Top 10 Varmints(Namibia)

Best Elegant Varmints Wildlife Photographers Became Passionate About

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This list contains animals that aren't on the usual radar of on lookers but have special abilities that set them apart and would've been amazing in almost anyway had they been on a different continent,their presence is much looted by the countries big 5 and their closest rivals, as per usual the list goes from top most popular to bottom,the comments section is below share a thought.

At Number 1 we have a mammal that had always been mistaken for as a rodent but is in no way related, it lives on high altitudes and reasonably slow and roams in large groups here we have the Rock Hyrex.

1.Rock Hyrax (Procavia Capensis)

The Rock Hyrax is a common resident in the dry arid mountains that have a linear mounding range of approximately 4,500 and above, they live and forage in groups some are able to climb trees as look outs for any evasive predators formal groups can have as many as 15 members and more the highest count was 84 but their numbers are starting to decline like many other small animals due to humans encroaching into their natural habitats,they weigh in at around 4 to 5kg with small rounded ears and a body that resembled a wombats,your most common successful sighting will be on the Erongo Mountains they usually live in rock craves and are more common during the early mornings and late afternoon it is said they can't regulate body temperature and keep out of the midday heat surge,at sight it's easy to confuse them with a bunch of overgrown rodents but they are more closely related to the Elephant, they do not pose any danger to humans so you can get as close as you'd like,the trick is to remain undetected, very impossible because they are always watching, listening and anticipating any predators entry point.

The 2nd Spot on this weeks countdown goes to a majestic bird of prey always scanning its horizon a master in the sky's and a formidable hunter a successful predator and lord of the bird kingdom the Martial Eagle.

2.Martial Eagle(Polemaetus Bellicosus)

This colossus of the sky, has been praying on this barren land for as long as the prehistoric ages, it is more recognizable from the feathers on it pursues it's most distinctive feature, unlike its cousins that roam the same velds, the Martial Eagle can be spotted in the low lying woodlands and open velds towards the further North of the country preying on small reptiles, mammals, birds and typically anything it can grasp around its powerful sentence,it has one of the most indistinguishable hunting techniques soaring down on its prey from high altitudes on simmering pace pouncing on them making a quick feat of its prey with its beak, like most species that prey from the air it is endangered partly due to its habit of mischievously praying on small livestock and game of its preference. the Martial Eagle is not distinctive to Namibian only it can be found all over Sub-Saharan Africa except the Jungles,What sets the Namibian versions apart is that they are not very hard to run into you just need to keep an open eye if you're lucky you might even see them in action because they do not shy away from exhibiting their mid-fleet ambush hunting technique.

The 3rd Spot on this countdown goes to a little antelope that is more distinct to this country than it is anywhere else unlike most antelope of its the size they are solitary and rely on blending in, it's the Dik Dik.

3.Dik Dik(Madoqua Guentheri)

The Dik Dik is a Small Antelope that roam the open bushy veld of Namibia Dik Dik is actually a group Name that consists of 4 different species, The Kirk and Damara Dik Dik's the more commons they rely on stealth and pace to dodge prey the Dik Dik is actually the Smallest antelope that still exist, measuring in at around 3 to 6kg and stands at a typical height between 30 to 40cm and has a total length that ranges between 50 to 70 talk about a walking cooler box, their main predators would be the cheetah and humans that prey and encroach on their habitats besides that the Dik Dik usually gets some reasonable admirations from locals because of it's cute and adorable features the Dik Dik is also one of those creatures that's not very hard to spot but their over seize eyes can see through any thick bushy veld and they let out a loud whistle alarm that clearly resembles a humans and would have you look around the bush for someone trying to send out a signal,a nifty trick and the other animals are aware of it and start to vanish in thin air so the next time you are out there trying to catch a picture of a Dik Dik or any other creature, realize the Dik Dik is the lookout.

The 4th Spot goes to the most bravely arrogant and stubborn little critter on the veld it bits it fights but most of all it stands it's ground no matter the magnitude and complexity of the situation that lays forth here we have the Honey Badger.

4.Honey Badger(Mellivora Capensis)

The Honey Badger also knew as The Ratel is a resident mammal of Namibia it is the worlds most fearless creature and has one of the most defence attributes found in any mammal it's tough skin and powerful claws lets it reap through any obstacle it's primarily carnivorous and has no resemblance to any other animal it's closest cousin being the weasels,It hurls shear brute strength and in comparison to it size can take on animals 4 times it's size rarely stationary while exploring the veld it is mostly solitary except in mating scenarios where it rondayvoiurs with its mates for a couple of days before it splits one of the only animals with that size that could stand up to a solitary lion and walk away unshaved actually one of any animal that could stand up to a lion,the Ratel is very rare to spot around here due to the vast area it covers in a single day and it's Anonymously territorial character makes it even harder, you'd most likely find it in the eastern Kalahari remember to stay clear it is a dangerous carnivorous mammal and is prone to make a preemptive attacks.

The 5th place on this countdown goes to a phantom of the desert comes with many disguises very difficult to spot while in a hurry, but one of the slowest and amazing deserts dwellers you'll ever find it the Namaqua Chameleon.

5.Namaqua Chameleon(Chamaeleo Namaquensis)

The Namaqua Chameleon named after the dry arid desert habitat it lives in is one of the rarest chameleon species not rare as in endangered but it's personality it is primarily ground living even though it's slow and vulnerable but it's disguising talents helps it from being detected by predators and prey alike it preys on insects and bugs by crouching upon them and lashing them with it's long sticky tongue like all chameleons it relies heavily on its tongue for feeding purposes. the main reason the Namaqua Chameleon dwells the desert, floor is due to the severe scarcity of plant species in the area and most of the plants there attract predators and ample but all predators in the high arid desert can climb trees vastly on a tree there is only one escape route, well if that's the case better off taking your chances in the open, where you have an equal chance of making out alive, the Namaqua Chameleon is not very rare to spot the trick is getting to its natural habitat.

On 6th we have the fastest and most tricky critter on this countdown this small mammal is featured as a mischievous hero in many folk tales around this part of the world here we have the Scrub Hare.

6.Scrub Hare(Lepus Saxatilis)

The Scrub hare is a Hare species that predominantly inhabits the far distant South of the country even though it is not the only hare species that live there it shares it habitat with a another which too is endemic to that habitat compared to other hare species it has relatively long ears and are nocturnal feeding on hedgerow and seeds they are not an endangered species and are primarily solitary they're habitat is rocky and open with shimmeringly high temperatures with little water their bodies are build to adapt to those exact climate rather than being compelled they thrive only coerced into extinction by poachers but it has speed at its disposal and can effortlessly outrun any predator at glimpsing sight a lot of hunting dogs tried and failed miserably it has that tendency of making barking noises a short of a victory victory while stalling in its strides to wait on its predators just to out pace it yet again,or simply taking big leaps while running just to let its pursuer pin point it's exact location urging him on to continue the chase, a really hilarious scene to observer, its just that type of mischievous behaviour that makes the scrub hare really great folk tale character around here.

The 7th place goes to a mammal that is more renown in the Northern Hemisphere than it is on the African continent but it still thrives in the desert and here it mostly keeps to the open desert plains for on the African continent there is always someone bigger, faster, smarter and stronger than you here we have the Bat Eared Fox.

7.Bat Eared Fox(Otocyon Megalotis)

The Bat Eared Fox is a Small deserts dwelling fox mostly dispatched in the southern arid dry land of the country,it's very rare to spot this species they stay clear of human occupied sovereignty and live a secluded solitary existence throughout its lifetime hunting small rodents and grabs merely pairing with others during mating it has no real natural predators it's only thread are humans who mistake them for common Jackals not that purging Jackals can be Rationalized,and species that closely resemble Jackals and possess their exact cunning behaviour have to share the same fate,dispute its size the Bat Eared Fox hunts rodents by pointing it's ears down on the ground listening to miniature vibrations made by small rodents and bugs below the surface and pounces In that pinpoint location more or less the same technique arctic foxes use to revealing it's prey that it devours alive and kicking and all this usually occurs during the dead of night.

The 8th place on this countdown goes to a phenom that is usually common around here than most and scares the living daylight out of locals and that's literally encounters are very brief and often ends in pain and agony for one of the two parties or often both here we have the Puff Adder

8.Puff Adder(Bitis Arietans)

This Venomous serpentine is not a dominantly Namibia snake species it is found throughout the world but what makes the Namibian ones so special is the elegant natural patterns on their skin it is a member of the viper species the Name Puff Adder is recognized by it's plum body structure it's so cleverly blended into it's Natural environment that you'd possibly step right on it and get pecked, it's responsible for most the snake bites on the entire continent of Africa, but there are various factors involved in all of the fatalities mostly fatalities play from humans in most cases when humans have a tendency of making irrational preemptive aggressions when they encounter serpents and agitating a already subtle confrontation, the Puff Adder can be found all over Namibia it's constantly moving and scarcely deter from human residential districts that's where they usually confront each other despite having more fatal encounters with humans this snake species still have a moderately relaxed representation and that feat by itself is quite mind puzzlinggg a wonderful creature if you font of reptiles.

is 9th place on this countdown goes to a rare breed of cat one of the smallest wild felines on the African continent one would mistake it for a stray but it's amazing intelligent hunting skills and self-sufficient peculiarities keeps it away from human colonies here we have the Black Footed Cat.

9.Black Footed Feline(Felis Figripes)

The Small-Spotted Cat is a endemic resident of Namibia it has been listed as vulnerable to Endangered, mostly caused by breeding with local strays and farmers dependency on aggressive dogs to deter predators,though some global environmentalist speculate Namibians for poaching small-spotted cats for game meat involving some unruly taste for local wild predators locals shy away from cats and wouldn't feed on them if it doesn't pertain to some kind of hoodoo ritual, the spotted cats demise arises primarily from uncontrolled breeding with local strays and K9 assaults,the spotted cat is a formitable rodent hunter and keeps the hunter ecosystem in control just like the Black Foot Namibia is resident to a reasonable amount of endemic rodent species and could easily topple over if this trend continues,the small spotted can easily be identified is it's crystal like green eyes and most certainly it's leopard fur and Black most and it's more rounded body shape they usually shy away from humans and as nifty as cats are they can pretend to be wild strays and scat if you get to close for comfort,they are more adaptable in the deep south to centre of the country.

The final place of this countdown goes to a critter that is more popular on the plains than it is in the veld the smallest primate species cute and resembles characters of a 90's Steven Spielberg movie The Goonies it's the Bush Baby.

10.Bush Baby(Lorisoidea Galago)

Bush Babies also known as Galago is a small nocturnal primate that can be found all over Africa they are successful breeders and is in no way endangered they feed on small insects and bugs using their huge petruding ears to listen for for prey they have amazing climbing abilities and can jump very well in all directions they are mostly found in dense low lying bush velds with view predators around their big eyes usually light up at night and are visible from long distances the best place to find this little primates is in the far north east of the country,you'll need a good 4 wheel drive vehicles because the roads can be tragerious and unfriendly the North east if flocked with different Iigratory wildlife you'll get more than you might've budgeted for, besides the Bush Baby there are other bush species to found there.

That's it for this weeks top 10 click The link below to E-mail the editor if there's something you'd like to share or want to clarify something pertaining to this particular article thanks for reading and kind regards:-).

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A little Honourable mention for the Kori Bastard that didn't make the list, this time round but still loved by many in this part of the world.

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