A while ago, we came across the funniest little creatures in the dart box on our lapa's wall. At first, we thought they were Bush babies or Transvaal Meerkats.

They are greyish in colour, approximately 17 cm in length, with huge black eyes and bushy tails. We noticed that they did not come out of their hiding place during the day, and also remembered that we saw one of them last year - now there were three of them!

One of our members, Pete Laatz, did some research and established that they were Woodland Dormice (Graphirius munrinus), and that they were nocturnal (see photo on web site). They are indigenous and very rare, although they have been spotted in all the South African provinces. Their diet includes termites, dead bees, berries and grass seeds, while their favourite hiding place is wooded areas, where they live between the bark of trees and tree trunks or underneath house roofs.

These little mammals only have two to three offspring at a time. If they loose part of their tails or the tail gets injured, it will grow again.

We would like to know if some of our members have maybe also spotted these rare little creatures. Please contact Deon (082 856 3183) or Liz (082 880 9297).