manages to get back on all fours.
