MY SAFARI JOURNAL
Animals | Big Five
Lion
Panthera Leo
The back of the lion's ears and the tuft of the tail are black,
giving cubs a clear 'follow me' focal point, to help them follow
their mother and keep in touch with the rest of the pride
when moving through tall grass.
The lion is the largest and the most gregarious of the
African carnivores, living in prides comprising of
related males, related females (males and females are
not related to each other) and their off-spring. Their
physical size and pride numbers dictate that they
require relatively large amounts of food regularly, and
they have adapted their hunting strategy to
successfully prey on large ungulates like buffalo and
giraffe. Male lions spend the majority of their time
patrolling and protecting the pride's territory from
other lions, and this system affords the lionesses the
security needed to successfully hunt and raise their
young.
Length:
Front: 128 mm | Back 121 mm
Lion Footprint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"To the north a pride of five, counted by their distinctive
voices, roared a challenge. The earth shook. All was as it
was in the cradle of his race, where the weak die and the fit live...."
Guy Aubrey Chalkley
Great Grandfather of Nick & Robert More
8
Rhinoceros
Black: Diceros bicornis White: Ceratotherium simum
Black and White Rhino can be identified
by the shape of their mouth:
Black Rhino (image): Pointed and triangular.
White Rhino: Square, straight lips
White Rhino (image): Has a noticeable ‘three-bumped’
hump on the dorsal part of its neck (nuchal hump),
which bunches as the animal lifts its head.
Black Rhino: To cool off, black rhino wallow in mud,
taking on the coloration of their last mud wallow. As
soil color varies from area to area, the rhino’s skin
colour is therefore not an effective identification tool.
The natural skin coloration of the two
species is similar (grayish brown),
Rhino Footprint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"He felt certain that this creature, left over from a prehistoric age,
had arrived because of its bump of locality being impaired; and yet,
it wisely dangled its head from side to side...."
Guy Aubrey Chalkley
Great Grandfather of Nick & Robert More
9
African Elephant
Loxodonta africana
Elephants spend about 16 hours a day feeding, and will consume
on average 4% to 6% of their body weight daily. They grind their
food between their rasp-like molars (the molars slide forward and
backward over each other and not from side to side
like most other herbivores).
As the largest land mammal in the world, the African
Elephant is unmistakable with its massive body, huge
ears, curved tusks, an elongated trunk, and wrinkled
skin.
Its natural skin coloration is gray/brown, although the
elephant tends to take on the color of
the soil from the area it is in, due to
its habit of mud-wallowing.
Elephant Footprint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"Of all of them he estimated that Old Bashful carried the
heaviest tusks. They were so enormous and long and so curved
forward that he had to hold his head high when he walked
to prevent them from prodding the ground."
Guy Aubrey Chalkley
Great Grandfather of Nick & Robert More
10
African / Cape Buffalo
Syncerus caffer
The buffalo is a ruminant, and is considered to be a bulk grazer.
It makes use of its tongue and wide incisor teeth to eat
grass quicker than most other African herbivores.
The buffalo is one of the most successful grazers in
Africa, occupying swampy areas, floodplains,
grasslands and forests. Although not particularly
demanding with regard to habitat, buffalo are
generally found in areas with dense cover (such as
reeds and thickets), as well as open woodland and
grassland. They do however require water daily (due
to their lack of water retaining mechanism), and are
therefore dependant on perennial sources of water.
Because of this dependence, buffalo are happy to
frequent swampy areas, conditions which their broad
and false hooves are well suited for.
Buffalo Footprint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"The bulls pawed the ground, and threw up the earth with their
horns; the cows switched their tails and grunted;
the calves tilted their noses and sniffed the air. They all seemed
filled with concentrated hate."
Guy Aubrey Chalkley
Great Grandfather of Nick & Robert More
11
Leopard
Panthera pardus
No two leopards are alike, as the many possible
combinations of spots and rosettes, as well as the number,
size and position on the body are so varied and
unique. Each Leopard may be identified by
the beautiful pattern on its coat.
The leopard is easily identified by its spotted and
rosetted coat, which camouflages it when stalking its
prey. Various adaptations have enabled the leopard to
efficiently climb trees, taking its prey up with it. This
further enhances its success rate of hanging onto its
food by removing it from the reach of its most
tenacious competitors - the lion and hyena. A tail
which is ¾ of the length of the body allows it to keep
its balance when moving about on the
branches of a tree.
Length:
Front: 92 mm | Back 92 mm
Leopard Footprint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"Then suddenly and unexpectedly, as most disasters occur in
the wilds, a gold and black snarling object dropped
from the tree among the carousers."
Guy Aubrey Chalkley
Great Grandfather of Nick & Robert More
12
My Safari Checklist
(V) = Vagrant . (M) = Migrant.
Number & name follow:
Robert’s Birds of South Africa and National Tree List
MAMMALS
Predators (Large)
 Lion
 Leopard
 Cheetah
 Spotted Hyena
 Wild Dog
Predators (Small)
 Black-backed Jackal
 Side Striped Jackal
 Small Spotted Genet
 Large Spotted Genet
 Serval
 Caracal
 African Civet
 Honey Badger
 Water Mongoose
 Dwarf Mongoose
 Banded Mongoose
 Slender Mongoose
 White-tailed Mongoose
 Aardvark
 Scaly Anteater/Pangolin
 Cape Clawless Otter
PRIMATES
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Baboon
Vervet Monkey
Thick-tailed Bushbaby
Lesser Bushbaby
HERBIVORES
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African Elephant
Hippopotamus
White Rhino
Black Rhino
Giraffe
African Buffalo
Squirrel (Tree)
Scrub Hare
Burchell’ s Zebra
Common Waterbuck
Blue Wildebeest/Brindled Gnu
Greater Kudu
Nyala
Bushbuck
Warthog
Impala
Common/Grey Duiker
Steenbok
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Klipspringer
Reedbuck
Porcupine
Greater Cane Rat
REPTILES
Tortoise And Terrapins
 Mountain or Leopard Tortoise
 Speke’s Hinged-back Tortoise
 Cape or Hingeless Terrapin
 Serrated Hinged Terrapin
Agamas
 Blueheaded Tree Agama
Geckos
 Common Dwarf Gecko
 Tropical House Gecko
 Bibron’s Thicktoed Gecko
Girdled Lizards
 Jones’ Girdled Lizard
Monitor Lizards
 Nile or Water Monitor
 Whitethroated or Rock Monitor
Plated Lizards
 Giant Plated Lizard
Scrub Lizards
 Ornate Scrub Lizard
 Blue Tailed Scrub Lizard
Chameleons
 Flap Necked Chameleon
Skinks
 Rainbow Rock Skink
 Common Variable Skink
 Common Striped Skink
 Wahlberg’s Snake Eyed Skink
 Giant Legless Skink
Snakes
 African Rock Python
 Black Mamba
 Boomslang or Tree Snake
 Brown House Snake
 Cape File Snake
 Common or Rhombic Eggeater
 Common or Eastern Tiger Snake
 Snouted Cobra (South Eastern)
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Giant Blind Snake
Mozambique Spitting Cobra
Olive Grass Snake
Puff Adder
Stiletto Snake
Rufous Beaked Snake
Snouted Night Adder
Spotted Bush Snake
Yellow Bellied Sand Snake
Transvaal Worm Snake
Twig or Vine Snake
Yellow Bellied Sand Snake
Crocodiles
 Nile Crocodile
ANIMAL TRACKS
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Elephant
Rhino
Buffalo
Leopard
Lion
Giraffe
Kudu
Impala
Warthog
Zebra
Vervet Monkey
Baboon
Nyala
Bushbuck
Civet
White Tailed Mongoose
Spotted Hyena
TREES
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161 Black Monkey Thorn
167 Red Thorn
168.1 Horned Thorn
178 Knob Thorn
179 Scented Thorn
164.1 Flaky Bark Thorn
185 Slender Three-hook Thorn
188 Umbrella Thorn
237 Round-leaved Teak (Kiaat)
202 Weeping Boer-bean
203 Dwarf Boer-bean
360 Marula
606 Jackal-berry
190 Sickle Bush
447 Buffalo Thorn
399 Common Spike Thorn
402 Red Spike Thorn
341 Tamboti
595 Magic Guarri
532 Red Bushwillow
538 Russet Bushwillow
539 Leadwood
215 African Wattle
546 Large-fruited Bushwillow
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232 Zebrawood
363 False Marula
550 Purple-pod Terminalia
551 Silver Cluster Leaf
626 Black Monkey Orange
301 Natal Mahogany
066 Sycamore Fig
678 Sausage Tree
156 Common False Thorn
251 Torchwood
238 Apple Leaf (Rain Tree)
230 Caterpillar Pod
022 Wild Date Palm
433 Jacket Plum
691 Bushveld Gardenia
346 Bushveld Candelabra
Euphorbia
212 Long-tail Cassia
255 Hairy Knobwood
208.2 Pride of De Kaap
597 Natal Guarri
GRASSES
Pioneer (Palatable)
 Pinhole
 Crow’s Foot
 Giant Crowfoot Grass
 Natal Red Top
Climax (Unpalatable)
 Rooigras
 Herringbone Grass
 Turpentine Grass
Climax (Palatable)
 Buffalo Grass
 Red Grass
 Finger Grass
BIRDS
Apalis
 648 Yellow-breasted
Babbler
 560 Arrow-marked
Barbet
 470 Yellow-fronted Tinker
 465 Acacia Pied
 464 Black Collared
 473 Crested
Batis
 701 Chinspot
Bee Eater (M)
 443 White-fronted
 444 Little
 438 European
 441 Southern Carmine
16
Bishop
 824 Southern Red
Bittern
 78 Little
 79 Dwarf (M)
Boubou
 736 Southern
Brownbul
 569 Terrestrial
Bru-bru
 741 Bru-bru
Bul-bul
 568 Dark-capped
Buttonquail
 205 Kurrichane
Bunting
 884 Golden-breasted
Crombec
 651 Longbilled
Cuckoo (M)
382 Jacobin
381 Levaillants
380 Great Spotted
383 Thick-billed
377 Red Chested
376 Black
375 African
385 Klaas’s
386 Diederik
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Cuckoo Hawk
128 African
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Cuckooshrike
538 Black
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Darter
 60 African
Buzzard
 154 Lizard
 149 Steppe (M)
Dove
 355 Laughing
 353 African Mourning
 354 Cape Turtle
 352 Red-eyed
 358 Emerald Spotted Wood
 356 Namaqua
Cameroptera
 657 Green-backed
Drongo
 541 Fork-tailed
Canary
 869 Yellow-fronted
 881 Streaky-headed
Duck
 99 Whitefaced
 115 Comb
 105 African Black
 104 Yellow Billed
Bustard
 238 Black-bellied
Chat
 589 Familiar
Cisticola
 674 Red-faced
 672 Rattling
 681 Neddickly
 664 Zitting
Cormorant
 58 Reed
 55 White Breasted
Coucal
 391 Burchells
Courser
 303 Bronze-winged (M)
 300 Temmick’s
Crake
212 African
213 Black
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Eagle
 147 African Fish
 143 Black-chested Snake
 142 Brown Snake
 146 Bateleur
 133 Steppe (M)
 132 Tawny
 134 Lesser Spotted (M)
 137 African-hawk
 134 Wahlbergs (M)
 140 Martial
 139 Long-crested
 141 African Crowned
Egret
 67 Little
 68 Yellow Billed
 66 Great
 71 Cattle
Eremomela
 653 Yellowbellied
Falcon
 180 Amur
 173 Eurasion Hobby
 172 Lanner
 171 Peregrine
Finfoot
 229 African
Fireflinch
 842 Red-billed
 840 African
 841 Jamesons
Flycatcher
 710 Paradise
 696 Pale
 694 Southern Black
 698 Fiscal
 689 Spotted (M)
 690 African Dusky
 691 Ashy
 693 Grey Tit
Francolin
 188 Coqui
 189 Crested
 191 Shelleys
Goose
 102 Egyptian
 116 Spur-winged
Goshawk
 163 Dark Chanting
 161 Gabar
 160 African
 156 Shikra
Grebe
 8 Little
Greenbul
 572 Sombre
 574 Yellowbellied
Greenshank
 270 Common
Guineafowl
 203 Helmeted
Hamerkop
 81 Hamerkop
Harrier-hawk
 169 African
Heron
 62 Grey
 63 Black-headed
 64 Goliath
 65 Purple
 72 Squacco
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74 Green-backed
76 Black-crowned Night
Hoopoe
 451 African
 452 Green Wood
Hornbill
 458 Red Billed
 459 Southern Yellow Billed
 460 Crowned (V)
 457 African Grey
 455 Trumpeter
 463 Southern Ground
Honeyguide
 474 Greater
 476 Lesser
 475 Brown Backed
Ibis
 94 Hadeda
Indiobird
 867 Village
 865 Dusky
Jacana
 240 African
Kestrel
 183 Lesser
 181 Rock
Kite
 127 Black-shouldered
 126 Yellow Billed
Kingfisher
 430 Half Collared
 431 Malachite
 432 African-pygmy (M)
 436 Grey-headed (M)
 433 Woodland (M)
 435 Brown-hooded
 437 Striped
 429 Giant
 428 Pied
Korhaan
 237 Red-crested
Lapwing
 258 Blacksmith
 255 Crowned
 260 African-wattled
 256 Senegal
Lark
 493 Monotonous
 494 Rufous-naped
 496 Flappet
 498 Sabota
Longclaw
 728 Yellow-throated
18
Mannikin
 857 Bronze
Moorhen
 226 Common
Mousebird
 424 Speckled
 426 Red-faced
Nightjar
 405 Fiery-necked
 408 Freckled
 404 European
 409 Square-tailed
Oriole
 545 Black-headed
Owl
 392 Barn
 394 African Wood
 396 African Scops
 397 Southern White-faced
 401 Spotted Eagle
 402 Verreaux’s Eagle
Owlet
 398 Pearl-spotted
 399 African Barred
Robin-chat
 601 White Throated
 613 White Browed
 600 Red Capped
Roller
 446 European (M)
 447 Lilac-breasted
 449 Purple
 450 Broad-billed
Ruff
 284 Ruff/Reeve
Sandgrouse
 347 Double-banded
Sandpiper
 266 Wood
 264 Common (M)
 272 Curlew
Scimitarbill
 454 Common
Scrub-robin
 617 Bearded
 613 White Browed
Palm-swift
 421 African
Shrike
 748 Orange Breasted Bush
 751 Grey Headed Bush
 756 White Crested Helmet
 754 Retz’s helmet
 733 Red-backed (M)
 731 Lesser Grey
 735 Magpie
 756 Southern White-crowned
Parrot
 363 Brown headed
 362 Grey headed
Sparrowhawk
 158 Black
 157 Little
Pigeon
 349 Speckled
 361 African Green
Sparrowlark
 515 Chestnut Backed
Pipit
 716 African
 723 Busveld
Sparrow
 801 House
 804 Grey-headed
 805 Yellow-throated
Plover
 249 Three-banded
Spoonbill
 95 African
Prinia
 683 Tawny-flanked
Spurfowl
 196 Natal
 199 Swainsons
Oxpecker
 772 Red-billed
 771 Yellow-billed
Puffback
 740 Black-backed
Pytilia
 834 Green-winged
Quail
 200 Common
 201 Harlequin
Quelea
 821 Red-billed
19
Starling
 764 Cape Glossy
 765 Greater Blue-eared
 762 Burchell’s
 761 Violet-backed (M)
 760 Wattled
Stilt
 295 Black-winged
Stint
 274 Little
Stonechat
 596 African
Stork
 90 Yellow-billed
 84 Black
 85 Abdims
 84 Woolly Necked
 83 White
 88 Saddle-billed
 89 Marabou
Sunbird
 792 Amethyst
 791 Scarlet-chested
 755 Malachite
 793 Collared
 787 White-bellied
 779 Marico
Swallow
 531 Grey-rumped
 518 Barn
 522 Wire Tailed
 523 Pearl Breasted
 527 Lesser Striped
 524 Red-breasted
Swift
 418 Alpine
 412 African Black
 417 Little
 415 White-rumped
Tchagra
 744 Black Crowned
 744 Brown Crowned
Teal
 108 Red Billed (V)
Wagtail
 711 African Pied
 713 Cape
Warbler
 643 Willow
 631 Lesser Swamp
 659 Stierlings Wren
Waxbill
 846 Common
 845 Violet-eared
 844 Blue
Weaver
 815 Lesser Masked
 810 Spectacled
 810 Southern Masked
 811 Village
 819 Red-headed
 807 Thick-billed
White-eye
 796 Cape
Widowbird
 829 White-winged (M)
Woodpecker
 481 Bennets
 483 Golden-tailed
 486 Cardinal
 487 Bearded
Wydah
 860 Pin-tailed
 862 Long-tailed Paradise
 861 Shaft Tailed
Thick-knee
 297 Spotted
 298 Water
Thrush
 580 Groundscraper
 576 Kurrichane
Tit
 558 Grey Penduline
 554 Southern Black
Trogan
 427 Narina
Turaco
 371 Purple-crested
 373 Grey Go-away
Vulture
 121 Hooded
 123 White-backed
 124 Lappet-faced
 122 Cape
 125 White-headed
20
Common Lion Sands Birds
Grey Go-Away Bird Southern Yellow
Corythaixoides
Billed Hornbill
concolor
Tockus leucomelas
Lilac Breasted Roller
Coracias caudatus
Fork Tail Drongo
Dicrurus adsimilis
African Green
Pigeon
Treron calvus
Purple Crested Touraco
Gallirex
porphyreolophus
Natal Spurfowl
Pternistis
natalensis
Pied Kingfisher
Ceryle rudis
Grey Heron
Ardea
melanocephala
Blue Waxbill
Uraeginthus
angolensis
Magpie Shrike
Corvinella
melanoleuca
Lizard Buzzard
Kaupifalco
monogrammicus
African Fish Eagle
Haliaeetus vocifer
Bateleur Eagle
Terathopius
ecaudatus
White-Backed
Vulture
Gyps africanus
"The owlet cocked its ears and rolled its eyes at him;
it wobbled backward away from his face, it flapped its wings,
half-opened its beak and emitted a sound so low that it
was nearer a sigh than a hiss."
Guy Aubrey Chalkley
Great Grandfather of Nick & Robert More
21
Common Lion Sands Trees
Jackalberry
Diospyros
mespiliformis
Marula
Sclerocarya birrea
Knobthorn
Acacia nigrescens
Tamboti
Spirostachys
africana
Sweet Thorn
Acacia Karroo
Black Monkey
Thorn
Acacia burkei.
Velvet Bushwillow
Combretum Molle
Lowveld Fig
Ficus Glumosa
Long–tail Cassia
Cassia Abbreviata
Paper Bark Thorn
Acacia Sieberiana
Hairy Rock Fig
Ficus Glumosa
Sticky Thorn
Acacia Borleae
Black Monkey
Orange
Srychnos
Madagascariensis
Umbrella Thorn
Acacia tortilis
Tree Wisteria
Bolusanthus
Speciosus
"Then the storm, in all its fury, struck Tony's boulder. Hailstones,
some as large as hen's eggs, battered down on every dead and living
thing, with the noise of sustained musketry fire; the balls of ice
after stripping the trees of their leaves
rebounded from the boulders ..."
Guy Aubrey Chalkley
Great Grandfather of Nick & Robert More
22
GAME RESERVE
Lion Sands Game Reserve,
Mpumalanga, South Africa
Reservations:
+27 (0) 11 880 9992
Email: [email protected]
Lodge Tel: +27 (0) 13 735 5000 \ +27 (0) 13 735 8400
www.lionsands.com
FAMILY OWNED SINCE 1933.