South Africa not only has the Big Five to protect and conserve. Many other smaller animals and insects are just as much part of our natural heritage and contribute to the balance of nature.

Belonging to the family of macroscelididae, elephant shrews are found all over southern Africa. When you have seen its “trunk”, you will realise why this rock shrew is reminiscent of the giant elephant.

Feeding mainly on insects, it favours the termites and ants that cross its ambush path during daylight, from dawn to dusk. During its life span of 13 months, the shrew produces up to three litters. Adults weigh up 60 grams, reaching a length of 26 cm from “trunk” to tail.

This reptile is not, contrary to the association with its namesake, exactly renowned for its hunting ability. The leopard tortoise (geochelone pardalis) has beautiful spots on its shell and can be seen in the Western Cape and throughout Africa to as far north as Sudan and Ethiopia.

Reaching a length of up to 61 cm, it mainly feeds on plant matter, from fruit and flowers to beans. During the months of September to October, the females nest by urinating in the soil, digging a pit and laying up to 30 eggs at a time. The males gain the favour of the females by fighting and attempting to overturn their opponent, turning the loser onto its shell, feet in the air. Because of its domed shape and height of the shell, this flipping is seldom fatal.

This insect is even more aggressive than its giant namesake. The rhinoceros beetle (Dynastinae), is aptly named as the male has a conspicuous horn protruding from its forehead. The male uses this horn to defend its territory and to establish his dominance during the mating season. When the beetle reaches maturity, it stops feeding, which makes its lifespan very short. During its larval and nymphal stages, the insect progresses to adulthood by consuming plant matter until it reaches a size of up to 45 cm, its colour shiny brown to black.

What creature has no mouth and no anus, yet lives as a predator? Certainly the most ferocious of the Small Five is the ant lion (Myrmeleontidae). This little creature makes use of a small V-shaped sandpit, in areas with soft sand, to trap its prey. It sucks the body juices from its captive with two massive pincers. As the ant lion grows, it sheds its entire skin from time to time.

Few people actually know that the “lion” is only the larval stage of a creature that looks like a dragonfly when it reaches maturity. The difference between a mature ant lion and a dragonfly or damselfly is that, unlike the dragonfly, the ant lion has antennae, can be seen at night, its wings are longer than its body and they do not fold backwards to close.