NATURE & WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS
TOP LEFT As the sun faded from the
sky, a predatory cat started stalking into the night on soft silent paws. (Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park)
TOP RIGHT The golden orb-web
spider is so named because of the colour of its silk. The colour may serve two purposes, in sunlight the bright yellow silk attract bees, whereas in shadow the silk becomes camouflaged into the foliage, ensnaring other insects that fly into the trap of death. The silk is incredibly strong, capable of even trapping small birds. (Mountain Zebra National Park)
LEFT The Lilac-breasted roller’s nest
is situated in a hollowed out tree cavity. The rollers do not create the cavities themselves, but take over nest spaces that have been previously hollowed out by woodpeckers or kingfishers. (Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park)
80 | December 2021
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