SUMMARY: I have spent a considerable amount of time in South Africa and seen +100 mammal species there. Mammal highlights include Riverine Rabbit, Spectacled Dormouse, Cape Dune Mole-rat, Bryde’s Whale, Haviside’s Dolphin, African Striped Weasel, Striped Polecat and Caracal.
I went to boarding school in the Eastern Cape (1979-1983), studied in Johannesburg (1984-988), worked in Barberton (1989-1992, as a geologist) and still regularly stay in the Western Cape.
This page is under construction.
Paul Carter. Contact: paulcarter@pacapix.com
Page revised: 2025 Feb 2. Page under construction.
Contents
a) Site Reports
b) Mammal Species Reports
c) Mammal List
A. Site Reports
Recent trip and species notes include:
Western Cape Province
- De Hoop Nature Reserve (2020).
- Dunedin Farm (updated site guide – 2016, 2018 and 2021 data): Riverine Rabbit, Karoo Elephant-shrew, Spectacled Dormouse and other small mammals. First visited March 2016.
- False Bay: Bryde’s Whale (2019 April; updated 2020 Jan 5).
- Gourikwa Reserve (2024 Nov). Grey Climbing Mouse.
- Rocherpan Nature Reserve (2018 Feb): Southern Elephant Seal (vagrant).
- Shelley Point, St Helena Bay (West Coast), 2021 Jan. Dusky Dolphin.
- Strandfontein (West Coast), 2020 Jan 7: Haviside’s Dolphin; Brants’s Whistling Rat colony.
- Wilderness (2019-2021): Cape Dune Mole-rat, Common Mole-rat, Brants’ Climbing Mouse, Woodland Thicket Rat.
Northern Cape Province
- Augrabies Falls NP (2020 Dec).
- Kgalagadi NP (2020 Dec).
- Marrick Safari (2020 Dec).
- Skilpad and Namaqua NP (2020 Dec).
B. Mammal Species Reports
Bryde’s Whale (Balaenoptera brydei) in False Bay. Updated Oct 2021.
Brants’ Climbing Mouse (Dendromus mesomelas). Posted 20 Feb 2021.
Woodland Thicket Rat (Grammomys dolichurus). Posted 4 Mar 2021.
C. Mammal List
Data not yet entered