WEEKLY ANIMAL BITE: Kevin Hui Baboon spiders are notorious for its large and hairy appearance, many suggests that the legs look like the fingers of the baboon, and is the reason for its name. Baboon spiders use their size and mass to overpower their potential prey, rather than trapping them like other arboreal spiders that make webs. Burrows are made as hideouts to rest and hunt from, the burrows and entrances are lined with web which keeps the burrow free from dirt, and since baboon spiders are very sensitive to vibrations, the lining also act as a surface for vibrations to travel. Baboon spiders prey on small invertebrates such as crickets, cockroaches, moths, etc. And are able to prey on small vertebrates if the opportunities arise. They are rarely seen traversing in the open at Ezemvelo and certainly makes their sighting enjoyable. The baboon spider in the picture was seen in the middle of the road as a vehicle drove over it (not under the wheels), the wind created flipped the spider upside down. The spider remained upside down and was acting dead, but when we examined it, it jumped back to life and showed us its fangs, which indicated that it is provoked and ready to strike! We respect the little guy and took the opportunity to take this picture.

Ezemvelo is home to a population of these illusive creatures!

WEEKLY ANIMAL BITE: MARNUS LOMBARD At Ezemvelo Nature Reserve we have some camera traps that we place in areas where activity can be seen. We try to get some exciting nightlife and if we are lucky, an animal we don’t see that often. This is what happened here; we placed one of the camera traps at a carcass of a Black wildebeest. After waiting a week with nothing but a giraffe passing by, we almost gave up. The next moment we found something interesting at the carcass, a family of Bush pig came to scavenge the carcass. This is not unheard of as it has been recorded multiple times before. They are omnivorous so they will eat plant matter as well as animal matter, whatever presents itself to them. This time and place there was meat on the menu. The Bush pig is mostly nocturnal and can be found in groups that consist of a breeding male and female where the male is the more dominant one. The group can be between 4 and 6 animals, like you can see in this picture, but these groups can grow up to 18 individuals. The sub adults will usually leave the group at the age of 1-2 years when the reach maturity. They are very shy animals and won’t be seen on your average Ezemvelo nature reserve game drive, but you never know.

Image: Kevin Hui

Winter Sunsets on Ezemvelo.

A new activity for the adventurers out there! (Pre-booking essential.) http://www.ezemvelo.co.za/activities/horse-riding/

It seems as though we have placed our camera trap very close to the den of slender mongooses. The mongoose prefer wooded areas within the reserve, in which they use abandoned termite mounds, hollow logs or rock crevices to establish dens. They are mostly seen when driving on the road but are only visible for a short while before they take a turn into the tall grass where they disappear. Their diet consist of small rodents, lizards, snakes, invertebrates, eggs and sometimes fruits, in which they hunt and forage during the day. Which makes encountering them a possibility while hiking the Burkea trail.

Ezemvelo is beautiful in Winter #sunrise #mtb

This wonderful event starts at our beautiful property! See the link for more details.

Aardwolf on Ezemvelo! Winter is slowly setting in to Ezemvelo Nature Reserve. With the cooler morning temperatures nocturnal animals, like the Aardwolf, tend to hang around a bit longer giving people the chance to see them in daylight hours. This was a particularly lucky find, see 2 Aardwolf in the open on the road the other morning. Join us and maybe you too will be lucky enough to see something like this.