The outstanding diversity of habitats, terrestrial, wetland, coastal and aquatic, supports a wide variety of animal species, some at the northern and many at the southern limit of their range.
The fringing coral reefs are among the southernmost in the world. The lakes, swamps and shallows comprise the most productive estuarine prawn nursery and marine nursery of the South African coast.
There are 97 species of terrestrial mammals in the Park including the internationally threatened (reintroduced) black rhinoceros Diceros bicornis minor (CR: 13 in the Eastern Shores and 95 in the adjoining Mkusi Game Reserve), and 150 white rhinoceros Ceratotherium simum. The Park has the largest single populations in South Africa of hippopotamus Hippopotamus amphibius (VU: about 700), the endemic red duiker Cephalophus natalensis natalensis and southern reedbuck Redunca arudinum. It also has the largest publicly protected populations in KwaZulu-Natal of the endemic Tonga red squirrel Paraxerus palliatus tongensis, cane rat Thryonomys swinderianus and four-toed elephant shrew Petrodromus tetradactylus, thicktailed bushbaby Otolemur crassicaudatus, samango monkey Cercopithecus mitis, side-striped jackal Canis adustus, banded mongoose Mungus mungo, brown hyaena, Hyaena brunnea and bushbuck Tragelaphus scriptus, The cheetah Acinonyx jubatus (VU) was reintroduced in 2003 and the African wild dog Cuon alpinus (CR) was reintroduced to neighboring Mkuzi Reserve in 2005.
The Park is also the only protected area in KwaZulu-Natal known to have populations of nine species of bat: Eygptian fruit Rousettus aegyptiacus, Geoffroy’s horseshoe Rhinolophus clivosus, shorteared trident Cloeotis percivali (VU), butterfly Chalinolobus variegatus, Schlieffen’s Nycticeius schleiffeni, lesser woolly Kerivoula lanosa, Ansorge’s reetailed, Tadarida ansorgei, Angola freetailed T. condylura and the hairy slitfaced bat Nycterus hispida, the last being endemic to South Africa.
There are also two shrews, the lesser red musk shrew Crocidura hirta and greater dwarf shrew Suncus lixus; and two gerbils, bushveld Tatera leucogaster and highveld T. brantsii. The Park also contains populations of two other species endemic to South Africa: Hottentot golden mole Amblysomus hottentotus and Natal red hare Pronolagus crassicaudatus.
All 32 marine mammal species are both internationally threatened and listed in CITES appendices. Populations of bottlenose Tursiops truncates and T. aduncus, humpback Sousa plumbea and S. chinensis and spinner Stenella longirostris dolphins live in the waters of the Park. Winter migrations of humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae (VU) and southern right whale Eubalaena australis can be seen (Hoyt, 2005).
Terrestrial invertebrates in the Park are known to be numerous and diverse, supporting much of the conspicuous fauna. There are 196 species of butterflies (49% of Kwazulu-Natal species), 52 species of dragonflies (23% of South African species), 139 species of dung-beetles, 27 species of hole-nesting wasps, 64 species of biting flies (64% of South African tabanids), 58 species of chafer beetles (cetonids) and 41 species of land snails.
The herpetofauna is rich: 50 amphibians and 109 reptiles: one crocodile, 12 species of Chelonidae, 53 snakes and 42 lizards and chameleons. Populations of 5 amphibians are endemic to KwaZulu-Natal, 2 being nationally threatened, also 6 internationally and 20 nationally threatened reptile species; 16 being listed in CITES appendices. They include Bouton’s coral rag skink Cryptoblepharus boutoni africanus, found only here in South Africa. The Mozambique shovelsnout snake and three South African endemics: two burrowing skinks, the striped Stelotes vestigifer and Fitzsimon’s S. fitzsimonsi and Setaro’s dwarf chameleon Bradypodion setaroi (EN), are found only in the coastal dune system.
The Park is the main South African breeding ground for loggerhead Caretta caretta (EN), and leatherback turtles Dermochelys coriacea (CR), with
estimated populations of 2500 and 750 females respectively. Non-breeding green turtles Chelonia mydas (EN) are also resident and hawksbill Eretmochelys imbricata (CR) and olive ridley Lepidochelys olivacea (EN) turtles visit the coast.
The population of Nile crocodiles Crocodylus niloticus of approximately 1,500 animals over 2m long is one of the largest in Africa.
Marine and estuarine invertebrates are the most important group of aquatic invertebrates. The coral reefs of the Park occur in the protected Kosi reefs (Northern Complex), the public Sodwana Bay reefs (Central Complex) and the protected Southern Complex which is threatened by dredging in the estuary. They include 129 species of coral and are particularly important for their conservation and scientific value. Recorded within the Park are 43 scleractinian (hard coral) and 10 alcyonacean (soft coral) genera, 14 sponges, 4 tunicates, 812 species of marine and estuarine molluscs (72% of Kwazulu-Natal coastal species), including the giant clams Tricdaca maxima and T.squamosa, and 198 species of Crustacea.
The ichthyofauna contains nearly 85% of the reef fish species endemic to the west Indian Ocean region (399 species), notably the coelacanth Latimeria chalumnae, known from Devonian fossils 370 million years old but only discovered, off South Africa, in 1938. 2 specimens in 1991 and 3 specimens at Sodwana Bay in 2000 have been seen in the marine portion of the Park (Venter et al. 2009). There are also several commercially important endemics such as the slinger Charysoblephous puniceus. 991 species have been recorded, including summer aggregations of ragged-toothed shark Tiburon odontaspis and whale shark Rhynchodon typus. The 212 estuarine species include the large Zambezi shark Carcharhinus leucas.
The fresh water fish fauna comprises 55 species including 6
internationally threatened and 16 nationally threatened species, including the St. Lucia mullet Liza luciae (EN) and, in Lake Sibaya, the endemic Sibaya goby Silhouettea sibayi (VU).
The Park encloses the largest estuarine prawn nursery area in South Africa.
The very diverse avifauna numbers 521 species – 60% of the South African total, approximately 200 of which are water birds which the lakes attract in very large numbers. The 339 breeding species include 23 of the 97 migrants. There are four species endemic to South Africa and 47 endemic or nearly endemic to the region. The Park is an important breeding area for the pinkbacked pelican Pelecanus rufescens, white pelican P. onocrotalus, goliath heron Ardea goliath, rufous-bellied heron Butorides rufiventris, yellow-billed stork Mycteria ibis, pygmy goose Nettapus auritus, African fish-eagle Haliaeetus vocifer, collared pratincole Glareola pratincola, Caspian tern Hydroprogne caspia and grey-rumped swallow Pseudohirondo griseopyga. The Park is also habitat for major South African populations of greater and lesser flamingo Phoenicoepterus ruber, and P. minor, saddle-billed stork Ephippiorhyncus senegalensis, African Spoonbill Platalea alba, banded snake-eagle Circaetus fasciolatus, black harrier Circus maurus (VU), osprey Pandion haliaetus, avocet Recurvirostra avocetta, Woodward’s batis Batis fratrum, black-rumped button-quail Turnix hottentotta, Natal nightjar Caprimulgus natalensis, black coucal Centropus bengalensis, Nectarinia veroxii, and shorttailed pipit Anthus brachyurus.
The coastal forest holds the restricted range species Rudd’s apalis Apalis ruddi, Neergaard’s sunbird Nectarinia neergaardi and
pink-throated twinspot Hypargos margaritatus; also the rare Natal thrush Zoothera guttata (EN). The Park is one of the world’s Endemic Bird Areas. 62 species are listed in the South African Red Data Book and 73 species are listed in CITES appendices.
