Wildlife

Wildlife

Fish species

The Orange River has a relative paucity of species diversity. A 2011 survey of 13,762 fish found only 16 species of fish present.^[8] Three of these, the common carp, the Mozambique tilapia and the western mosquitofish are non-indigenous.^[8] Another exotic species, rainbow trout, is found in the river headwaters in Lesotho.

Seven species are endemic to the Vaal-Orange River system:^[8]

• Rock-catfish (Austroglanis sclateri)
• Maloti minnow (Pseudobarbus quathalambe)
• Namaqua barb (Barbus hospes)
• River sardine (Mesobola brevianalis)
• Smallmouth yellowfish (Labeobarbus aeneus)
• Largemouth yellowfish (Labeobarbus kimberlyensis)
• Orange River Mudfish (Labeo capensis)

The smallmouth yellowfish (Labeobarbus aeneus) is a popular sport fish endemic to the Orange-Vaal river system.

Larger animals

The Orange River has no large animals. It lies outside the range of the Nile crocodile, and although hippopotamiwere once abundant, they were hunted to extermination in the 1800s.