Cape Hangklip Caves
Trip Date: 2024-05-08
Oresti took me to Hangklip Cave on Hangklip. We spent 3 hours looking for the cave, and found a new, 4m deep, vertical shaft while searching. The sides of the entrance are very sandy, and it looks like a potentially dangerous descent.
The Hangklip Cave was probably a large chamber that has collapsed, and there a number of entrances into the cave. A stream runs through one side of the cave.
The largest residents of the cave were a small colony of Rhinolophus and Miniopterus bats. I saw about 20 bats. Oresti said the colony was far larger on his previous visit, so the cave is probably a seasonal roost.
There were Paramelita in the stream and many Wishbone spider tunnel openings in the floor. These entrances ranged from a few millimeters in diameter to approximately 10mm.
Oresti saw small cave crickets, but I did not see them, so that will be something to search for on the next visit.
Observations
Photos / Sounds
What
Mites and Ticks (Subclass Acari)Observer
peterswartDescription
Very small, very fast mite. approx 2mm long
Photos / Sounds
Observer
peterswartDescription
Shell 13mm diameter. These snails gathered around damp, but not wet soil patches.
Photos / Sounds
What
Mosses (Phylum Bryophyta)Observer
peterswartDescription
Not sure what to make of this. The cave entrance is a large boulder collapse, and these circles are on one boulder. They all occur within about 1m square. The outer circles are about 50mm diameter. Some are a little larger.
Photos / Sounds
What
Genus ParamelitaObserver
peterswartDescription
There may be more than one species here. These paramelita occurred in streams running through the cave. There were many in the dark part of the cave. 10m further down the same steam, where the stream briefly emerges into the light, there were far fewer.
Photos / Sounds
What
Genus SpiroctenusObserver
peterswartDescription
These spiders live in tube webs buried in soft, mostly dry sand. In some places there was one web visible on the surface, in other places there were around 15 webs of different sizes clustered within 40cmx40cm
Photos / Sounds
What
Geoffroy's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus clivosus)Observer
peterswartDescription
Oresti's Echo Meter Touch identified these Rhinolophus as "Geoffroy's horseshoe bat". There were between 15 and 20 Rhinolophus in cave.
Photos / Sounds
What
Butterflies and Moths (Order Lepidoptera)Observer
peterswartDescription
Small moth. Either on bat guano, or rocks under the bat roost.
Photos / Sounds
What
Natal Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus natalensis)Observer
peterswartDescription
Approx 10 bats. One group was roosting together with what looked like young Rhinolophus. Oresti's Echo Meter Touch identified them as Natal long-fingered bats.
Photos / Sounds
What
Peninsula Hacklemesh Weaver (Malaika longipes)Observer
peterswartDescription
This spider moulted after being captured. It looks much lighter in colour after the moult.
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