TSAMA MELONS, CITRULLUS-LANATUS, A SUPPLEMENTARY WATER-SUPPLY FOR WILDLIFE IN THE SOUTHERN KALAHARI

The use of water-rich tsama melons, Citrullus lanatus (Cucurbitaceae), by the indigenous wildlife in the southern Kalahari was investigated. The melons were found to mature in the cold-dry season, a period devo id of natural drinking water. Their distribution and densities varied greatly between years. Although the melons were fed on by a wide range of animals - divided into small (rodents, birds) and large (ungulates , carnivores) animal categories in this paper-the melons were noted to be used to a greater extent by the larger animals in the absence of a rtificial water supplies. The importance of these melons as a suppleme ntary water supply in the dry seasons is stressed.