Meadowridge Common is home to a variety of plants and fungi, mammals, birds, insects and other invertebrates, as well as a whole ecosystem underground that we know very little about. This is why our patch of Cape Flats Sand Fynbos is so important as it conserves a piece of un-transformed fynbos which holds the magic ingredients for being able to withstand a changing climate. Meet some of the creatures that live on the Common.
Cape Mole-rats (Georychus capensis) are rodents. Look at the shape of the teeth: four huge incisors typical of the rodent family. Like most rodents, they are plant eaters, burrowing through the sand in search of bulbs, corms and tubers. They excavate nesting, food storage and latrine chambers, creating the mounds of sand you can see on the Common. They use their teeth to dig, unlike the golden moles who use their feet. Their lips close sideways behind their incisors to prevent them swallowing sand.
Cape Mole-rats (at 16 cm in body length) are smaller than the Cape Dune Mole-rat (Bathyergus suillus) which can measure up to 35 cm in length and also occurs near the Common. The Cape Mole-rat has characteristic white markings on its head.
Cape Mole-rats are are solitary and territorial. They give birth to three to ten young in spring. They are preyed on by snakes and, if they venture above ground, by owls, herons, dogs and cats. Although their eyesight is poor, they turn on their attackers bearing their teeth aggressively.
Their digging activities enrich the soil by adding nitrogen and magnesium, provide refuges for other species, for example to escape fire, and limit surface runoff of water by loosening the soil and increasing drainage and moisture holding capacity.