SPECIAL INTEREST
Mkuze Falls Private
Game Reserve is filled with wonderful and interesting things in nature
and evidence of the animals, insects and birds that live here. The fauna
and flora of the area covers a multitude of species. On a guided walk many
smaller things will be pointed out to you by our expert rangers who have
the knowledge and expertise to recognise tracks and signs and a host of
other things in the fragile eco-system that is all connected and there for
a reason.
We invite you as a guest or previous visitor to our paradise to
submit any interesting photos you have taken, whether it be a nest, insect,
plant, track, animal behaviour or whatever else caught your interest and would
you perhaps like to
know more about from our rangers, we will add it to our Special Interest page
for others to see.
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Warthog (Phacochoerus aethiopicus)
All warthogs are essentially omnivores, and will mainly graze.
They also will browse and eat fruit, seeds and herbaceous plants.But being omnivorous they occasionally take carrion and even chase
wild dogs and cheetahs of their kills. The warthogs in this photo were seen
chasing a cheetah of its kill where they continued to eat for about twenty
minutes before moving on again. The cheetah only later returned to reclaim its
kill. Warthogs have been observed killing snakes and rats, and eating
them. Food is mainly detected by smell. |
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Redbilled Oxpecker (Buphagus
erythrorhynchus)
This is a common resident in and around larger game reserves but
is absent elsewhere. The reason for this is that with cattle farming, animals
are treated with a chemical that kills of all ectoparasites and this serves as
an important food source for these birds. These birds spent most of their time
on large game mammals where they feed on ectoparsitic arthropods, loose skin and
wound tissue from the host animal. By doing this they ensure that the host
animal has a healthier life and this will be beneficial for both species.
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Leopard (Panthera pardus)
The cat in this picture is one of our most well known males. The
black, almost solid, natural collar around his neck makes him easy to identify
him. For the last few weeks we have been able to spot him at the Mkuze River on
a regular basis.
It is not even uncommon to see him on his favourite rock two
days in a row. It is probably needles to say that he has become a firm favourite
of our guests.
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Bronzed-winged Courser (Rhinoptilus
chalcopterus)
These nocturnal birds, which at first glance can be confused with
a Crowned Lapwing, are normally seen in the roads at night. This bird is a
summer visitor and a fairly common resident in the northern and eastern parts of
South Africa. It is normally during the latter part of the afternoon Game Drive
that these birds are seen and it makes for an ideal way for hardy birders to end
their day of birding.
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The Big Five
The Lion (Phanthera Leo) is the most sociable cat and can
not be confused with any other cat. They can live in prides up to 30 animals if
the conditions are in their favour. The social groupings are very complex and
usually consists of a few related females and their offspring. A "coalition" of
two or more males will regulate the pride. In our case, as can be seen in the
picture, we have five males who are related and have formed a coalition. Because
of their number they will be able to hold a pride for much longer then the two
odd years a coalition of two males will be able to do. It is rare to see such a
number of males together.
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