Biodiversity
Dunefields is home to a diverse set of plants and animals that depended on the reserve for their survival and persistence in an ongoing developing world. We have 100s of different plant and animal species that can safely reside on the reserve. We have dropped our fences to form part of a coastal corridor where wildlife can roam free. This doesn’t only prevent fence related injuries, and promote gene flow in the populations, it also allows for an influx of a variety of different mammals. Herewith we celebrate our wildlife by sharing some of our special footage of many different species of animals that call Dunefields home.
Southern right whales give birth in our warmer waters every year, and they stay here until the calf is a few months old before they make the trip to Antarctica where the water is significantly colder. From our research deck we enjoy regular sightings of mothers and calves, and we also hear them communicating to each other – wildlife observations at Dunefields are always extra spectacular.
Dunefields is a safe haven for all wildlife, and we are happy to provide them with a space in which they don’t only get to live, but to thrive as well, like this bushbuck male proudly walking off into the sunset.
This is a cave in the fossilized sand dune that overlooks the ocean. It is used as a dung midden and territorial marker by this Large-spotted genet. What a great site this individual chose to be taking regular bio-breaks in.
Grey mongooses are one of our 19 mammal species at Dunefields, and here this one is looking down the frontal dune from the cave in search of its next meal. This cave overlooking the ocean has multiple inhabitants, all of which utilize it at different times of day for example this diurnal mongoose species doesn’t use it at the same time as the nocturnal and crepuscular species.
Bushpigs breed at Dunefields every year, and they provide the most comical footage especially when the piglets are around. Bushpigs play an important role in seed dispersal.
This family of caracal spent consecutive months at Dunefields while raising its kitten. While the mother and kitten later seperated from the security of the farther, the mother has been successfully catching enough food to sustain not only herself but also the growing kitten.
Cape grysbok is one of the two indigenous antelope species that call Dunefields home. Having dropped our fences, we from part of a coastal corridor network which is why Dunefields has such a wealth of wildlife freely moving across the landscape.
Cape honeybees are important polinators of fynbos vegetation. While they visit the flowers in search of nectar, they collect pollen on their bodies which polinates the next flower in their continued search for nectar. Without polinators, insect-pollinated flowers wont be able to set seed, and subsequently their population wont be able to persist.
With the vegetation type at Dunefields mainly being a fynbos-thicket mosaic, we don’t regularly see or hear Knysna turacos as they are forest species. In a forest one would observe this species high up in the canopy with a view mainly of its belly but after 13 months at Dunefields we got our first (and spectacular) sighting of these turacos on a dried branch close to a forest patch. They have lately been attracted to the fruit of the Milkwood trees, and we hope that this pair will soon start breeding here.
With the oldest bushbuck male at Dunefields now becoming too old and weak to defend a territory for mating rights, the young ones have been fighting for the position. This is a very interesting bachelor herd that has been formed since the old individual is seeking refuge with the younger ones who seem to have better sight and hearing abilities (both which have been impaired in the old individual) aiding in predator detection.
Of the three dolphin species in the greater Wilderness waters, the Bottlenose dolphins are the most playful in the waves. They occur in pods of up to 100 individuals, and they often travel past our research deck with their claves seeking shelter in the middle of the pod.
Cape cormorants are an endangered species (mainly due to overfishing), and therefore we take extra pride in conducting a marine survey every day to aid our understanding of the importance of the greater Wilderness waters as a feeding ground for them.
Despite the frogs and bushbuck that utilize our wetland, the Yellow-billed ducks have been breeding here. Not only did their egg hatch here successfully, but they also had the chick fledge successfully. We are honoured that they chose our wetland to raise their young in.
A dash of colour in the landscape. Fynbos flowers come in all colours, shapes and sizes, and are pollinated by an array of different animals.
This is a small raft of Cape gannets that are resting at sea before catching their next meal in the greater Wilderness waters. Cape gannets have been classified as endangered since 2017 mainly due to plummeting fish resources, and it is therefore extra special to observe them feeding in our waters without direct competition with fisheries.
We are very fond of the Honey badgers that reside at Dunefields, and we are very happy to have families of badgers with us. They are uniquely built with their short, strong legs and their stocky body, and they are surprisingly fast on their feet which make them very efficient in controlling snake populations.
Bushbuck lambs are adorable, but ours are the cutest of all. Look at them sniffing one another to say hello when their parents decided to join as one big herd (a herd of a whopping 8 individuals).
This rare erica species (Erica glandulosa subsp. fourcadei) grows along one of our 4×4 roads on the reserve, Erica Avenue. On the Red List, it is classified as vulnerable as it faces an array of different human-induced threats like habitat loss through coastal development, forestry plantations and alien and invasive vegetation species. We are proudly protecting this rare species and the habitat on which it depends.
True fynbos consists of restiods, ericoids and proteoids. Dunefields is home to all three of these vegetation types, with the latter seen in this photograph – Leucadendron salignum.
Frogs and toads play a vital role in the ecosystem and are beneficial for us as humans as they control the insect populations especially mosquitos. At Dunefields, and we are glad to provide them with a safe refuge and allow them to roam as they please.
Nature never ceases to amaze us. Those that take the time to pause and appreciate the little things in nature, will be rewarded with wow-sightings like this magnificently colourful spider.
We mostly find spittlebugs tapping into the grasses at Dunefields. These bugs drink the sap of the plant, and then urinates over its body in the form of these bubbles that have an unpalatable taste. This acts as an anti-predatory strategy with the bug finding refuge safely inside the clump of bubbles.
We have many different species of mushrooms in the veld of all different colours, shapes and sizes. As decomposers they serve an important ecological role.
Upon investigation of the caracal scat before collecting 50% thereof for research purposes (the other 50% remains in place as a territorial marker), we noticed 12 different beetles utilizing the caracal scat.
The Cape flightless dungbeetle is classified as a vulnerable species, and we are privileged enough to host a few of their populations. We take great pride in protecting their habitat and their food resources, for without the latter the beetle will not have any place to lay its eggs in attempt to contribute to its population. They lay eggs inside the ball of dung, burry it for safety, and when the eggs hatch, the larvae feed on the ball of food.
Many insects are important pollinators for fynbos flowers. They might look small but they play a massive role in aiding the reproduction of all types of fynbos vegetation.
Humpback dolphins are South Africa’s only endangered marine mammal. At Dunefields are fortunate not only to conduct research on the adults but also on the calves as they swim tightly against their mother.
We spotted these White-fronted bee eaters in the dune-thicket vegetation, which is an extremely rare sighting since they mainly occur far up north in South Africa. We are proud to be protecting the habitats that they chose to roost in during their swift visit to the coast.