A project produced and published in 2004 by Martin Hatchuel with private-sector funding as a gift to the Knysna National Lakes Area (now incorporated into the Garden Route National Park).

1. Our Favourite Animals
Nearly seventy species of mammals occur naturally in the Garden Route, but Cape Clawless Otters - always live near water (fresh or salt) and are
many of them are shy and very difficult to see. Just some of the better-known often seen playing and hunting in the breakers. They do sometimes wander
speciesaredescribedbelow. onto dry land in search of food, which includes crabs, frogs, fish, small
mammals,insectsandbirds.
African Elephant - Large herds of elephant roamed the Cape until
well into the nineteenth century and in an 1876 report the local Forestry Chacma Baboons - are found in many different habitats, but are largely
Officer wrote that there were between 400 and 600 of them in the Knysna - associated with forests and krantzes.They are omnivorous and will eat almost
Tsitsikamma district alone. But hunting, poaching, the Great Fire of 1869 anything.Pleasenotethatitisdangerousandillegaltofeedbaboons.
and human encroachment on their environment almost wiped out the
elephants of the Southern Cape. A few survivors still range freely in the
Duthie's Golden Mole - is found in alluvial sand and sandy loam.
Knysna area, and although they're associated with the forests, Reay Smithers
Although they are intriguing and beautiful, almost nothing is known of their
noted in his Mammals of The Southern Africa Sub-region that “elephants are
habits or diet.
not a forest species, and their occurrence in the Knysna Forest appears to be
due to their being forced into this unnatural environment by man.” Honey Badgers - live in almost any habitat. They eat insects, wild
Elephants browse and graze off a wide variety of plant material, eating berries and fruit and will often follow honeyguide birds to bees nests, where
leaves,smallbranches,barkandgrass. they take both the honey and the larvae. They are threatened by unscrupulous
beekeepers who hunt and trap them to protect their hives. The public is
Blue Duiker - In her novel Circles in a Forest, Dalene Matthee
thereforerequestedtobuyhoneyonlyfrom'badger-friendly'suppliers.
described these smallest of SouthernAfrican antelope as “the most beautiful
of them all... So tiny, so nimble of foot...” Large Grey Mongoose (Cape Ichneumon) - are not confined to any
Their habit of following defined paths through the forest and thick vegetation type, but are always associated with rivers. They feed on rodents,
coastal bush has made them susceptible to poachers, and their vulnerability birds, reptiles, snakes, frogs and insects. Also fairly common in this area are
prompted the owners of Knysna's Featherbed Nature Reserve to institute the Cape grey mongoose and the water mongoose.
what has become a successful a breeding programme. They are difficult to
study in the wild but observers at Featherbed have learned that they form
Large-Spotted GenetS - are associated with fynbos in the Southern
permanentmatingpairswhichproduceasingleoffspringabouttwiceayear.
Cape.Theyfeedoninsects,rodents,birdsandreptiles.
They browse on shoots and leaves and will also take fruit which has
fallen naturally or which
Leopards - are associated with forests and rocky mountain ranges. Thehas been discarded by
feed on any mammals and will take prey up to twice their size.monkeys or baboons.
Porcupines - are found in most habitats (except deep forest) where goodBushbuck - are
cover is available during the day. Porcupines are largely vegetarian, but willgenerally found in
feed off carcasses and, more especially, will gnaw on bones when their diet isunderbush close to rivers
lacking in phosphorous. Destructive feeders, they are often considered aand other permanent
water. They occasionally problem by crop farmers.
venture into clearings to
browse and their diet Vervet Monkeys - are usually associated with forests. Vervet monkeys
includes leaves and fine are predominantly vegetarians although they will also eat insects and the
twigs as well as flowers,
chicks and eggs of some bird species (such as cattle egrets and weaver birds).fruitsandgrass.
Vervet monkeysshouldnotbefedastheywillquicklybecomepests.
Knysna Lagoon
Thesen’s Jetty, Knysna - PO Box 314 Knysna 6570
Telephone 044 382 2095 Fax 044 382 5801
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Knysna Lagoon
Land Mammals
of The Knysna Area
*
Checklist of mammals of the garden route
* A complete list for the Garden Route according to RHN Smithers’The Mammals of the Southern African Sub-region. This list includes species
Not all in Knysna’s immediate surrounds.
which were once common
in the area, were hunted out and have now been re-established by private landowners. species on the list are found
Order Insectivora: The Shrews, Hedgehogs & Golden Moles
Duthie’s Golden Mole Duthiese Gouemol Chlorotalpa duthiae
Forest Shrew - Bosskeerbek Myosorex varius
Greater Musk Shrew Groter Skeerbek Crocidura flavescens
Hottentot Golden Mole Hottentotgouemol Amblysomus hottentotus
Least Dwarf Shrew Kleinste Dwergskeerbek Suncus infinitesimus
Long-Tailed Forest Shrew -
Reddish-Grey Musk Shrew Rooigrysskeerbek Crocidura cyanea
- Langstertbosskeerbek Myosorex longicaudatus
Round-Eared Elephant Shrew
Knysna Golden Mole - Knysnagouemol Amblysomus iris
- Ronde-oorklaasneus Macroscelides proboscideus
Order Chiroptera - The Bats
Cape Horseshoe Bat - Kaapse Saalneusvlermuis Rhinolophus capensis
Cape Serotine Bat Kaapse Dakvlermuis Eptesicus capensis
Common Slit-Faced Bat - Gewone-spleutneusvlermuis Nycteris thebaica
Cape Fruit Bat - Kaapse Vrugtevlermuis Rousettus aegyptiacus
Egyptian Free-Tailed Bat
- Egiptiese Losstertvlermuis Tadarida aegyptiaca
Geoffroy’s Horseshoe Bat
- Geoffroyse Saalneusvlermuis Rhinolophus clivosus
Kuhl’s Bat - Kuhlse Vlermuis Pipistrellus kuhlii
Lesser Long-Fingered Bat - Swartvlermuis Miniopterus fraterculus
Long-Tailed House Bat - Langstertdakvlermuis Eptesicus hottentotus
Melck’s Serotine Bat - Melckse Dakvlermuis Eptesicus melckorum
Schreiber’s Long-Fingered Bat
- Schreibersse Grotvlermuis Miniopterus schreibersii
Temminck’s Hairy Bat - Temminckse Langhaarvlermuis Myotis tricolor
Tomb Bat - Witlyfvlermuis Taphozous mauritianus
Order PRIMATES - The Bushbabies, Baboons and Monkeys
Chacma Baboon - Bobbejaan Papio ursinus
Vervet Monkey - Blou-aap Cercopethicus pygerythrus
Order LAGOMORPHA - Hares and Rabbits
Scrub Hare - Kolhaas Lepus saxatilis
Order RODENTIA - The Rodents
Brant’s Climbing Mouse - Brantsse Klimmuis Dendromus mesomelas
Cape Dormouse - Gemsbokmuis Graphiurus ocularis
Cape Dune Molerat - Kaapse Duinmol Bathyergus suillus
Cape Spiny Mouse - Kaapse Stekelmuis Acomys subspinosus
Common Molerat - Vaalmol Cryptomys hottentotus
Forest Dormouse - Boswaaierstertmuis Graphiurus murinus
Grey Climbing Mouse - Grysklimmuis Dendromus melanotis
Krebs’ Fat Mouse - Krebsse Vetmuis Steatomys krebsii
Porcupine - Ystervark Hystrix africaeaustralis
Pouched Mouse - Wangsakmuis Saccostomus campestris
Pygmy Mouse - Dwergmuis Mus minutoides
Striped Mouse - Streepmuis Rhabdomys pumilio
Verreaux’s Mouse - Verreauxse Muis Praomys verrauxii
Vlei Rat - Vleirot Otomys irroratus
White-Tailed Mouse - Witstertmuis Mystromys albicaudatus
Order CARNIVORA - The Carnivores
African Wild Cat - Vaalboskat Felis lybica
Cape Clawless Otter - Groototter Aonyx capensis
Cape Fox - Silwervos Valpes chama
Cape Grey Mongoose - Kleingrysmuishond Galerella pulverulenta
Caracal - Rooikat Felis caracal
Honey Badger - Ratel Mellivora capensis
Large Grey Mongoose - Grootgrysmuishond Herpestes ichneumon
Large-Spotted Genet - Rooikolmuskejaatkat Genetta tigrina
Leopard - Luiperd Panthera pardus
Serval - Tierboskat Felis serval
Spotted-Necked Otter - Kleinotter Lutra maculicollis
Striped Polecat - Stinkmuishond Ictonyx striatus
Water Mongoose - Kommetjiegatmuishond Atilax paludinosus
Order PROBOSCIDAE - The Elephants
African Elephant - Olifant Loxodonta africana
Order HYRACOIDAE - The Dassies
Rock Dassie - Klipdas Procavia capensis
Order PERISSODACTYLA - The Zebras
Cape Mountain Zebra - Kaapsebergsebra Equus zebra
Order ARTIODACTYLA - The Even-Toed Ungulates
Blue Duiker - Blouduiker Cephalophus monticola
Bontebok - Bontebok Damalsicus dorcas
Buffalo - Buffel Syncerus caffer
Bushbuck - Bosbok Tragelaphus scriptus
Bushpig - Bosvark Potamochoerus porcus
Common Duiker
Eland - Eland Taurotragus oryx
Grey Rhebok - Vaalribbok Pelea capreolus
Hippopotamus - Seekoei Hippopotamus amphibius
Klipspringer - Klipspringer Oreotragus oreotragus
Steenbok - Steenbok Raphicerus campestris
Lion - Leeu Panthera leo
- Gewone Duiker Sylvicapra grimmia