Kosi Bay supports a great variety
of fish and other aquatic fauna.
It probably provides the only
recruitment for several species
of marine fish found along the
KwaZulu-Natal coast. There are
eight known Red Data fish species
in the area, most of which have
their largest known populations
in the Kosi System.[3]
Vast
inland coastal lakes of Kosi
Bay, KwaZulu-Natal east coast
on the border with Mozambique.
[1]
Kosi Bay is a series
of four interlinked lakes in the Maputuland
area of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
The lakes form part
of the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park,
a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The
closest town is Manguzi, some 13 kilometres
(8.1 mi) away from it. Kosi Bay estuary
is only 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from
the Mozambique border. It is possible
to walk from the estuary to Ponta
do Ouro in only an hour or so. It
is one of the quietest beaches in
South Africa.The Kosi River Mouth
is known as "the aquarium"
because of the clarity of the water
and the abundance of fish species.
Bird species in the
area include the Palm-nut Vulture,
Pells Fishing Owl, White-backed Night-heron,
and kingfishers. Duiker, hippopotamus,
crocodiles and Bull sharks are also
present, and loggerhead and leatherback
sea turtles lay their eggs on the
beach. The Bay is noted for its aggressive
Bull shark population. The sharks
are locally known as Zambesi[1]. The
Kosi Palm has the largest leaf of
any plant in the plant kingdom. Endemic
species include the Kosi cycad, Kosi
Fern and cycads. It is one of very
few places on Earth where 5 different
species of Mangrove trees are found
in one area. Kosi Bay is particularly
famous for the traditional fish traps
built to trap fish moving in and out
of the estuary with the tide.
[2]
