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That's interesting. I always thought that "haas" derived from the Afrikaans word for "hare". Hence, springhaas - spring hare?
But, I suppose you can hare around the place, meaning to run quickly.

I started reading from page 1 of this forum and was tickled pink by that amazing word for a meerkat - "Ietermagog".

I personally think the most likely explanation was when a Malay from the Cape region saw a little meerkat eating an insect, and remarked, "He eeta ma gogga!"

And some Afrikaans names would definitely not translate well, conjuring up weird images:
smelly mouse dog
moonhaired jackal
shallow pig
iron pig
shrink pig
fishbone lake cat

Up Afrikaans, for there aren't many bastions of this gently-roll-off-the-tongue language left.

Afrikaans is my home language. I'd just like to correct this. An Ietermagog is NOT a Meerkat! An Ietermagog is a Ground Pangolin. It's Latin name - Manis temminckii. A Meerkat's correct Afrikaans name is a Stokstertmeerkat or meerkat for short. The English borrowed the word from Afrikaans. It's Latin name - Suricata suricata. Two completely different animals. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the correction. What is the Afrikaans for a guinea pig?

Depends which one you want! The serious one is Marmot. The joking one is 'Een Pond Tien Vark'. Guinea in monetary value was 'One Pound Ten Shillings' and Pig equals 'Vark'. But Marmot is the correct translation.

GP - was a guinea not 21 shillings, ie 1 pound 1 shilling ?

(Not that really dates me )

I have no idea, billyf. I was born in 1967, long after the Rand system took over. I just know I'm teasingly called 'Een Pond Tien Varkie' by my family and friends.

i see this question has not been tried to answer...

akkedis = South Afrikaans
hagedis = Dutch.
It seems that the word akkedis comes from the Dutch word hagedis, which is a lizard..

hmmm koggelmander....
cant make soup out of this one....
koggel - mander..
Koggel - salamander.....
a salamander is a small reptile which represents the agama only a little bit... cant help you on that one...

antilope = antiloop (Dutch) = anti walk

renoster = rhino - neushoorn (Dutch) = nose horn

White rhino = wit renoster - witte neushoorn (Dutch). it is been said that the name comes from 'wijde bed neushoorn' meaning wide mouthed rhino. which evolved to white rhino.....

vlakvark = warthog = wrattenzwijn (Dutch) wich means wart=wrat and hog=zwijn.

skildpad = tortoise - schildpad (Dutch) meaning shelled toad.

And Krimpvarkie?

that one has been answered allready.

but ok, krimpvarkie = hedgehog - stekelvarken (Dutch) meaning stekel=prickle varken=pig (pricklepig)

Thanks, Jaap!

Interesting on "akkedis"! (Now where were our other Dutch friends on that one!? )

"Koggel" means "taunt" in English, so I suppose the fearless displaying habits of the Agama would fit in here!

onewithnature - the "springhaas" does indeed refer to the "haas" being Afrikaans for "hare", or "rabbit", for that matter...there is no distinction!

Hornbill = neushoringnvoel (Afrikaans)= neushoornvogel (Dutch)
= rhinoceros bird (another Engilsh transalation in my dictionary!)

I am a soutie who loves afrikaans..

No other language has words like "donder", "bliksem" and "suiwer".

we all know the meaning of the term, soutie, one foot in england, one foot in africa
and the dangly bits in the middle..

but lets go into a more scientific mode..

the word for Sable, "swartwitpens"..
blackwhitestomach.

gogga, for me is the ultimate.
How else do you describe something both frightening, disgusting and amusing.