South Africa's indigenous animals

We look at some special animals that are an important part of our country's natural heritage

- 

FROM Big Five legends to quirky aardvarks, South Africa's indigenous animals showcase incredible diversity across our rainbow landscapes.

An indigenous animal is one that naturally occurs in a certain area or ecosystem. These animals have not been introduced there by humans. The presence of an indigenous animal in its area is thanks to adaptation over a very long time - sometimes thousands of years.

The term "indigenous" can also be applied to plants, people or any living thing. Lions, for example, are indigenous to Africa, but kangaroos are not - they belong across the ocean in Australia.

South Africa has a fascinating and diverse variety of indigenous animals that come in all shapes, sizes and colours.

These indigenous animals form part of the country's natural heritage and are important as such.

They have perfectly adapted to the endless variety of our landscapes, from deserts and grasslands to forests and mountains.

Let's get a quick overview of South African wildlife before we learn more about a few of our interesting indigenous animals.

OUR WILDLIFE

South Africa is often called the Rainbow Nation and our animal life is just as colourful. Our country has:

■ The famous Big Five: lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhino;

■ Rare and unusual animals like the aardvark and aardwolf;

■ Hundreds of indigenous birds, reptiles, insects and amphibians.

Many people know the Big Five, but there are other indigenous animals in Mzansi that are just as fascinating.

THE AARDVARK

While the aardvark is not as glamorous as a lion, it is one of South Africa's most unusual indigenous animals.

Appearance: