Embarking on an African Safari is an exciting adventure filled with the anticipation of seeing many animals for the first time. For most, there is an emphasis on spotting the Big Five. Ranger Robbie Ball recently wrote a story about The Big, The Little, and The Ugly Five. However, there is another set of mysterious creatures that are just as thrilling to see but far more elusive. They are known as the Shy Five.
So What Are The Shy Five?
The Shy Five are the most elusive and little-known African species, namely the Aardvark, Pangolin, Cape Porcupine, Bat-eared Fox, and Aardwolf.
These rare animals are a treat to behold for wildlife enthusiasts, nature lovers, and safari guides alike. Despite their intriguing and elusive nature, little is known about these mammals, as they are not seen very often. I’m going to explore what we do know about them.
Aardvark
The Aardvark is the strongest and arguably the strangest-looking of the group. They are incredibly rare and difficult to see; Ranger Sean Zeederberg explains why in a previous blog. Aardvarks have very straight ears and a long nose. A strictly solitary and powerful termite-eating digger that uses its formidable excavation prowess to break open termite mounds and dig burrows. The burrows are used as a shelter to rest in during the day and will have many escape routes. Its old holes are often renovated and occupied by many other mammals, such as warthogs, wild dogs, and hyenas.
The Aardvark is usually active in the middle of the night and moves from one termite mound to the next, hunting termites, ants, and other insects. And during the day, it sleeps soundly in a burrow deep underground.
Bat-eared Fox
With a close resemblance to the dog family, the bat-eared fox is beautiful with its fluffy tail, robber-mask face, and huge ears. This insect muncher will stand peering at the ground, detecting every tiny twitch of termites, larvae, or beetles underground. It digs them up with its elegant, black-stockinged forelegs, then trots on, usually with its family.
As bat-eared foxes enjoy arid and semi-arid areas and are found in a number of reserves in Southern Africa as well as East Africa, they sadly do not occur at Londolozi. The closest one may go to see one is in the northern parts of the Kruger National Park.
Porcupine
The most prickly customer is the porcupine, a large, quilled rodent that devours juicy bulbs, fruit, bark, berries, and roots. When threatened, it deters predators by stamping its feet and rattling its black and white quills. If that doesn’t work, it will charge in reverse, driving its sharp quills into predators. They detach easily from the porcupine’s skin and lodge into the skin of the predator’s face, and fester painfully. Very few carnivores will attack a porcupine twice.
The Cape Porcupine is found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, going as far north as Uganda and Rwanda and all the way down to South Africa. The Kruger National Park is a great safari spot to see this feisty member of the Shy Five.
Pangolin
The pangolin is an incredibly strange and unique animal. It is a scaled mammal that hobbles around on its back legs, with its upper body hunched over, forelimbs armed with enormous claws, and head hanging low, close to the ground. Pangolins feed on termites and ants. They excavate into the mound with their powerful front legs and then use their long tongue to manoeuvre through the intricate tunnels in the colonies within termite mounds. The best chance of seeing this special scaly mammal is during the winter months when the rains begin to abate and the grass starts to thin out. But don’t be mistaken; pangolins are incredibly rare to see due to their solitary, nocturnal, secretive, and elusive nature.
Aardwolf
The Aardwolf looks like a miniature brown hyena at first glance, but this dog-like animal lives on a steady diet of termites too. Its jaws are most unlike those of a hyena – small and weak with peg-like teeth. It frightens away attackers by puffing out its huge mane and making scary roaring noises.
With a preference for semi-arid plains and grasslands, these harmless carnivores are mainly found in Botswana, the Karoo region in South Africa, and the Northern Cape.
Can The Shy Five be Spotted on Londolozi?
The Pangolin, Cape Porcupine, and less frequently, the Aardvark are three of the Shy Five that have been seen on Londolozi before.
Apart from a couple of sightings in recent years, a camera trap set up by ranger Chris Taylor captured an Aardvark on Londolozi near an active termite mound last December. Their tracks and evidence of them foraging and feeding on termites are found fairly often, but due to their secretive nature and nocturnal habits, our paths very rarely seem to cross.
A sighting of a Porcupine at Londolozi is surely one to be cherished. They are usually seen moving around at night or in the early hours of the winter mornings. Their tracks are often seen, and evidence of them digging up roots or bulbs near the side of the road with the odd quill laying around is a sure sign that they were digging the night before. Of the Shy Five, the porcupine is probably seen the most frequently.
Pangolin sightings at Londolozi can be incredibly intimate and are often a special experience at Londolozi. If you get a chance to see one, soak it up, take as many photos as you can, and really appreciate being in the presence of a highly elusive animal that only a handful of guests have seen before.
The Bat-Eared Fox and the Aardwolf are the remaining two species of the shy five that have not been seen on the reserve before. The reason for this is that they enjoy a more arid habitat that is dry and cool. Places such as the Kalahari Desert are where these animals are usually found, particularly the Aardwolf. Whereas the Bat-eared Fox can be seen in the northern regions of the Kruger National Park.
Observing the Shy Five in the wild is truly exhilarating. The rarity of the occasion and its being somewhat unexpected make it a memorable experience that is sure to leave a lasting impression on anyone fortunate enough to witness it.
Let me know in the comments if you have ever seen a member of the Shy Five on Londolozi!
I have never seen an Aardwolf or a Pangolin. They are still on my list.
But I have seen the other shy ones, even several times.
I do hope that next time at Londolozi I might see a Pangolin.
Great photos of these animals, Nick.
Thanks for the comment Christa. I hope you get the opportunity on your next trip to Londolozi, winter evenings are the best time of day to get a chance of seeing one. I have never seen an Aardvark yet… but I’m always on the search.
Hi Nick, thank you for highlighting the Shy 5. Prior to this trip I’d only seen a Bat Eared fox and a Cape porcupine, but then after my stay at Londolozi last month I flew off to the Southern Kalahari where on my last night, I tracked and followed a Pangolin, definitely a bucket list moment!! But the evening improved as my guide, tracker and I discovered an Aardvark an the edge of a pan drinking and afterwards it came within a few meters of our vehicle. Two major sightings in one night was overwhelming and one I’ll never forget! My other bucket list sighting was to see Mashaba and that happened on the way back from our sundowner stop – by far, my best trip to South Africa!!
Hi Denise. Firstly, it was great to see you again at Londolozi and I’m glad you had such a memorable trip including the Mashaba Female and an aardvark and Pangolin in the Kalahari – WOW.
We’ve seen both a pangolin and a porcupine at Londolozi! Memorable, awesome experiences!! Still hoping for that aardvark 😜
Both very special sightings indeed Mary. Me too, I’m always in search for the very secretive Aardvark!
Last year we saw three pangolin. The one we saw second time sashayed its way from its hiding place to its hidey hole over the course of maybe five minutes. Stupendous! And we’ve seen a honey badger or two, plus lions with porcupine quills in their faces (but no porcupines themselves).
Hi Willa, Wow to have seen three Pangolin on one trip amazes me. I have only seen a Toal of six in my guiding career.
Those lions certainly learnt a lesson. Its not often a predator will attack a porcupine and second time!
Hi Nick, i so happy to see these 5 Shy! They are among my favourite animals, I love them all, especially the bat-eared fox! Also the Aardwolf is such a pretty creature, it looks more like a fox as well then a hyena or a wolf. Pangolins and Aardvark are so precious. Porcupine are spread not far from where I live, nice creature. The Five Shy are so interesting also from a behavioural perspective. I’d add African wildcats, black’footed cats and serval to the list, also otters… all among my favourite too. Thanks for this special pictures
Hi Francesca, thanks for the comment. Firstly, I agree that the shy 5 are very special and precious animals. All with very significant adaptations to be secretive and feed mostly on insects!
Secondly, If I were to adjust the shy 5 list to the region where Londolozi is situated, Replacing the Aardwolf and the Bat-eared Fox, I would add the African Wild Cat and Serval to the list which I have only seen a number of times. The Cape Clawless Otto is also an individual that is very rarely seen and is a big candidate for the Shy 5 list.
Pangolin is the only one I’ve seen so far! Quite a collection.
Hi Ann, You are very lucky to have seen a Pangolin at Londolozi!
Thanks Nick for reminding us of the shy 5 animals. I have never seen the pangolin,aardvark, bat eared fox or the aardwolf. But we do have the porcupine here in our reserve and although I have not seen it, the evidence is here and I have picked up quills by my veranda.
Hi Valmai, Thanks for the comment. Porcupine are very busy animals especially at night so discovering evidence of them during the days is not difficult but seeing them sure is! I hope you get the chance to see the others one day!
Thanks Nick for the pictures of the shy five. Truly very shy animals and rarely seen by most visitors.
Absolutely, William. If any of the shy 5 are seen on a safari its considered huge luck!
Hi I was wondering if I could get an update on the old lioness with the Talamati Pride. Also – I saw where the clipped esr lioness of the Pride was mating with the Black Dam male. . Have been hoping the other girls would also mate with them. Do you think girls are looking like they are going to stay on your property? Thank you so much for this very interesting meet the shy 5 .
So great to see these wondrous creatures featured! I have seen the bat eared fox once and the aardvark three times, but still yearning for pangolin and aardwolf:-). I have seen porcupine quills on the ground! Even more than seeing them, I hope we can save them all. Population control, habitat preservation, co-existence education, anti-poaching…we need it all and fast!
I have seen a cape porcupine. That’s it.