These vegetarian animals are usually either browsers or grazers, or mixed feeders dining off the bush itself for their food and nutrients. The herbivores are generally the chosen prey of the carnivores, but this by no means suggests they are lesser or weaker animals. In fact, amongst the herbivores we find the king of the bush and the most powerful creature that presently walks the earth, the African elephant.

This section is an overview of the other common herbivores you are likely to encounter in the bush, aside from the animals we have already covered in the other sections.

Zebra – Equus burchelli

Burchell’s Zebra is the most common zebra species found in the bush, although the Cape Mountain Zebra may be seen when visiting specific reserves in the Western Cape of South Africa.

This striped animal is one of the archetypal residents of the African bush, but the stripes themselves are subject to much debate about their evolutionary usage. Contrary to popular belief, the stripes are not used as camouflage, since zebra do not behave like camouflaged animals when in the presence of predators, preferring to run rather than freeze and hide.

The prevailing theories include disorientation, in that the stripes are used to confuse predators such as lions that will see a mass of moving patterns when the zebra herd runs away, making it hard to pinpoint a single individual.

The other theory suggests that the stripes make it easier for zebra herds to stay close together when under attack from predators, which is their most effective deterrent and safety strategy, and therefore the stripes make it easier to spot one another in low light or dusty conditions.

Zebras are grazing animals, and they are often found associating with wildebeest which also graze on similar grasses, thereby increasing their safety in numbers and mutual predator detection.

The male zebras often form bachelor herds, and also roam around solitary, looking for a harem of females to dominate. The males do not have specific territories but tend to stay within general home ranges.

Being a member of the horse family, some zebras have been domesticated over the years and used as riding horses or to pull carriages, although they remain unpredictable animals and are not as docile as domestic horses.

Kudu – Tragelaphus strepsiceros

The second largest of all the antelope species (the largest is the Eland), standing at 1.5m at the shoulders and weighing up to 236Kg, the Kudu is perhaps the archetypal African antelope, with its impressive large, spiral horns, and a brown coat with white markings.

The female Kudus do not have horns, whilst the males have the longest horns of all antelope species, averaging 1.2m in length. The number of twists in the horns can be used to age the males, with a male of 5 years having 2 and a half twists.

Kudu can be easily identified by their large size, their large ears, and thin white vertical markings on their side. They are generally found in or near thick scrub, woodland and on hillsides. They are primarily browsers and feed off the leaves from the Knob Thorn tree and the Russet Bush Willow, amongst a large variety of other plants.

Their social grouping is that of herds – either a male with his harem of female kudu and offspring, a small female herd, or a bachelor herd. As the males are non-territorial, fights between male kudu are rare. But when these disputes do occur, mainly in rutting season, the males interlock their horns in a wrestling-like struggle. On occasion, due to the twisting nature of their horns, males have become permanently locked and therefore die from starvation or predation.

Kudu are preyed upon by a range of predators, from lions to leopards and wild dog. They are quite skittish creatures and tend to move away from game viewing vehicles, so if you see them, take your photos quickly! They are powerful jumpers and can jump to heights of up to 8m!

Impala – Aepyceros malampus

The Impala are one of the most common antelopes seen in Southern African game reserves. They are of a medium size, standing about 90cm at the shoulders and weighing around 55Kg (males), very lithe in appearance.

They have a two-tone reddish-brown colouring, darker on top, and then a lighter brown from about mid-way down their sides to their underbelly. Only the males have horns, which are ridged and form a lyre shape (two roughly semi-circular curves, pointing inwards).

Impala form bachelor herds, and female herds. Older males will hold a territory, and any females who wander into his territory become a part of his harem.

Wildebeest – Connochaetes taurinus

The Blue Wildebeest is one of the best known antelopes of the bush, starring in countless wildlife documentaries – often as the unfortunate victim of a hunting lion pride! In years past they once congregated in massive herds of up to 10,000 individuals in areas such as the Serengeti, but in most game reserves today they will be seen in herds of perhaps 30, or less.

They are bulk grazers, feeding on short grasses and travelling to watering holes for a daily drink. Males will hold territories, and also socialise in bachelor herds, with the females roaming in their own herds.

Newborn wildebeest have the remarkable ability to stand and run within 5 minutes of being born – no doubt an evolutionary talent to help them avoid predation. The wildebeest males and females are very similar in appearance (non-sexually dimorphic), the males being slightly larger.

Giraffe – Giraffa camelopardalis

Giraffes need little introduction, standing at 5.5m (18ft) high, browsing the tops of trees with their elongated necks. Despite their odd appearance, they can run at speeds of up to 35mph.

To tell the difference between male and female giraffes, observe their horns. These are outgrowths of the skull, and the male horns are bald at the tips, whilst the female horns have tufts of hair at the tips. Males also tend to browse with straight necks, reaching higher in the trees, whereas females seem to prefer browsing at shoulder height.

Remarkably, giraffes only have seven neck vertebrae, the same amount as humans and other mammals. These vertebrae are huge and need powerful muscles to support them. Due to its awkward mass distribution, the giraffe walks by moving both legs on one side of its body at the same time.

Herds (or ‘towers’, which is another collective term) of giraffes are known as temporary associations. They do not move around in fixed herds, but tend to socialise in open groups of varying ages and sexes. The males will often move around alone or in loose bachelor herds, whereas the females tend to prefer company.

Springbok – Antidorcas marsupialis

Whilst not all that common, the Springbok is South Africa’s national animal. They only occur in arid areas and therefore you will not see springbok in the Lowveld and other temperate regions. The reason for their narrow distribution is due to the heart-water tick parasite, which occurs in temperate areas and which the springbok cannot survive alongside due to its intolerance of tick infestations, which quickly weakens and kills the animal.

Like impala, springbok are medium, lithely built animals, and they have a light brown upper coat, with a white lower coat, starting midway down their side. Both males and females have horns, which are ribbed and S-shaped.

Klipspringer – Oreotragus oreotragus

One of the smaller antelope species, the klipspringer is adapted to rocky terrains, and has the unique characteristic of walking on tip-toes (or tip-hooves, to be more accurate). This is to enable it to move easily over its chosen habitat.

The horns are small, sharp spikes, and they are present in both males and females. Their coat has a light brown / olive appearance, and they have large pre-orbital glands which they use to scent-mark their territories. The glands appear as large black spots near their eyes.

Klipspringer feed on succulent plants which gives them all the water they need to survive, and therefore they do not need to seek out other sources of water to drink from.

Warthog – Phacochoerus aethiopicus

The name warthog refers to the outgrowths of skin on their faces. These are not warts as such, but the name has stuck! The males have four ‘warts’ in total, arranged in pairs of two, one just below the eyes, and the other pair just above the tusks. Females only have one pair, near the eyes.

The warthogs socialise in female ‘sounders’ (the collective name for a group of warthogs), and the males sometimes form bachelor sounders, but only when not in the rutting season. Generally the males are found wandering in the bush alone.

Warthogs, although preyed upon by a wide range of carnivores, can be formidable opponents, their tusks becoming very sharp through constant use. They can run up to 30mph and can do serious damage if they decide to charge. When retreating to their burrows, they always enter backwards, so able to defend their hole, or rush out at a moments notice. Never stand directly in front of a warthog burrow in case they decide to make a dash for it!