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Weza Forest
The Weza Forest is also known as the Weza-Ngele Forest and is situated near Harding, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This is a large Mistbelt Forest which has long been exploited for timber. The forest has been fragmented and reduced in size over many decades. Biodiversity It is an important site for the endangered Cape parrot ('' Poicephalus robustus robustus''). A species of Dwarf Chameleon lives here which is related to, or conspecific with the black-headed dwarf chameleon The black-headed dwarf chameleon (''Bradypodion melanocephalum'') is a lizard of the family Chamaeleonidae endemic to KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is also known as the KwaZulu dwarf chamaeleon and Durban dwarf chameleon. Distribution This ch .... The Critically Endangered pink velvet worm ('' Opisthopatus roseus'') is only known to occur in Weza Forest. References Bibliography * Pooley, E. 1993. The Complete Field Guide to Trees of Natal, Zululand and Transkei, - . * Tolley, K. and Burger, M. 2007. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harding, KwaZulu-Natal
Harding is a town situated in the Mzimkulwana River valley, Ugu District Municipality of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Background Harding was established as a military outpost following the British annexation of East Griqualand in 1874. Named after Sir Walter Harding (c 1812-1874) who in 1858 became the first Chief Justice in Natal. It was declared as a township in 1911. Timber and dairy farming are the main economic activities. The abandoned narrow gauge Alfred County Railway used to serve the farming areas, linking Harding with Port Shepstone. Harding lies at the foot of the Ingeli Range, 34 km north-west of Izingolweni and 84 km north-west of Port Shepstone. Administration Harding is located in the uMuziwabantu Local Municipality which is located in the larger Ugu District Municipality which governs the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast. It is the municipal seat A municipal seat or ''cabecera municipal'' is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city ... [...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] |
Mistbelt Forest
Areas of forest which grow in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa mostly on south facing slopes in higher rainfall areas, and along the humid coastal areas. Different types of forest can be identified by their species composition which depends mostly on the altitude, latitude and substrate (soil and rock types) in which they grow. South facing slopes are favourable for the development of forest as they are more shaded, and therefore cooler and retain more moisture than the northern slopes. The extra moisture on the south slopes is not only favoured by forest trees, but also helps to prevent or subdue wildfires. Fires can also be blocked by cliff faces and rocks or boulders on these slopes, and by streams or rivers at the base of the slopes. The coastal regions are conducive to forest formation, because of high rainfall and humidity which are favoured by forest trees and also help to prevent or subdue fires. The rivers of the coastal areas are also broader than further inland, which may ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Endangered
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and invasive species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List lists the global conservation status of many species, and various other agencies assess the status of species within particular areas. Many nations have laws that protect conservation-reliant species which, for example, forbid hunting, restrict land development, or create protected areas. Some endangered species are the target of extensive conservation efforts such as captive breeding and habitat restoration. Human activity is a significant cause in causing some species to become endangered. Conservation status The conservation status of a species indicates the likelihood that it will become extinct. Multiple factors are considered when assessing the s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Poicephalus Robustus
The Cape parrot (''Poicephalus robustus'') or Levaillant's parrot is a large, temperate forest dwelling parrot of the genus ''Poicephalus'' endemic to South Africa. It was formerly grouped as a subspecies along with the savanna-dwelling brown-necked parrot (''Poicephalus fuscicollis'') and grey-headed parrot (''P. f. suahelicus''), but is now considered a distinct species. Taxonomy The Cape parrot was described in 1781 by the English ornithologist John Latham under the English name, the "robust parrot". When in 1788 the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin revised and expanded Carl Linnaeus's '' Systema Naturae'', he included the Cape parrot with a short description, coined the binomial name ''Psittacus robustus'' and cited Latham's work. The type locality is South Africa. The Cape parrot is now placed with nine other species in the genus ''Poicephalus'' that was introduced by the English naturalist William John Swainson in 1837. The genus name is from the Ancient Gree ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dwarf Chameleon
''Brookesia minima'', ( common names of which include the dwarf chameleon, the Madagascan dwarf chameleon, the minute leaf chameleon, and the Nosy Be pygmy leaf chameleon), is a diminutive chameleon that was regarded as the smallest lizard of the Chamaeleonidae until a smaller species, ''Brookesia nana'', was described in 2021. Range ''B. minima'' is endemic to Nosy Be, an island located just off the northwest coast of Madagascar, but has extralimital distribution to Manongarivo Reserve on Madagascar's northwest coast. Description ''B. minima'' is the third-smallest lizard ever described. The species has the independently rotating eyes and prehensile tail characteristic of all chameleons. It is coloured light grey on the head, back and tail, although the tail becomes orange then yellowish towards the tip. The sides of the body are brown, occasionally interrupted by dark brown spots, and the limbs are almost entirely dark brown. Spotted patterning appears to be a stress colo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Conspecific
Biological specificity is the tendency of a characteristic such as a behavior or a biochemical variation to occur in a particular species. Biochemist Linus Pauling stated that "Biological specificity is the set of characteristics of living organisms or constituents of living organisms of being special or doing something special. Each animal or plant species is special. It differs in some way from all other species...biological specificity is the major problem about understanding life." Biological specificity within ''Homo sapiens'' ''Homo sapiens'' has many characteristics that show the biological specificity in the form of behavior and morphological traits. Morphologically, humans have an enlarged cranial capacity and more gracile features in comparison to other hominins. The reduction of dentition is a feature that allows for the advantage of adaptability in diet and survival. As a species, humans are culture dependent and much of human survival relies on the culture and so ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Black-headed Dwarf Chameleon
The black-headed dwarf chameleon (''Bradypodion melanocephalum'') is a lizard of the family Chamaeleonidae endemic to KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is also known as the KwaZulu dwarf chamaeleon and Durban dwarf chameleon. Distribution This chameleon is found in the coastal areas from north of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal south and west to Mkambati Nature Reserve in the east of the Eastern Cape; it also occurs in some inland areas (KwaZulu-Natal Midlands). Taxonomy The current species may consist of several separate species. At least three regional variants are found; one in Karkloof and Gilboa Forests, one in Weza Forest, and one in the area around Ixopo and Donnybrook. ''B. melanocephalum'' and the Natal Midlands dwarf chameleon (''B. thamnobates'') might be phenotypically plastic populations of the same species. However, when juveniles of both species were raised under identical conditions, they developed into what was phenotypically expected of their original populations, in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Opisthopatus Roseus
''Opisthopatus roseus'' is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatopsidae family. As traditionally defined, this species is rose pink with 18 pairs of legs. Known as the pink velvet worm, it is found only in the Weza Forest, a Mistbelt Forest in South Africa. Specimens have been found on the forest floor amongst leaf litter, beneath, and within fallen logs. Phylogenetic analysis, however, casts doubt on the traditional species delimitation based on morphology and militates in favor of a broader species definition based on a genetic clade instead. Phylogenetic results indicate that '' O. herbertorum'', described as uniformly white with 17 leg pairs, is a junior synonym of ''O. roseus''. This genetic clade also includes some velvet worms with 16 leg pairs that would traditionally be considered specimens of '' O. cinctipes''. This broader understanding of ''O. roseus'' features intraspecific variation in leg number, ranging from 16 to 18 pairs, includes a range of colors from blood ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Geography Of KwaZulu-Natal
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. The first recorded use of the word γεωγραφία was as a title of a book by Greek scholar Eratosthenes (276–194 BC). Geography is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks an understanding of Earth and its human and natural complexities—not merely where objects are, but also how they have changed and come to be. While geography is specific to Earth, many concepts can be applied more broadly to other celestial bodies in the field of planetary science. One such concept, the first law of geography, proposed by Waldo Tobler, is "everything is related to everything else, but near things are more related than distant things." Geography has been called "the world discipline" and "the bridge between the human and th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
