Klipspringers have specially adapted hoofs for living in their rocky territories. They stand, walk, leap, and land on their tiny hoof tips like ballerinas constantly on tiptoe. Their hooves are the consistency of hard rubber, absorbing the shock of their huge leaps. Klipspringers have remarkable dense, coarse coats consisting of hollow hairs that rustle when shaken or touched. This unique quality hair helps to cushion their bodies from any abrasion from sharp rocks.
The Robberg Peninsula is not only a nature reserve but also a national monument and a marine protected area in the heart of the Garden Route, just 8 km south of Plettenberg Bay. Roughly 4 kilometres in length, the peninsula sweeps out to sea, like a mini Cape peninsula. People head here for the natural beauty, the rocky shoreline home to hundreds of Cape Fur Seals and the waters rich with dolphins and whales. Montane fynbos sweeps up the wind-driven, rocky slopes awash in salt spray, whilst a collection of ocean seabirds – albatross, broad-billed prion and Subantarctic skua – fill the air with their calls. It is also a breeding area for the rare African black oystercatcher.
The hadeda is a large (about 76 cm long), grey-to-partly brown species of ibis. It has a narrow, white, roughly horizontal stripe across its cheeks. This is sometimes called the “moustache” though it does not reach the mouth corners. The plumage over the wings has an iridescent purple sheen. The bird has blackish legs and a large grey-to-black bill with a red stripe on the upper mandible. The upper surfaces of the toes are of a similar red. The wings are powerful and broad, enabling quick take-offs and easy manoeuvring through dense tree cover. It has an extremely loud and distinctive “haa-haa-haa-de-dah” call—hence the name.
