Results tagged “south africa” on Earth Touch Blog
Warthog chases cheetahs away Jun 9 2008
The Earth-Touch crew witnessed an unusual encounter in the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve, in South Africa, recently. They were filming a group of cheetahs resting in the bush, when a family of warthogs arrived on the scene and the female warthog proceeded to chase the cheetahs away.
Tags: africa, chase, cheetah, feed, forage, hluhluwe, imfolozi, mammal, south africa, vertebrate, warthogThe week’s most viewed stories Jun 6 2008
The most popular stories on Earth-Touch in the past week (from Friday 30 May to Thursday 05 June 2008) were:
Number 1
Dolphins appear out of the blue
Out in the bay where the waves break, a pod of these marine mammals emerges from deeper water.
Spider and ants at dawn Jun 4 2008
After a good overnight rainstorm in South Africa’s Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve, the Earth-Touch crew set off before sunrise to look for interesting creatures.
Tags: africa, ant, aphid, arachnid, hluhluwe, imfolozi, insect, invertebrate, kwazulu-natal, south africa, spider, symbiosis, webFlickr group: pic of the day – flap-neck chameleon Jun 2 2008
Flap-neck chameleons (Chamaeleo dilepis) are found widely in Southern Africa. They are named for the small protrusion or flap at the base of the heads. They raise this flap when threatened, in order to appear larger.
Tags: africa, chameleon, flap-neck, photograph, photography, reptile, south africa, vertebrateThe week’s most viewed stories May 30 2008
The most popular stories on Earth-Touch in the past week (from Friday 23 May to Thursday 29 May 2008) were:
Number 1
Dolphins appear out of the blue
Out in the bay where the waves break, a pod of these marine mammals emerges from deeper water.
Flickr group: pic of the day – rockhopper penguin May 29 2008
Rockhopper penguins (Eudyptes chrysocome) are native to Argentina, Australia, South Africa, Chile, the Falkland Islands, Uruguay and New Zealand. There are also vagrant populations in Antarctica and Brazil.
Tags: africa, antarctica, argentina, australia, bird, brazil, falkland islands, flickr, hile, new zealand, penguin, photograph, photography, rockhopper, south africa, south america, uruguay, vertebrateFusiliers feed in sunlit water May 27 2008
The week’s most viewed stories May 23 2008
The most popular stories on Earth-Touch in the past week (from Friday 16 May to Thursday 22 May 2008) were:
Number 1
Dolphins appear out of the blue
Out in the bay where the waves break, a pod of these marine mammals emerges from deeper water.
Tags: africa, black rhino, blue, botswana, cub, dolphin, elephant, encounter, female, fluke, indian ocean, kwazulu-natal, leviathan, lion, mammal, okavango delta, popular, rhino, sodwana bay, south africa, western cape, whale, wildebeest, youngChocolate dip on coral reef May 22 2008
Not many divers get to see this small reef at Sodwana Bay, part of South Africa’s Isimangaliso Wetland Park, because its uniform coral (Plasticeris) is so fragile.
Tags: africa, chocolate dip, chromis, coral, dive, fish, isimangaliso, lettuce, reef, sodwana, south africaCormorants roost on shipwreck May 21 2008
As the sun began to set at Melkbosstrand on the West Coast of South Africa, close to Cape Town, the Earth-Touch crew filmed cormorants flying in to roost on an old shipwreck.
Tags: africa, bird, blyde canyon, botswana, cape cormorant, cormorant, darter, okavango delta, reed cormorant, south africa, western cape, white-breasted cormorantTwo bulls in the valley May 21 2008
On a late afternoon in the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve, in South Africa, the Earth-Touch crew encountered two lone bulls: an African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) and a nyala (Tragelaphus angasii).
Tags: africa, african buffalo, bird, hluhluwe, imfolozi, mammal, nyala, pied wagtail, south africaThe week’s most viewed stories May 16 2008
The most popular stories on Earth-Touch in the past week (from Friday 09 May to Thursday 15 May 2008) were:
Number 1
Dolphins appear out of the blue
Out in the bay where the waves break, a pod of these marine mammals emerges from deeper water.
Tags: africa, black rhino, blue, botswana, cub, dolphin, encounter, female, fluke, indian ocean, kwazulu-natal, leviathan, lion, mammal, okavango delta, popular, rhino, sodwana bay, south africa, western cape, whale, youngGiant clam ‘farms’ algae May 15 2008
We found one of the species of giant clam in a cave at Nine Mile Reef, at Sodwana Bay on South Africa’s Indian Ocean coast, today. This is a truly amazing organism.
Tags: algae, clam, indian ocean, marine, mollusc, reef, south africaBaboons feed on grass seeds May 15 2008
It’s late afternoon on the banks of the Black Umfolozi River in South Africa’s oldest game reserve, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi. In the autumn sunshine, a troop of chacma baboons (Papio cynocephalus ursinus) is feeding.
Tags: africa, baboon, chacma, eat, floodplain, grass, groom, hluhluwe, imfolozi, mammal, primate, river, savannah, social, south africaBounty on Sodwana reefs May 13 2008
There’s always a lot to see at Bikini and Ribbon reefs in Sodwana Bay, which is part of the Isimangaliso Wetland Park on South Africa’s Indian Ocean coast.
Tags: africa, coral, eel, fish, indian ocean, isimangaliso, marine, moray, ray, reef, sodwana, south africa, sponge, turtleDid You Know? Marsh terrapin May 13 2008
The marsh terrapin (Pelomedusa subrufa) belongs to the family of side-necked terrapins. This genus is found in Africa, Madagascar and the Seychelles, and the species is the most common terrapin in southern Africa.
Tags: africa, aquatic, blyde canyon, egg, freshwater, hluhluwe, imfolozi, marsh, reptile, shell, south africa, terrapinFlower makes a meal for a beetle May 12 2008
It’s not only the “big five” that are worth watching in South Africa’s Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve: the wonderful construction and function of smaller creatures like the CMR bean beetle (Mylabris oculata) have also fascinated the Earth-Touch film crew.
Tags: africa, beetle, cmr bean beetle, feed, flower, hluhluwe, imfolozi, insect, kwazulu-natal, plant, pollinate, south africa, wild cottonDid you know? African penguin May 12 2008
Formerly known as the jackass penguin, the African penguin (Spheniscus dermersus) got its original name from its call, which is uncannily similar to that of a donkey.
African penguins are endemic to the Southern African countries of South Africa and Namibia, and mostly occur within a few kilometeres of the coastline. Non-breeding birds spend most of their time at sea.
Tags: africa, african penguin, bird, call, cape, conservation, dive, eat, fish, jackass, namibia, ocean, penguin, sea, south africa, swim, threatened, waterThe week’s most viewed stories May 9 2008
The most popular stories on Earth-Touch in the past week (from Friday 02 May to Thursday 08 May 2008) were:
Number 1
Unusual reef is full of surprises
It’s a special day at Sodwana, as the Indian Ocean offers up everything from coral and shrimps to dolphins and the world’s largest fish.
Tags: africa, black rhino, botswana, cub, encounter, female, fluke, indian ocean, kwazulu-natal, leviathan, lion, mammal, okavango delta, popular, rhino, south africa, western cape, whale, youngFlickr group: pic of the day – woodland kingfisher May 9 2008
Woodland kingfishers (Halcyon senegalensis) are found widely throughout most of Africa. They are a common species, identifiable by their two-tone beak.
Tags: africa, bird, flickr, kingfisher, kruger national park, photograph, photography, south africa, vertebrate, woodland kingfisherImpala herd grazes in the morning May 9 2008
On a beautiful, rain-refreshed morning in the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve, in South Africa, the first animal the Earth-Touch crew saw was an impala ram, belonging to a herd of about 200.
Tags: africa, graze, herd, hluhluwe-imfolozi, horn, impala, kwazulu-natal, mammal, prey, ram, savannah, south africaAfrican wild dog pack on the move May 7 2008
It was a wet day in South Africa’s oldest game reserve, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi, and a zebra foal was taking shelter under its mother. Then the Earth-Touch crew saw a pack of African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) moving fast across the river plain.
Tags: africa, african wild dog, carnivore, communication, hluhluwe, hunt, imfolozi, juvenile, lycaon pictus, pack, rain, savannah, south africa, zebraThe week’s most viewed stories May 2 2008
The most popular stories on Earth-Touch in the past week (from Friday 25 April to Thursday 1 May 2008) were:
Number 1
Huge beast shows why it’s one of the most feared and respected creatures in the African bushveld.
Tags: africa, black rhino, botswana, cub, encounter, female, fluke, indian ocean, kwazulu-natal, leviathan, lion, mammal, okavango delta, popular, rhino, south africa, western cape, whale, youngThe Earth-Touch baby album Apr 30 2008
Over the months, Earth-Touch has been privileged to witness the early days, survival struggles and playful moments of many young animals. Here is a selection of these video clips.
Tags: africa, baboon, baby, bath, bird, botswana, burrow, calf, cape, chick, coast, colony, cub, delta, den, dog, egg, elephant, endangered, fish, fly, foal, giraffe, herd, hluhluwe, imfolozi, juvenile, karoo, kite, kwazulu-natal, lion, mammal, meerkat, monkey, moremi, mud, okavango, piglet, reef, sodwana, south africa, thailand, tree, trunk, video, warthog, water, western cape, whale, young, zebraThe week’s most viewed stories Apr 25 2008
The most popular stories on Earth-Touch in the past week (from Friday 18 April to Thursday 24 April 2008) were:
Flickr group: pic of the day – gentoo penguin Apr 24 2008
Gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) are an easily recognisable species, because of the distinctive white stripe across their foreheads. According to the International Union for Conservation, they are native in Antarctica; Argentina; Australia; Falkland Islands (Malvinas); French Southern Territories (Crozet Island, Kerguelen); Heard Island and McDonald Islands; South Africa (Marion and Prince Edward Islands); South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. They are currently classified as near threatened.
Tags: africa, antarctica, argentina, australia, bird, flickr, gentoo penguin, penguin, photograph, photography, south africa, south america, vertebrateThe week’s most viewed stories Apr 18 2008
The most popular stories on Earth-Touch in the past week (from Friday 11 April to Thursday 17 April 2008) were:
The week’s most viewed stories Apr 11 2008
The most popular stories on Earth-Touch in the past week (from Friday 05 April to Thursday 10 April 2008) were:
Blacktip sharks unsettle divers Apr 11 2008
The visibility wasn’t great and the water was filled with jellyfish when the Earth-Touch crew went freediving at Aliwal Shoal, off the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. The blacktip sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus) seemed excitable, passing close to the camera, and the crew felt rather uneasy.
Tags: africa, aliwal shoal, blacktip, dive, eastern little tuna, fish, freedive, indian ocean, jellyfish, kwazulu-natal, marine, remora, shark, south africa, tunaA fruitful wait at the river pool Apr 8 2008
Sometimes, it pays just to sit and wait. When the Earth-Touch crew arrived at a pool in a tributary of the Black Umfolozi River in South Africa’s Imfolozi Game Reserve, they decided just to enjoy the view and see what happened.
Tags: africa, antelope, bird, black umfolozi, call, forage, hamerkop, imfolozi, kwazulu-natal, mammal, marking, mocking cliff-chat, nyala, pool, river, riverine forest, south africaSnorkelling with great white sharks Apr 7 2008
Scuba diving in clean, cold water at Struisbaai, on South Africa’s Western Cape coast, the Earth-Touch crew were enjoying watching some lively fish activity.
Tags: africa, fish, great white, marine, ocean, scuba, shark, snorkel, south africa, struisbaai, western capeEarth-Touch launches TV show in South Africa Apr 7 2008
This morning, Earth-Touch launched its first ever TV offering, a wildlife programme called Wild-Touch, on South African television station SABC2.
The programme will air Monday to Friday at 10.30am, and strives to bring viewers beautiful footage of wildlife in its natural environment, filmed in Southern Africa and around the world, within 48 hours. We want to show our viewers the beauty of nature, and to inspire them to protect the natural heritage of our planet.
Tags: africa, earth-touch, sabc2, south africa, television, wild-touchThis week’s most viewed stories Apr 4 2008
The most popular stories on Earth-Touch in the past week (from Friday 28 March to Thursday 03 April 2008) were:
Tags: africa, graze, hluhluwe, huddle, imfolozi, impala, kwazulu-natal, meerkat, sea, slug, south africa, suricate, zebraMud bath cools off warthogs and rhino Apr 4 2008
On a hot, windy afternoon at Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve, in South Africa, the Earth-Touch crew watched a family of warthogs and a white rhino bull enjoying a cooling wallow in a mud pan.
Meerkats as social media in action Apr 4 2008
In all of my years in the wilds of the world, and especially in the African bush, I have never encountered a creature that more embodies the idea of a “social media strategy” than the meerkat.
Tags: africa, mammal, meerkat, social, south africa, vertebrateDid you know? Red-eyed dove Apr 3 2008
Tags: africa, bird, call, colour, dove, eye, forest, plumage, red-eyed, south africa
Great white shark’s hunting kit Apr 3 2008
The great white shark senses what’s going on around it using its eyesight, special cells along its lateral line, and sensory cells on its nose, called ampullae of Lorenzini, which detect electrical fields.
Tags: africa, camouflage, coast, colour, fish, great white, marine, predator, prey, reef, sense, shark, sight, smell, south africa, struisbaai, swim, vertebrate, western capeDid you know? Red duiker Apr 2 2008
Red duikers are tiny, thickset antelopes which are usually solitary, though you might spot a pair or even three of them if you’re really lucky.
Tags: africa, antelope, camouflage, coastal, duiker, eat, flower, forest, fruit, kwazulu-natal, mammal, mozambique, red duiker, shy, south africa, swaziland, tanzaniaEye to eye with a giraffe Apr 2 2008
A female giraffe’s long eyelashes, whiskery mouth, tufted horns and patterned coat take on new interest when viewed close up.
Tags: acacia, bird, browse, eat, giraffe, hluhluwe, imfolozi, kwazulu-natal, mammal, oxpecker, parasite, savannah, south africa, treeWild dogs and buffalos meet at the river Apr 1 2008
Vulture activity in the Imfolozi River valley attracted the attention of the Earth-Touch crew, and they watched as a pack of African wild dogs followed a herd of African buffalos and a pair of rhinos to the river. A group of vultures bathed nearby.
Tags: bird, buffalo, hluhluwe, imfolozi, kwazulu-natal, mammal, river, south africa, vulture, wild dogSharks out of the blue Mar 31 2008
In perfect blue water at Aliwal Shoal, on the KwaZulu-Natal coast of South Africa, the Earth-Touch crew was joined by a crowd of blacktip sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus) and then some tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier, pictured here).
Tags: aliwal shoal, blackfin, blacktip, indian ocean, kwazulu-natal, marine, potato bass, reef, shark, south africa, tigerThe week’s most viewed stories Mar 28 2008
The most popular stories on Earth-Touch in the past week (from Friday 21 March to Thursday 27 March 2008) were:
Did you know? Differences between black and white rhinos Mar 28 2008
Black rhinos (Diceros bicornis) and white rhinos (Ceratotherium simum) are both grey in colour. But there are many differences between them.
Tags: africa, black, black rhino, browse, colour, conservation, endangered, feed, feeding, grass, graze, grazing, hluhluwe, imfolozi, kwazulu-natal, lip, mammal, rhino, rhinoceros, smell, south africa,