The days leading up to this have been rather dismal, loads of rain and generally typically summer weather meant there was little in the ways of reptile activity in and around Durban. I decided late on Friday afternoon after packing a few things and finishing up with some work to head out to St Lucia. […]
Prosymna janii – Mozambique Shovel-Snout. This species is a nocturnal burrower, inhabiting coastal dune forest, coastal forest, woodland or grassland areas (Marais 1992). It is known to feed on hard-shelled gecko (Lygodactylus and Hemidactylus) eggs (Broadley 1992). Marais (1992) states that this snake may be threatened by the extensive use of off-road vehicles and by […]
Its been a while It has been two years since I’ve visited Mpumalanga on a herping related trip, the previous trip was a huge success with a decent species count and a good few new species I’d not photographed before so I was really hoping this trip would produce similar results. A few months in […]
The Common Snakes of Durban There are eighty-three different types of snakes found in Kwa-Zulu Natal, of which fourty-four species are not venomous; eight can cause painful—although not lethal—bites; and, eleven that are known to be potentially deadly. With Durban being located along the eastern coast of Kwa-Zulu Natal, it’s well known for its temperate […]
This species is endemic to the coast of KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa, and is found within 15 km of the coast up to 380 m asl. It was previously thought to range from Warner Beach in the south to St Lucia village in the north; however, it has now been recorded from additional localities and […]
Over the last 9 days a friend Theo Busschau and I ventured into some of Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa’s lesser explored Nature Reserves and historical records looking for two specific species. Afroedura pondolia – Pondo Flat Gecko. Leptotyphlops sylvicolus – Southern Forest Thread Snake. The major issue is some records were over 35years old and […]
Scelotes inornatus. Distribution: Endemic to South Africa and limited to the greater Durban area of KwaZulu-Natal, from the Durban beachfront (next to the old FitzSimons Snake Park) in the north to Scottburgh in the south, and as far inland as Woodlands/Montclair. The published localities (Broadley 1994) on the northern and southern banks of the Umgeni […]
A very smooth-scaled snake with a blunt head that is not distinct from the body. It has minute eyes and a very short, bluntly rounded tail. Colour varies from a pinkish grey to a plain brown. A fossorial species sometimes encountered in termitaria or above ground after rain. Little is known about the natural history […]
Cordylus macropholis – Large Scaled Girdled Lizard is an endemic terrestrial cordylid, preferring the succulent plant Euphorbia caput-medusae and related species as shelter (Mouton et al. 2000). It may also shelter beneath calcrete rocks and in stick-nests of Vlei Rats (Otomys species) (P. le F.N. Mouton pers. obs.) Occurring on the west coast of South Africa, in the Northern […]