EnviroKids January 2019 Issue

Habitats in Nature A habitat is the natural home or environment (biome) in which an animal, plant, or other organism li ves. It is the space in which certain li ving things are able to survi ve and thri ve. There are seven biomes in South Africa: Savanna, Thicket, Grassland, Forest, Fynbos, Nama Karoo, Succulent Karoo and Desert.

The Grassland Biome can be found in highveld areas. Here, winters are cold and the land is distinctively covered in grass, with some trees scattered around. Grass eating herbivores such as Wildebeest, and Rhino can be found here. Insects also enjoy Grasslands, and include Crickets and Grasshoppers to name two.

The Savannah biome is the largest biome is South Africa. Summers here are hot with rainfall, while winters are cold and dry. The Northern Cape, Free State, North West

The Succulent Karoo biome is located in the Northern Cape and in parts of the Western Cape. Here, there is very little rainfall and winters

A Thicket biome consists of short trees, shrubs and vines. Monkeys and Elephants love this biome, which occurs along the coasts of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. Rainfall here is high, although there are still dry periods that prevent shrubs from turning into forests.

can be very cold. Almost half the species of flowers found here are endemic to the region, and this is where you can view some of the most beautiful displays of flowers during Au- gust and September. Sheep and goats roam in these parts, which is why Karoo Lamb has become a South African favourite.

A Plethora of Life at uMngeni Valley! Many different habitats within the uMngeni Nature reserve host an interesting variety of indigenous life. The plateaus on either side of the valley are large grassland biomes where wild Zebra, Blesbok, Helmeted Guinea-fowl and Blue Wildebeest graze freely among the tall grasses and wild flowers. A particularly interesting indigenous wildflower located in these grasslands between clusters of Star flowers (Hypoxis hemerocallidea) and Wild Dagga plants (Leonotis leonurus) is the Candelabra flowers (Brunsvigia sp.), which disperse their seeds by losing the flowering heads of the plant and letting them blow around in the wind like a tumbleweed. Descending one of the trails in the reserve down to the smaller tributaries of the uMngeni River, one can see riverine forests along the river banks as well as small wetland patches between the two waterfalls on site. Keen observers may even see an astonishing number of organisms living in these waters – from tiny tadpoles, insect larvae, Whirligig Beetles and Shrimp, to bigger animals such as Otters, Herons, Kingfishers, Mongoose as well as many plant species such as the Snake Lily (Scadoxus puniceus). Further down in the valley various big game such as Impala, Nyala, Bushbuck, Grey Duiker and a solitary Giraffe named George can be seen in the large grassland areas with dense pockets of Acacia trees. In the indigenous forests, over 200 species can be seen, and lucky visitors can spot rare birds such as the Crowned and Martial Eagles, and the Narina Trogon. - WESSA Education Officer, James Kidd

province, some parts of Limpo- po and Kwa- Zulu-Natal all have Savannah. Elephants, Lions, Zebra, Buffalo and Springbok are some of the many animals found here.

A Forest Biome is where you can find loads of greenery, trees and plants. This is one of our smallest biomes, but can be found in patches in the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, Limpopo and Mpumalanga. Birds and Monkeys are abundant here, and use the trees as natural look-out points for safety, playing and sleeping.

The Fynbos biome is truly unique. Located in the Western Cape, this biome has some of the most beautiful flowers (such as Proteas) and

The Nama Karoo forms the major part of the Northern Cape Province and the Free State. The

shrubs – found exclu- sively in this region. With 9000 or so species, this area has the largest va-

land consists of grass and shrubs, and like the Suc- culent Karoo, there is very little rainfall

riety of fynbos in the world. Here, it rains in winter,

while summers are dry and hot. Birds and insects love living here, as well as the small, fury mammal, the Dassie.

here, but goats and sheep love to call this home.

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