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ok...although, afaik, in KTP there are no grey duikers anyway, that's why I was guessing it could be a common duiker

Hello Ice,
The Grey and the Common Duiker are the same animal

oops...how embarassing...I was confusing them with reedbucks where I believe the common one is reddish and the mountain reedbuck is grey...

Hi all, We first saw the bats in Skukuza in the cafeteria in the late 90's and they have increased in number over the years. Can anyone tell me what type they are and what are the strange eye coverings - eyelids? This picture was taken in November last year but when we visited the camp in December they had all disappeared. This was the first time we have been to the camp and the bats were not in residence. Have they come back now or decided to find a new roost.

They are fruit bats, if I am not mistaken. As to what type, I am not sure, but I think they may be Epomorphorus crypturus?
As for the eyelids, I can only imagine that their use is to fool predators into thinking they are awake...

Hi Bondm,

This is a Peters's Epauletted Fruit Bat. They love the river areas and also Skukuza dew to the very large Sycamore Fig tree's you find along here. I do not have fact and can't tell you where I read it, but the are using some type of device to scare of the bats. Apparently it is for some research purposes.

Epomophrus walhbergi...Walhbergs Epualetted Fruit Bat

The white above their eyes is just a characteristic of them, no special purpose The white on their shoulders on the other hand is only found in males and this is used during the mating process where the male will raise his epualett's and flap open his wings repeatedly, and while doing so he calls. This attracts the females

And the supposed research purpose for chasing the bats away is a cover up as far as i know, they wanted to get rid of the bats due to hygiene purposes and used chlorine tablets (a inhumane way to get rid of the bats)

Peters and Walhbergs Epualetted fruit bats can only be distinguished by the amount of palatal ridges behind the last molar and the ones at Skukuza have had this test done on them and thus they have been confirmed as Walhbergs Epualetted Fruit Bat

Hi all, I have some pictures of a couple of animals - please could you help identify them? Both were taken near Polokwane in November.

The first is a little buck - a Grysbok perhaps?


Second is a Hare. Unfortunately my current field guide is not so useful for identifying smaller mammals.. Cape Hare or Scrub Hare? What are the differences between the two?


Thanks
Nick

Hi Nick H,

Welcome to the forum.

Your first picture looks like a suni to me. But it's very hard to see the size of the animal on a picture. Do you know how tall he was? Do you have also more pictures? Because a suni got heavily ringed horns. On your picture I can't see them well.

The difference between a Cape Hare and a Scrub Hare is the following:



Based on that and the area where you did spot that animal, I think it's a scrub hare.

Hello, and welcome to the forums, Nick!

Grey duiker, scrub hare and Meerkat!

A meerkat (Suricate)? I thought it looks like a Yellow Mongoose. But being in UK doesn't help when I don't know whether you get Suricates in Polokwane.

Dave

Thanks everyone! I *think* the buck was about duiker-sized, but I'm not sure.. Thank you for the hare ID tips - very helpful
The other animal is indeed a Yellow Mongoose, which I got another photo of.

Nick

Hi everyone. I have recently returned from a trip to Hwange National Park where I found a whole bunch of these bats roosting inside a building. Does anyone have any idea what they are?



Thanks

Nick

a slit faced bat?

Egyptian Slit Faced Bat (Nycteris thebaica)