Animal of the week

Common names Suricate, slender-tailed meerkat, meerkat (Eng.); meerkat (Afr.). Standing at only 30 cm tall, meerkats, also known as suricates, have […]

Derivation of scientific name Named after its relative size in the group of girdled lizards. It is the biggest species […]

Derivation of scientific name Proboscidea derived from the Greek word proboscis meaning ‘before the mouth’, referring to the trunk of […]

Derivation of scientific name Bubo is the genus name for the Eagle-Owls, including the Eurasian Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo). The […]

Common names Verreaux’s Eagle, Black Eagle (old name), ukhozi (Zulu), witkruisarend (Afr.), ntsu (Sotho), gama (Xitsonga). Derivation of name The […]

Common names Yellow mongoose; rooimeerkat, witkwasmuishond (Afr.); mosha (Sesotho). Derivation of name Members of the genus Cynictis are often referred […]

Common names: Rose’s ghost frog, thumbed ghost frog, Tafelbergse spookpadda (Afr.) Derivation of scientific name The name name ‘Heleophryne’ comes […]

Derivation of scientific name The Latin specific name ‘scita’ can be translated to ‘neat’ or handsome’ (Hockey et al. 2005). […]

Derivation of scientific name The genus name Spheniscus is derived from the ancient Greek word sphen, which means wedge, referring […]

Common names: Water mongoose, marsh mongoose (English); kommetjiegatmuishond (Afrikaans). Derivation of name: The Afrikaans name, kommetjiegatmuishond, refers to the sac […]

Derivation of scientific name The genus name is partly derived from the Ndebele word matobo meaning ‘bold heads’ in reference […]

Derivation of scientific name The name millipede comes from the Latin word mille meaning thousand and pedis meaning foot. Even […]

Common name: Black girdled lizard, swart-skurwejantjie (Afrikaans) Derivation of scientific name The genus name Cordylus Laurenti was established in 1768 […]

Derivation of scientific name Bradypodion is derived from Latin and means ‘slow-footed’. Common names: Little Karoo dwarf chameleon, Robertson dwarf […]

Official common name: Vervet monkey Derivation of scientific name Commonly called vervet monkeys, or just vervets, Cercopithecus means ‘long-tailed monkey’. […]