Akima and The Wild

04/11/2024

W H I T E R H I N O

Habitat loss and Poaching is a major threat to rhinos.

Rhinos may look like prehistoric creatures, and they do date back millions of years to the Miocene era, but they are also mammals like us. There are two species of African rhinos, the white rhino and black rhino, and each is distinct in its own way.

The white, or square-lipped, rhino derives its name from the Dutch word “weit,” meaning wide. It is actually gray in color and has a hump on its neck and a long face.

The black, or hooked-lipped, rhino has a thick, hairless gray hide. Both rhinos have two horns.

23/09/2024

M E E R K A T
Had a great experience going to a Meerkat den at 5am to view a cute meerkat family and their pups. There were 4 pups in total with a family group of 16.

The meerkat (Suricata suricatta) or suricate is a small mongoose found in southern Africa. Meerkats are immune to venom.

Despite living in the desert unbelievably meerkats do not need extra water in their diets. They get all the moisture they need from the insects and grubs they eat. A human would die within 3 – 5 days without additional water.

02/01/2022

A M U S K A J E L L Y F I S H

Captured at

Amakusa or Malaysian jellies are jellyvorous, like the compass jelly.

Which means that they eat other jellies, but they will opportunistically prey on almost anything.

It is not known how they are able to identify members of their same species, but somehow Amakusa jellies avoid eating each other.

Their sting is very strong and can kill most small fish within seconds, and is also highly toxic to humans.

Amakusa jellyfish have 32 lappets, 4 mouth-arms and 16 very long tentacles coming out from the bell.

26/12/2021

J A C K A S S P E N G U I N

Captured at Boulders Beach.

The jackass penguin is also known as the African penguin, and each of these common names describes something about the species.

It makes a sound similar to a donkey’s call, and it is restricted to the waters and rocky shores of southern Africa.

In fact, it is in the only species of penguin that nests in Africa.

19/10/2021

R A G G E D T O O T H S H A R K

Sharktober celebrated at the Spotted Ragged Tooth Shark or Raggies.

Sharktober celebrates sharks, and supporting shark protection in our Sanctuaries and Marine Protected Areas.

Spotted Ragged Tooth Shark, the name alone creates a vision of some scary teeth, while Grey Nurse Shark, seems to send thoughts completely in the opposite direction, and Sand Tiger Shark, is kind of just in the middle there, and yet, all of these names belong to one shark! One shark that is found from Australia to the US and False Bay to Durban!

Locally we call them Raggies.

30/09/2021

ROCKHOPPER PENGUIN

Northern Rockhopper penguin captured

Rockhopper penguins earned their common name from their behavior on land: They can slide on their bellies as many penguins do, but to navigate the steep, rocky shores of their breeding islands, rockhoppers use their strong, thick-skinned feet and legs.

Like other penguins, Rockhoppers can sleep while floating on the sea.

The Rockhopper’s yellow “eyebrow” is called a “supercilium.”

Rockhoppers’ beaks start out black, only turning orange as they age.

22/09/2021

R H I N O

Happy World Rhino Day

Southern White Rhino captured at

World Rhino Day has been celebrated internationally on September 22nd – this year is the 10th anniversary!

World Rhino Day celebrates all five species of rhino: Black, white, greater one-horned, Sumatran and Javan rhinos.

Habitat loss and Poaching is a major threat to rhinos.

Rhinos may look like prehistoric creatures, and they do date back millions of years to the Miocene era, but they are also mammals like us. There are two species of African rhinos, the white rhino and black rhino, and each is distinct in its own way.

The white, or square-lipped, rhino derives its name from the Dutch word “weit,” meaning wide. It is actually gray in color and has a hump on its neck and a long face.

The black, or hooked-lipped, rhino has a thick, hairless gray hide. Both rhinos have two horns.

05/09/2021

26/08/2021

E L E P H A N T

Captured at

The African elephant is the world's largest land mammal – with males on average measuring up to 3m high and weighing up to 6 tonnes.

There are two species of elephant: African and Asian. The ears of African elephants are much larger than their cousins and are described as being shaped like the African continent, whereas the ears of Asian elephants are shaped like the Indian subcontinent.

Their trunks have mad skills.

African elephants have two ‘fingers’ at the tip of their trunks, whereas Asian elephants have one.

Elephant tusks are actually enlarged incisor teeth.

Around 90% of African elephants have been wiped out in the past century - largely due to the ivory trade - leaving an estimated 415,000 wild elephants alive today.

18/08/2021

C H A C M A B A B O O N

The chacma baboon, also known as the Cape baboon.

Captured at Cape Point National Park

The word “chacma” is derived from the Hottentot (Khoikhoi) name for baboon, viz choachamma or choa kamma.

Chacma baboons are the largest members of the monkey family and are a highly social species that live in groups of four to 200 individuals.

Although they are not listed as threatened or endangered, populations of Chacma baboons in the Cape Peninsula are considered to be potentially threatened and should be monitored and protected.

Ten more interesting facts about Chacma baboons:

Longevity is around 20 years in the wild.

Females may carry and continue to protect a dead infant for days after its death.

Troops may from temporary alliances to deter predators such as lions.

There are reports of “lamb snatching” (for feeding on) during the annual impala lambing season.

Juveniles are weaned from between 6-8 months.

The canine teeth in adult baboons are larger than those of lions.

The rank of a female is inherited from its mother and remains constant.

Roosting sites at night are tall trees or rocky outcrops and they choose several roosting areas.

The presence of cheek pouches allows temporary food storage.

Running speeds of up to 45kph can be achieved.

12/08/2021

W O R L D E L E P H A N T D A Y

Captured at

Every year on 12 August, World Elephant Day is observed across the world.

The day aims to spread awareness about the plight of elephants and to identify their importance in our ecosystem.

Below are few things that we can do to help save these ‘gentle giants’:

- Object against trophy hunting
- Donate to reputed organisations
- Never buy ivory products

10/08/2021

W O R L D L I O N DAY

Captured at
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World Lion Day is celebrated annually on August 10 each year, with an emphasis to raise awareness and gather support for their declining population and conservation.

Today, lions are extinct in 26 African countries, have vanished from over 95 percent of their historic range, and experts estimate that there are only about 20,000 left in the wild.

One of the main causes is the alarming rate at which they are losing their habitats due to expanding human populations and the resulting growth of agriculture, settlements, and roads.

A big shout to Sanctuaries like that are dedicated to rescuing and rehoming distressed and abused lions that have been held captive and that cannot be rehabilitated back into the wild. Here, the animals can live out their lives in a natural and safe environment without the dangers of commercial breeding and illegal trade.

Lions are the apex predator of their habitat, they check the population of browsers and grazers, thus helping in maintaining ecological balance. Lions also keep the population of their prey healthy and robust as they target weakest members of the herd, indirectly helping in disease control in the prey population. Their conservation also helps in protection of natural forest areas and habitats and in turn, helps in biodiversity management.