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Iphithi Nature Reserve
__NOTOC__ The Iphithi Nature Reserve conserves 12 ha of forest and wetland in the Molweni River's upper catchment in northern Gillitts, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 2001 by a group of nearby residents, and is managed by the Gillitts Conservancy, which also oversees the Minerva grassland. Setting and origins It is situated in the mPhiti valley, which is flanked by Ashley and Edward drives. A stand of invasive eucalypts was present here for 50 years up to 2001. Residents bordering the valley organised a committee and contracted a logger to fell these. The committee was paid a lump sum for the valuable timber which it used to establish the reserve, fence off additional entrances and pay for the laying of paths, building of viewing decks and planting of indigenous flora. Some residents bordering on the reserve have pulled their fences back increasing the overall size of the reserve. Fauna and flora Its indigenous forest, wetland and grassland are home to many species ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is located in the southeast of the country, with a long shoreline on the Indian Ocean and sharing borders with three other provinces and the countries of Mozambique, Eswatini and Lesotho. Its capital is Pietermaritzburg, and its largest city is Durban. It is the second-most populous province in South Africa, with slightly fewer residents than Gauteng. Two areas in KwaZulu-Natal have been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park. These areas are extremely scenic as well as important to the surrounding ecosystems. During the 1830s and early 1840s, the northern part of what is now KwaZulu-Natal was established as the Zulu Kingdom while the southern part was, briefly, the Boer Natalia Repu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countries of Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe; and to the east and northeast by Mozambique and Eswatini. It also completely enclaves the country Lesotho. It is the southernmost country on the mainland of the Old World, and the second-most populous country located entirely south of the equator, after Tanzania. South Africa is a biodiversity hotspot, with unique biomes, plant and animal life. With over 60 million people, the country is the world's 24th-most populous nation and covers an area of . South Africa has three capital cities, with the executive, judicial and legislative branches of government based in Pretoria, Bloemfontein, and Cape Town respectively. The largest city is Johannesburg. About 80% of the population are Black South Afri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pinetown
Pinetown is a large area that is part of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, inland from Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Pinetown is situated 16 km west of Durban at an elevation of 1,000 to 1,300 feet (305 to 395 m). History Pinetown was named after the governor of Natal, Sir Benjamin Pine. The town was established in 1850 around the Wayside Hotel, itself built in 1849 along the main wagon route between Durban and Pietermaritzburg. In the Victorian era Pinetown was known as health resort. During the Second Boer War, the British built a concentration camp in Pinetown to house Boer women and children. A number of German settlers made Pinetown their base and this accounts for the neighbourhood known as New Germany and the German Lutheran Church. Indeed, to this day imported German cakes and goodies pack the shelves at Christmas time in the Knowles Spar, the largest grocery store of Pinetown. One of the largest monasteries was located south of Pinetown in Mariannhil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gillitts
Gillitts is a town in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. Overview It is about inland from the Durban city centre at an elevation of 1800 feet (600 m ASL). Although Durban is semi-tropical and very humid, Gillitts is above the humidity and is not humid, except when it is in the clouds, which generally occurs in summer. It is in the mist belt area, so this area gets a fair amount of mist which many of the residents complain about. It is positioned near the currently burgeoning Hillcrest and Kloof. The whole area is known as the Upper Highway Area as the M13 highway intersects it. While some residents do seem to complain about the mist, it does usually come as a welcome relief to the intense humidity of the area. Gillitts has remained fairly stable while Kloof and Hillcrest in the surrounding areas are growing quite rapidly. This can be attributable to the fact that there is very little area for Gillitts to grow. Gillitts originated as an extensive farm that extended o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bushbuck
The Cape bushbuck (''Tragelaphus sylvaticus'') is a common and a widespread species of antelope in sub-Saharan Africa.Wronski T, Moodley Y. (2009)Bushbuck, harnessed antelope or both? ''Gnusletter'', 28(1):18-19. Bushbuck are found in a wide range of habitats, such as rain forests, montane forests, forest-savanna mosaic, savanna, bushveld, and woodland. Bushbuck stand about at the shoulder and weigh from . They are generally solitary, territorial browsers. Taxonomy The taxonomy of bushbuck, and of the Tragelaphini tribe in general, has been contested. Bushbuck have been fractured into over 40 subspecies in the past. mtDNA profiles of a large number of samples were resolved in 2009 as belonging to 19 groups, some corresponding to previously described subspecies, while others were previously unrecognised and remained unnamed. These groups were then organised into two taxa - a nominate northern subspecies (''T. s. scriptus'') and a southern subspecies ''T. s. sylvaticus''. In the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blue Duiker
The blue duiker (''Philantomba monticola'') is a small antelope found in central, southern and eastern Africa. It is the smallest duiker. The species was first described by Swedish naturalist Carl Peter Thunberg in 1789. 12 subspecies are identified. The blue duiker reaches at the shoulder and weighs . Sexually dimorphic, the females are slightly larger than the males. The dark tail measures slightly above . It has short, spiky horns, around long and hidden in hair tufts. The subspecies show a great degree of variation in their colouration. The blue duiker bears a significant resemblance to Maxwell's duiker. Activity is diurnal (limited to daytime). Secretive and cautious, the blue duiker confines itself to the forest fringes. Territorial, individuals of opposite sexes form pairs and occupy territories, nearly large and marked by preorbital gland secretions. The blue duiker feeds on fallen fruits, foliage, flowers and pieces of bark, provided mainly by the forest canopies i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cape Porcupine
The Cape porcupine (''Hystrix africaeaustralis''), Cape crested porcupine or South African porcupine, is a species of Old World porcupine native to central and southern Africa. Description file:Reserve Sigean - Porc-épic du Cap 05.jpg, left, 180px, head Cape porcupines are the second largest rodents in Africa and also the world's second largest porcupines. Cape porcupines are amongst the largest living rodents in the world; a few other rodents appear to be larger in body mass such as the capybara and the Eurasian beaver, Eurasian and North American beavers.Barthelmess, E. L. (2006). ''Hystrix africaeaustralis''. Mammalian Species, 1-7. They are similar in appearance to, and only slightly smaller than, their close relatives, the crested porcupines, and can most easily be distinguished from them by the presence of a band of short white spines along the midline of the rump. Indian porcupines are almost the same size on average as well, being slightly heavier on average than crested ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hyrax
Hyraxes (), also called dassies, are small, thickset, herbivorous mammals in the order Hyracoidea. Hyraxes are well-furred, rotund animals with short tails. Typically, they measure between long and weigh between . They are superficially similar to pikas and marmots, but are more closely related to elephants and sea cows. Hyraxes have a life span from 9 to 14 years. Five extant species are recognised: the rock hyrax (''Procavia capensis'') and the yellow-spotted rock hyrax (''Heterohyrax brucei''), which both live on rock outcrops, including cliffs in Ethiopia and isolated granite outcrops called koppies in southern Africa; the western tree hyrax (''Dendrohyrax dorsalis''), southern tree hyrax (''D. arboreus''), and eastern tree hyrax (''D. validus''). Their distribution is limited to Africa, except for ''P. capensis'', which is also found in the Middle East. Characteristics Hyraxes retain or have redeveloped a number of primitive mammalian characteristics; in particular, the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mongoose
A mongoose is a small terrestrial carnivorous mammal belonging to the family Herpestidae. This family is currently split into two subfamilies, the Herpestinae and the Mungotinae. The Herpestinae comprises 23 living species that are native to southern Europe, Africa and Asia, whereas the Mungotinae comprises 11 species native to Africa. The Herpestidae originated about in the Early Miocene and genetically diverged into two main genetic lineages between 19.1 and . Etymology The English word "mongoose" used to be spelled "mungoose" in the 18th and 19th centuries. The name is derived from names used in India for ''Herpestes'' species: or in classical Hindi; in Marathi; in Telugu; , and in Kannada. The form of the English name (since 1698) was altered to its "-goose" ending by folk etymology. The plural form is "mongooses". Characteristics Mongooses have long faces and bodies, small, rounded ears, short legs, and long, tapering tails. Most are brindled or grizzly; a few h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Halleria Lucida
''Halleria lucida'' (also known as tree fuchsia, umBinza or notsung) is a small, attractive, evergreen tree that is indigenous to Southern Africa. It is increasingly grown as an ornamental tree in African gardens. Appearance This tree has lush, glossy, bright-green foliage on arching and drooping branches. It is often multi-stemmed and can eventually reach a height of over 15m. The way that the dense foliage droops from the hanging branches gives the tree a willowy appearance. ''Notsung'' is unusual in producing its flowers and fruit, not from the tips of its branches like most flowering trees, but from its trunk, exhibiting what is known in botany as cauliflory. This characteristic is also found in other Southern African trees such as Stamvrug. The orange or purple flowers are rich in nectar and bi-sexual. The small, fleshy fruits are edible (but do not taste particularly good). It is a member of the Snapdragon family. Distribution The natural range of this tree extends thro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monopsis Stellarioides
Monopsis is a genus of small, '' Lobelia''-like herbaceous plants indigenous to Africa. A few species are annuals, but most are perennials. Common names are not well established, but often refer to more familiar plants, as in "wild violet" for ''Monopsis unidentata'', "yellow lobelia" for ''Monopsis lutea'' or "pansy lobelia" for ''Monopsis debilis''. Description Their stems are variously but irregularly branched and in many species are prostrate and creeping, rooting at nodes. Such species are horticulturally useful components of flat ground cover. The leaf placement or phyllotaxis of the various species also varies, being either opposite or alternate, depending on the species. The leaves are fairly small and generally lightly to markedly toothed. In shape the leaves are simple, and those of various species vary from elliptic, through lanceolate, to short linear. The flowers may be borne in terminal racemes or spikes, but most species bear numerous solitary flowers on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ptisana Fraxinea
Sori of ''Ptisana fraxinea'' ''Ptisana'' is a genus in the eusporangiate fern family Marattiaceae, comprising species historically treated in the genus ''Marattia''. The establishment of this genus follows the 2008 work by Andrew G. Murdock, which supported recognition of this group on the basis of genetic analysis and morphology. ''Ptisana'' can be distinguished from ''Marattia'' by the presence of distinct sutures at the point of leaflet attachment, deeply cut synangia, and the absence of labiate sporangial apertures. The name ''Ptisana'' is derived from the Latin word for pearl barley, an allusion to the shape of the synangia. ''Ptisana'' has a palaeotropical distribution, with the westernmost extreme of the range in Ascension Island and extending eastward through tropical Africa, Asia, and Oceania. Ferns in this genus are generally quite large, with fronds often reaching 2-3 meters in length; the one known exception to this is ''Ptisana rolandi-principis'', a dwarf specie ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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