Animals of Pilanesberg [antikvár]

INTRODUCTIONThe Pilancsbcrg Game Reserve covers an extremely unique area. In geological terms it is well known ;is a volcanic alkaline ring complex. Furthermore it supports an interesting ecosystem with an extraordinary rich diversity of plant and animal life.The natural weathering of this volcano over thousands of years has resulted in an interesting compositions of cliffs, mountain slopes, gorges, ravines, gullies, valleys and water ways, thereby creating a diverse topography and various soil types. These gave rise to the interesting variety of habitat zones and vegetation communities, which in turn support the unique composition of the park's animal life.Another interesting feature of the Pilanesberg ecosystem results from the fact that it lies on the transition zone between the arid Kalahari thornveld to the west and the moist bushveld towards the east. This causes distributional overlaps of certain species that are not usually found in the same area. Examples are the Impala and Springbok, the Red Hartebeest and Tsessebe, the Pin-tailed and Shaft-tailed Whydahs, Shelly's and Orange River Francolin, the Speckled and White-backed Mousebirds, and many others.Pilanesberg has been developed into an attractive nature reserve, which is very popular amongst both local and overseas tourists. It boasts the "Big Five", diverse game and other mammal species, as well as an abundant bird life. This, together with a good network of roads and other visitor facilities, make the park a very pleasant wildlife destination.The aim of this guidebook is to introduce the park's unique and diverse animal life to visitors, to assist them in the positive identification of different species; thereby making their visit to the park an interesting and satisfying experience.-A