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Kopje

Island in the plain

Rocky islands that stick up in the middle of vast seas of grassland, the kopjes (pronounced "COP-ees") of Africa are a first-rate example of some of nature's unique interspecies partnerships. Kopjes are complete ecosystems in themselves. They support plants and animals that would have problems surviving outside the protection of the rocks.

Look closely at the San Diego Zoo's East African Kopje exhibit and you'll see more than just a rocky face. At work here is the concept of simulating a specific bio-ecological niche-the first of its kind here at the Zoo. You'll find diminutive klipspringers, gregarious dwarf mongooses, powerful bateleurs, and some smaller birds.

In the wild, kopjes are also used as way stations for weary animal travelers, a cool respite from the parching dryness of the surrounding savanna. Lions and cheetahs use the high rocks as vantage points to spot prey and sometimes as hiding places for cubs. Prehistoric tribes used the caves of the kopjes for religious rites, and you'll find pictographs in the Zoo's Kopje depicting animals and plants as they were thousands of years ago.

Our Kopje also serves as an open-air classroom, surrounding visitors and teaching them with interactive displays. Test your binocular vision to judge distance just like an eagle would, examine the termite mounds (artificial, of course!) to see how large they can get, and compare a klipspringer's hair and feet to a rock climber's gear. You'll soon see what a special place an African kopje can be.

Fun Facts

• The word kopje is Afrikaans for "little hills."
• In the wild, animals move through an area of the kopje, munch and stomp on the vegetation, then move on, giving the plants a chance to regenerate. In an enclosed zoo environment, animals often destroy their surrounding landscape. Plants used within our Kopje exhibit had to be nontoxic to the animals, of course, and hardy enough to withstand the abuse they receive!