| Durbanville Nature Reserve | |
|---|---|
 Durbanville Nature Reserve with the racecourse and outlying suburbs in the background | |
 Map of Greater Cape Town | |
| Location | Durbanville,South Africa |
| Coordinates | 33°50′27″S18°38′37″E / 33.84082°S 18.64352°E /-33.84082; 18.64352[1] |
| Area | 6 hectares (15 acres) |
| Established | 1966 |
| Durbanville Nature Reserve | |
  Durbanville Nature Reserve (South Africa) Show map of South Africa Durbanville Nature Reserve (Western Cape) Show map of Western Cape | |
Durbanville Nature Reserve is a 6-hectare (15-acre) piece of protected land, located next to the Hollywoodbets Durbanville Racecourse in theWestern Cape,South Africa.[2]
This smallnature reserve is located on the border between twocritically endangered vegetation types:Swartland Shale Renosterveld andCape Flats Sand Fynbos. It was proclaimed in 1966 afterAristea lugens, a rare species of plant, was discovered here. The invasive alien vegetation was then cleared and the indigenous landscape was restored. The park is now home to around 241 species of plant[3] - three of whichexist only in Cape Town and ten of which are threatened withextinction.[4] It is also a natural habitat for wild animals such as theangulate tortoise, thesmall grey mongoose and the endangeredCape rain frog.[5]
Three species of amphibian have been found in the reserve,Cape sand frog, the vulnerableCape rain frog, and theClicking stream frog.[3]
There are 104 species of birds found within the reserve; of which 3 are endemic to the fynbos:Cape sugarbird,Cape canary and theOrange- breasted sunbird.[3]
Eight species of reptile occur within the reserve; 5 species of snake, 1 lizard and 2 tortoise species. TheCape dwarf chameleon is the one species of lizard. Snakes found are:[3]
Tortoises are theangulate tortoise, and the introducedleopard tortoise.[3]
Some of the species of plant that occur within the reserve and are in theRed List of South African Plants: