Black wildebeest
Features necessary for defending a territory, such as the horns and broad-based skull of the modern black wildebeest, have been found in their fossil ancestors. The earliest known fossil remains are in sedimentary rock in Cornelia in the Orange Free State and date back about 800,000 years. Fossils have also been reported from the Vaal River deposits, though whether or not they are as ancient as those found in Cornelia is unclear. Horns of the black wildebeest have been found in sand dunes near Hermanus in South Africa. This is far beyond the recorded range of the species and it has been suggested that these animals may have migrated to that region from the Karoo.
Beartown Wilderness
The forest provides good habitat for black bear, white-tailed deer, grouse and northern flying squirrel. The forest also contains blackcapped chickadee, red-breasted nuthatch and winter wren, birds more commonly found in more northern forests. The Beartown beetle is not found anywhere else in the world.