"South Africa national rugby union team The South Africa national rugby union team, commonly known as the Springboks, is governed by the South African Rugby Union. The Springboks play in green and gold jerseys with white shorts, and their emblems are the Springbok and the King Protea. The team has been representing South Africa in international rugby union since 30 July 1891, when they played their first test match against a British Isles touring team. Although South Africa was instrumental in the creation of the Rugby World Cup competition, the Springboks did not compete in the first two World Cups"
"African sports teams, most famously by the national rugby union team. The springbok is the national animal of South Africa. Even after the decline of apartheid, Nelson Mandela intervened to keep the name of the animal for the reconciliation of rugby fans, the majority of whom were whites. The cap badge of The Royal Canadian Dragoons has featured a springbok since 1913, a reference to the unit's involvement in the Second Boer War. Springbok The springbok (; ""Antidorcas marsupialis"") is a medium-sized antelope found mainly in southern and southwestern Africa. The sole member of the genus ""Antidorcas"", this bovid was"
"fact, is one of the few antelope species considered to have an expanding population. They are popular game animals, and are valued for their meat and skin. The springbok is the national animal of South Africa. The common name ""springbok"" comes from the Afrikaans words ""spring"" (""jump"") and ""bok"" (""antelope"" or ""goat""); the first recorded use of the name dates to 1775. The scientific name of the springbok is ""Antidorcas marsupialis""; ""anti"" is Greek for ""opposite"", and ""dorcas"" for ""gazelle"" – identifying that the animal is not a gazelle. The specific epithet ""marsupialis"" comes from the Latin ""marsupium"" (""pocket""); it"
"concentrated around the Knysna area and scattered along the escarpment of the Drakensberg mountains upwards along Kwa-Zulu Natal. The country has over 300 species of mammals. Many carnivores, both large and small, inhabit South Africa. Most carnivoran families are well represented in South Africa, such as Canidae, Felidae, Hyaenidae, Mustelidae, Viverridae, Herpestidae, and Otariidae. Most famous of these is the lion, the largest carnivore on the continent and the second-largest cat in the world. The other two big cats are the African leopard and the South African cheetah. The spotted hyena is commonly found in most large game reserves, while"
"and other plant species. Other indigenous species in the park include the African clawless otter, Stanley's bustard, Secretary bird and the Blue crane, South Africa's national bird. Grey Rhebok, Cape Grysbok, Duiker, Red Hartebeest and Cape Mountain Zebra can also be found here. There are over 200 species of birds. Bontebok National Park Bontebok National Park is a species-specific national park in South Africa. It was established in 1931 to ensure the preservation of the Bontebok. It is the smallest of South Africa's 20 National Parks, covering an area of 27.86 km The park is part of the Cape Floristic"
"occurred in the dry season and the heavy grazing (once by wild animals and now by livestock). The Highveld is home to a number of endangered animals, including straw-coloured fruit bats; Africa's largest snake, the African rock python (""Python sebae""); mountain zebras; and South Africa's national bird, the blue crane (""Anthropoides paradiseus""). The only endemic bird species is Botha's lark (""Spizocorys fringillaris"") and the two endemic mammals - the Free State pygmy mouse (""Mus orangiae"") and the rough-haired golden mole (""Chrysospalax villosa""). As well as the python, other reptiles include the Nile crocodile (""Crocodylus niloticus""), Nile monitor (""Varanus niloticus""), rock"
"the aardwolf, yellow baboon, bat, Cape buffalo, bushbaby, bushbuck, caracal, African wildcat, cheetah, civet, dik-dik, African hunting dog, African dormouse, blue duiker, bush duiker, red duiker, eland, African bush elephant, bat-eared fox, greater galago, gazelle, large-spotted genet, small-spotted genet, gerenuk, giraffe, African hare, springhare, Coke's hartebeest, East African hedgehog, spotted hyena, striped hyena, rock hyrax, tree hyrax, impala, black-backed jackal, side-striped jackal, klipspringer, lesser kudu, leopard, lion, banded mongoose, dwarf mongoose, Egyptian mongoose, marsh mongoose, slender mongoose, white-tailed mongoose, vervet monkey, Sykes' monkey, fringe-eared oryx, clawless otter, ground pangolin, crested porcupine, cane rat, giant rat, naked mole rat, ratel, bohor"
"Cape buffalo, Cape fox, Cape hyrax, Cape wild dog, caracal, cheetah, common duiker, common eland, gemsbok, giant sable antelope, giraffe, greater kudu, ground pangolin, hartebeest, hippopotamus, impala, kirk's dik-dik, klipspringer, lechwe, leopard, lion, marsh mongoose, meerkat, mountain zebra, oribi, roan antelope, sable antelope, serval, sharpe's grysbok, sitatunga, southern reedbuck, south-central black rhinoceros, spotted hyena, springbok antelope, steenbok, topi, warthog, waterbuck, wildebeest, yellow mongoose and yellow-backed duiker. The Lions Park, called the St. Claire Lion Park is located in an open land, about from Gaborone, the fastest growing capital city of Botswana. Khama Rhino Sanctuary was established in 1992, covering of"
"This culminated in the language officially being used in parliament in 1925, and by 1927 it was recognised as an official language of South Africa, together with English and Dutch, although it effectively replaced Dutch in general usage. Considered one of the most versatile writers in Afrikaans, he was a master of the short form of prose and is best remembered for his humorous and satirical works, illustrated by a nonsense-verse ""love poem"" he wrote for his dog. Langenhoven was well known for his sharp wit and gentle manner. He owned an imaginary elephant named ""Herrie"" (""Harry"") that appeared in"
"a National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, which was received by the convention on 7 June 2006. The country is ranked sixth out of the world's seventeen megadiverse countries. Numerous mammals are found in the Bushveld including lions, African leopards, South African cheetahs, southern white rhinos, blue wildebeest, kudus, impalas, hyenas, hippopotamuses and South African giraffes. A significant extent of the Bushveld exists in the north-east including Kruger National Park and the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, as well as in the far north in the Waterberg Biosphere. South Africa houses many endemic species, among them the critically endangered riverine rabbit"
"and 400 metres; and swimmer Natalie du Toit, who became the first amputee to compete in swimming at the (able-bodied) Olympics in 2008. South Africa's national sporting colours are green, gold and white. The protea is the national emblem worn by South Africans representing their country in sport. The national men's rugby union team is nicknamed the ""Springboks"", while the national men's cricket team is known as the ""Proteas"". Sport in South Africa South Africans have a passionate following, although they remain divided along ethnic lines. Football, cricket and rugby are the most popular sports. Rugby union has traditionally been"
"stork, Stanley crane, cattle egret, dromedary camel, wolf guenon, DeBrazza's monkey, klipspringer, Madagascar ground boa, Madagascar tree boa, ostrich, African grooved frog, Lady Ross turaco, Aldabra tortoise, African wild dog, African pancake tortoise, Sudanese plated lizard, and African Slender-snouted Crocodile. Tasmanian devil, koala, echidna, Matschie's tree kangaroo, saltwater crocodile, lorikeet, carpet python, princess of wale's parakeet, wompoo fruit dove, emu, red kangaroo, laughing kookaburra, budgerigar, Micronesian kingfisher, palm cockatoo, Major Mitchell's cockatoo. Asian elephant, Bactrian camel, snow leopard, Malayan tiger, red panda, king cobra, reticulated python, Indian python, wrinkled hornbill, pygmy slow loris, slow loris, orangutan, siamang, Komodo dragon, Chinese"
"in 1938 when one was caught off the eastern coast of the country. A population exists in iSimangaliso Wetland Park, Kwazulu-Natal. The Oligochaeta fauna is represented by over 140 species of the families Acanthodrilidae, Enchytraeidae, Eudrilidae, Haplotaxidae, Microchaetidae and Tritogeniidae. Coleoptera Beetles are among best studied South African insect groups and include a number of endemic species. Lepidoptera Diptera The flies native to South Africa have been classified into over 90 families. Hymenoptera Poaching of rhinoceroses has become a national issue for South Africa. In 2015, 1175 rhinos were killed for their horn, which is an ingredient in traditional Chinese"
"""Malacomys"", ""Mastomys"", ""Mus"", ""Mylomys"", ""Myomyscus"", ""Oenomys"", ""Otomys"", ""Parotomys"", ""Pelomys"", ""Praomys"", ""Rhabdomys"", ""Stenocephalemys"" and many others. African rabbits and hares include riverine rabbit, Bunyoro rabbit, Cape hare, scrub hare, Ethiopian highland hare, African savanna hare, Abyssinian hare and several species of ""Pronolagus"". Among the marine mammals there are several species of dolphins, 2 species of sirenians and seals (e.g. Cape fur seals). Of the carnivorans there are 60 species, including the conspicuous hyenas, lions, leopards, cheetahs, serval, as well as the less prominent bat-eared fox, striped polecat, African striped weasel, caracal, honey badger, speckle-throated otter, several mongooses, jackals and civets. The"
"for most animals found in southern Africa, including lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, zebras, hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, African buffalo, hyenas, and 22 species of antelope. The duiker (a small, horned antelope), wildebeest (gnu), and springbok (gazelle) are familiar. Bird species reported are 593 out of which eight species are under the globally threatened category. Eastern cattle egret (""Bubulcus coromandus"", ""Syn. Bubulcus ibis coromandus"") is the national bird of Botswana. Mammals found in Botswana include aardwolf, African bush elephant, African civet, African golden cat, African striped weasel, banded mongoose, bat-eared fox, black-footed cat, blue duiker, bongo (antelope), brown hyena, Burchell's zebra, bushbuck,"
"in some areas. Some of the francolins include the Cape francolin, Swainson's francolin, and Natal francolin, to name a few. The quails are represented by the harlequin quail and the common quail. The chukar partridge, another alien species from Eurasia, is restricted to Robben Island. The waterfowl are well represented in South Africa. They include the dabbling ducks of the genus ""Anas"", the shelducks and the sheldgeese, the extremely common Egyptian goose, and the spur-winged goose. Hornbills, bee-eaters, rollers, kingfishers, the hoopoe and woodhoopoes are all common in the region. Hornbills The largest species is the southern ground hornbill. It"
"animal is killed by shooting. The meat may be consumed raw or used in prepared dishes. Biltong can be prepared by preserving the raw meat with vinegar, spices, and table salt, without fermentation, followed by drying. Springbok meat may also be used in preparing salami; a study found that the flavour of this salami is better than mutton salami, and feels oilier than salami of beef, horse meat, or mutton. The springbok has been a national symbol of South Africa since the white minority rule in the 20th century. It was adopted as a nickname or mascot by several South"
"a success and numbers have increased substantially there from 150 in 1982 to 7,000 in 1992. The black wildebeest is depicted on the coat of arms of the Province of Natal in South Africa. Over the years, the South African authorities have issued stamps displaying the animal and the South African Mint has struck a 5-rand coin with a prancing black wildebeest. Though they are not present in their natural habitat in such large numbers today, black wildebeest were at one time the main herbivores in the ecosystem and a main prey item for large predators such as the lion."
"and 2000 where South Africa failed to win a fixture after being seeded in tough groups at both tournaments where they had to play world champions Australia along with England, Fiji, France, Papua New Guinea and Tonga. South Africa traditionally play in a predominately green uniform with black shorts, they have commonly been referred to as ""The Rhinos"" since the early 1990s. The South African emblem is a red and yellow King Protea plant which is the national flower of South Africa. South African internationals are played at a variety of venues throughout the country with no singular home ground"
"the white rhino, it has a wide or square mouth, while the black has a hook-lipped mouth. Both also behave differently, with the black rhino being smaller, shyer, and more aggressive. There are again many species of rodents in South Africa, such as the vlei rat and four-striped grass mouse. The three alien species of muriod rodents, the brown rat, the black rat and the house mouse, are all widespread in the country. The Cape ground squirrel is common in arid areas and often shares its burrows with mongooses and meerkats, and is known to use its bushy tail as"
"mongoose and springbok. Tsolwana Game Reserve is home to South Africa's national bird, the Blue Crane, as well as the Cape Vulture and Ostrich. Susceptible to soil erosion and land degradation, its altitude sits at 1350m in the lowland regions and 1800m in the mountainous area. Located in the Karoo, the vegetation at the nature reserve is mostly made up of grassy plains and acacia thornveld. Tsolwana Nature Reserve is located near villages such as Tentergate, Thornhill, Waverley and Khwezi and provides employment for people living in these areas. Tsolwana Nature Reserve Tsolwana Nature Reserve is an 8,500 hectare nature"
"shares a non-fenced boundary of with the Kruger National Park to its east. The Tsonga people, who occupied the land before being forcefully removed by the colonial Government during the early 1900s, are currently claiming back Sabi Sand Game Reserve. Some of the species roaming the reserve are the lion, African bush elephant, Cape buffalo, African leopard, and rhinoceros. Collectively these animals are also known as the ""Big Five"". Other animals that roam this reserve are the cheetah, hippopotamus, wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, hyena, and Cape wild dog. It was the home of Tjololo, a famous leopard. The reseve shares thousands"
"cover. The back cover is left blank. Locals informally refer to the passport as the ""mamba"" or ""green mamba"", a comparison to the snake of the same name in reference to its green colour. Beginning in 2009, passports were issued with the new South African coat of arms. Additionally, visa pages now contain pictures of the Lion, Buffalo, Leopard, Elephant, and Rhinoceros – the Big Five animals of Southern Africa. The passport note occupies the first page of the passport, and the particulars page occupies the last. The identity information page is printed on the inside of the passport's back"
"measures have been implemented with varying degrees of success. The only ratite in the country and the largest bird in the world is the common ostrich. It is widely farmed in the Little Karoo region. Amphibians in South Africa are represented by the frogs and toads (order Anura); the salamander and caecilian orders are absent. About 110 out of the 135 species of frog native to Southern Africa exist in South Africa, about 50% of them endemic. About 15% of the total number of species are threatened to varying degrees according to IUCN guidelines. Frogs tend to be less abundant"
"Big five game In Africa, the big five game animals are the lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo. The term, usually capitalized as the Big Five was coined by big-game hunters, and refers to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot, but is now also widely used by safari tour operators. The 1990 and later releases of South African rand banknotes feature a different big-five animal on each denomination. Countries where all can be found include: Angola, Botswana, Zambia, Uganda, Namibia, Ethiopia, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and"
"(""Felis nigripes""), striped polecat (""Ictonyx striatus""), African leopard (""Panthera pardus pardus""), lion (""Panthera leo melanochaita""), South African cheetah (""Acinonyx jubatus jubatus""), serval (""Leptailurus serval""), Cape wild dog (""Lycaon pictus pictus""), black-backed jackal (""Canis mesomelas""), large slit-faced bat (""Nycteris grandis""), lesser woolly bat (""Kerivoula lanosa""), Cape horseshoe bat (""Rhinolophus capensis""), Blasius's horseshoe bat (""Rhinolophus blasii""), little free-tailed bat (""Chaerephon pumilus""), eastern rock elephant shrew (""Elephantulus myurus""), short-snouted elephant shrew (""Elephantulus brachyrhynchus""), yellow mongoose (""Cynictis penicillata""), gray climbing mouse (""Dendromus melanotis""), pouched mouse (""Saccostomus campestris"") and Twig snake (""Thelotornis kirtlandii""). Aqua fauna species reported are the pike characid (""Hepsetus odoe"") and African"
"(""Hippotragus niger variani""), a national symbol and a treasured animal in Angola. In Angola, this animal is found only in the Cangandala National Park in Malange Province. The official match ball for the tournament is the Adidas Jabulani Angola, a modified version of the Adidas Jabulani to be used at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, with the colours of the flag of Angola. Tournament had seven sponsors, Doritos, MTN Group, NASUBA, Orange, Pepsi, Samsung and only African corporate sponsor Standard Bank. On 8 January 2010, the team bus of the Togo national football team was attacked by gunmen in Cabinda,"
"sprinkled with pepper and lemon, or with lemon, mayonnaise and melted garlic butter and served with fresh bread and apricot jam. Galjoen is the national fish of South Africa. The suggestion to make it the national fish came from Margaret Smith, wife of the ichthyologist J. L. B. Smith, to find a marine equivalent to the Springbok. The scientific name of ""Coracinus capensis"" is a reference to its black colour when found in rocky areas, ""Coracinus"" meaning ""raven"" or ""black coloured""; in sandy areas it gives off a silver-bronze colour. Galjoen The galjoen, black bream, or blackfish (""Dichistius capensis"") is"
"they were once taken from as a result of being killed for big-game hunting. Species of creatures commonly hunted include: South Africa also has 62 species of gamebirds, including guineafowl, francolin, partridge, quail, sandgrouse, duck, geese, snipe, bustard and korhaan. Some of these species are no longer hunted, and of the 44 indigenous gamebirds that can potentially be utilised in South Africa, only three, namely the yellow-throated sandgrouse, Delegorgue's pigeon and the African pygmy goose warrant special protection. Of the remaining 41 species, 24 have shown an increase in numbers and distribution range in the last 25 years or so."
"North African ostrich (""Struthio camelus camelus"", LC); ferruginous duck (""Aythya nyroca"", NT); lesser flamingo (""Phoenicopterus minor"", NT); white-backed vulture (""Gyps africanus"", NT); Rueppell's griffon (""Gyps rueppellii"", NT); pallid harrier (""Circus macrourus"", NT); red kite (""Milvus milvus"", NT); Stanley bustard (""Neotis denhami"", NT); Nubian bustard (""Neotis nuba"", NT); corn crake (""Crex crex"", NT); black crowned crane (""Balearica pavonina"", NT); Eurasian curlew (""Numenius arquata"", NT); black-tailed godwit (""Limosa limosa"", NT); great snipe (""Gallinago media"", NT); African skimmer (""Rynchops flavirostris"", NT); European roller (""Coracias garrulus"", NT); red-footed falcon (""Falco vespertinus"", NT); sooty falcon (""Falco concolor"", NT); white-headed vulture (""Trigonoceps occipitalis"", VU); Beaudouin's snake-eagle"
"possibly the largest in West Africa. The endangered West African wild dog (""Lycaon pictus manguensis"") was recorded in Pendjari National Park during a survey in April 2000, as well as African leopard, spotted hyena, side-striped jackal, and African civet. The number of waterbucks (""Kobus ellipsiprymnus defassa"") decreased from about 3000 in the 1970s to only 120 in 2004. In 2014 and 2015, camera-traps recorded caracal (""Caracal caracal""), serval (""Leptailurus serval""), African wildcat (""Felis lybica""), African civet (""Civettictis civetta""), ""Genetta"" species, Egyptian mongoose (""Herpestes ichneumon""), white-tailed mongoose (""Ichneumia albicauda""), marsh mongoose (""Atilax paludinosus""), golden jackal (""Canis aurus"") and honey badger (""Mellivora"
"day farmers and is very popular for the same reason in urban communities. The name Boerboel is commonly misspelled as ""boerbul"", ""boerbull"", and ""borbull"". The Boerboel is a very powerful breed of dog. Due to its use as a farm dog which brought it into conflict with large African predators such as lions, the Boerboel has been artificially selected for ability to protect themselves and others. There is also a divergence of standards. The Kennel Union of South Africa does not accept the black coat but SABBS does, so a buyer needs to decide what standard to follow, as a"
"rainforest, and in the national parks; hippopotamus ""(Hippopotamus amphibius)"" found in rivers of both parks; the African buffalo ""(Syncerus caffer)"" an ox like animal in large herds in savannas and in smaller groups in parks; warthog ""(Phacochoerus africanus)"" in both parks; the aardwark (""Orycteropus afer"") insectivore found in savannas; pangolins; hedgehogs; porcupine species; rock hyrax ""(Procavia capensis)""; Cape ground squirrel ""(Xerus inauris)"". The parks and other areas have a major population of antelope. 17 species are identified, out of which the endangered species are sitatunga ""(Tragelaphus spekii)"", bongo ""(Tragelaphus eurycerus)"" and korrigum ""(Damaliscus korrigum korrigum)"". Other species of various status"