Vaalkloof has an abundance of animal life. On the plains you will find some of the Karoo animals such as the Springbok, Tortoise, Porcupine, Steenbok, Aardvark, Eland, Gemsbok and Duiker. The mountains are rich with Klip-springers, Grey Rhebok, Leopard and Black Eagles. Water holes and cribs provide excellent bird watching oppertunities.          Vaakloof lies in the transition between the Fynbos biome and the Karoo biome. This transition results in a diversity of habitats, thus a high variety of animal species occur — a total of 72 possible species. The Cape Fold Mountain Cluster, in which the Bontberg Range lies, has a number of endemics, particulary those with very restricted habitats. The majority of endemics are small mammals and many of them are listed as Red Data species. The sandy soils of the Fynbos and Karoo biomes support a diversity of moles, mole rats and other rodents. These small mammals prey mainly on the bulbs and corms of geophytes and the seeds of Fynbos and Karoo flora. Fifteen small predators and the larger leopard are predicted to occur on Vaalkloof — a surprising diversity of carnivores, which is indicative of the prey diversity and density. The antelope indigenous to the area consist of the highly selective Grey Rhebok, Grysbok, Common Duiker, Steenbok and Klipspringer. Eland, Gemsbok and Springbok Have been introduced to the Reserve.             The transition area between the Karoo and Fynbos biomes, supports a richer diversity of bird life than either of them in isolation. A Total of 149 bird species have been recorded to date. Fynbos endemics, such as the Cape Siskin, Protea Canary, the Cape Sugerbird and the Orange-breasted Sunbird, are found in this area, while typical Karoo/arid zone endemics, such as the Karoo Lark, Pale-winged Starling, Black-headed Canary, Kelkiewyn, Karoo Robin, Karoo Korhaan and the Namaqua Prinia, also visit this area. Birds often found in the Vaalkloof Private Nature Reserve Acknowledgement: Mammals of the National Parks, Struik, 1985. Copyright © 2002 Vaalkloof Nature Reserve. All rights reserved Best viewed with IE in 800 x 600 screen resolution Site Design & Maintenance by ROBERTSON VALLEY TECHNOLOGIES