Smithers' mammals of Southern Africa: a field guide

493 Pages·2012·14.17 MB·English

by  Peter Apps

SMITHERS’
MAMMALS
of Southern Africa
A field guide
revised and updated by Peter Apps
Illustrations by Clare Abbott, Penny Meakin
and Noel Ashton
Spoor drawings by Hazel Smithers
Published by Struik Nature (an imprint of Random House Struik (Pty) Ltd) Reg.
No. 1966/003153/07
Wembley Square, First Floor, Solan Street, Cape Town, 8001
PO Box 1144, Cape Town, 8000 South Africa www.randomstruik.co.za
First published in 1986 by Southern Book Publishers (Pty) Ltd Second edition
published in 1996 by Southern Book Publishers (Pty) Ltd Third edition
published in 2000 by Struik Nature This edition published in 2012 by Struik
Nature Copyright © original text 1986: Reay H.N. Smithers Copyright © revised
text 1996, 2000, 2012: Peter Apps Copyright © in illustrations 2000, 2012: Clare
Abbott, Penny Meakin, Hazel Smithers, Noel Ashton and Random House Struik
(Pty) Ltd Copyright © in published edition, 2012: Random House Struik (Pty)
Ltd Publisher: Pippa Parker
Managing editor: Helen de Villiers Editor: Julia Casciola
Design director: Janice Evans
Designer: Tessa Fortuin
Illustrators: Clare Abbott, Penny Meakin, Hazel Smithers and Noel Ashton
Proofreader: Tessa Kennedy
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written
permission of the copyright owner(s).
ISBN 978 1 77007 913 7 (Print)
ISBN 978 1 43170 152 0 (ePub)
ISBN 978 1 43170 153 7 (PDF)
Preface
The quarter of a century since publication of the first edition of Reay Smithers’
Land Mammals of Southern Africa – A Field Guide has seen a steady expansion
of knowledge about southern African mammals, and in the 12 years since its
third edition there has been a radical change in our understanding of the
evolutionary relationships among mammals. This fourth edition of the ‘Small
Smithers’ incorporates both updated information on field biology and the new
names of species and higher taxa that reflect recent changes in systematics and
taxonomy.
The information in the Smithers’ field guides has always been drawn directly
from the zoological research literature and other authoritative sources, but
because most of the book’s readers will be lay people, and a good number of
them will not be native English speakers, I have avoided technical terms when
there is a close enough equivalent in ordinary language. Some specialists might
feel that the precision of language to which they are accustomed has been
sacrificed, but specialists in any field too often forget that their technical terms
are bafflingly unfamiliar to lay readers, and even to specialists in other
disciplines. Readers who encounter terms that are unfamiliar, in this book or in
others, can refer to the glossary on p. 380.
Clare Abbott’s illustrations and Hazel Smithers’ spoor drawings from the first
edition have proved themselves to be timeless and have been used here again,
together with the colour illustrations and line drawings by Penny Meakin and
Noel Ashton that first appeared in the third edition, and six new colour
illustrations by Penny Meakin.
The enduring success of the ‘Small Smithers’, and especially its value to
wildlife professionals, is a lasting tribute to Reay Smithers and to the researchers
whose results it draws on, especially those local specialists (named on p. 6) who
contributed to the enlarged third edition.
In addition to those acknowledged in the third edition, I would like to thank Dr
Hanneline Smit for providing up-to-date information and reference photographs
on western, Cape and Karoo rock elephant-shrews; Dr Mac van der Merwe for
photographs of Angolan free-tailed bats; Fenton ‘Woody’ Cotterill for advice on
bats; Hanlie Winterbach for data on lions; and the publishing team at Random
House Struik, namely Pippa Parker, Helen de Villiers, Julia Casciola, Janice
Evans and Tessa Fortuin.

Contents
Introduction
Using the book
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™
The subregion: climate, vegetation and habitats
Watching mammals
Bats Order: Chiroptera
Fruit bats Suborder: Megachiroptera
Fruit bats Family: Pteropodidae
Insect-eating bats Suborder: Microchiroptera
Sheath-tailed and tomb bats Family: Emballonuridae
Free-tailed bats Family: Molossidae
Vesper bats Family: Vespertilionidae
Slit-faced bats Family: Nycteridae
Horseshoe bats Family: Rhinolophidae
Leaf-nosed and trident bats Family: Hipposideridae
Elephant-shrews / Sengis Order: Macroscelidea
Elephant-shrews / Sengis Family: Macroscelididae
Shrews and hedgehogs Order: Eulipotyphla
Shrews Family: Soricidae
Hedgehogs Family: Erinaceidae
Golden moles Order: Afrosoricida
Golden moles Family: Chrysochloridae
Rodents Order: Rodentia
Suborder: Hystricognathi
Mole-rats Family: Bathyergidae
Porcupine Family: Hystricidae
Canerats Family: Thryonomyidae
Family: Petromuridae
Family: Petromuridae
Dassie rat
Suborder: Sciurognathi
Rats, mice and gerbils Family: Muridae
Dormice Family: Myoxidae
Squirrels Family: Sciuridae
Springhare Family: Pedetidae
Rabbits and hares Order: Lagomorpha
Rabbits and hares Family: Leporidae
Dassies Order: Hyracoidea
Dassies/hyraxes Family: Procaviidae
Elephants Order: Proboscidea
African (savanna) elephant Family: Elephantidae
Odd-toed ungulates Order: Perissodactyla
Zebras Family: Equidae
Rhinoceroses Family: Rhinocerotidae
Hippopotamus Order: Whippomorpha
Hippopotamus Family: Hippopotamidae
Pigs and hogs Order: Suiformes
Warthog and bushpig Family: Suidae
Ruminants Order: Ruminantia
Giraffe Family: Giraffidae
Antelope and buffalo Family: Bovidae
Carnivores Order: Carnivora
Aardwolf and hyaenas Family: Hyaenidae
Cats Family: Felidae
Wild dog, jackals and foxes Family: Canidae
Otters, weasel, polecat, ratel Family: Mustelidae
Tree civet Family: Nandiniidae
Civets and genets Family: Viverridae
Mongooses and suricate Family: Herpestidae
Primates Order: Primates
Galagos / bushbabies Family: Galagidae
Monkeys and baboons Family: Cercopithecidae
Aardvark Order: Tubilidentata
Aardvark Family: Orycteropodidae
Pangolins Order: Pholidota
Pangolin Family: Manidae
Seals Order: Carnivora
Fur seal Family: Otariidae
Whales and dolphins Order: Whippomorpha
Suborder: Cetacea
Dolphins Family: Delphinidae
Right whale Family: Balaenidae
Rorquals Family: Balaenopteridae
Glossary
Further reading and reference sources
List of scientific names
List of Afrikaans names
List of common names