Kwa-Zulu Natal. A few pictures from a herping trip to SA.

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KatiyaLilith
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Kwa-Zulu Natal. A few pictures from a herping trip to SA.

Post by KatiyaLilith »

SNOUTED COBRA
Naja annulifera (Snouted cobra, Egyptian cobra, Banded cobra)
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SPITTING COBRA
Naja mossambica (Mozambique spitting cobra)
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
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FOREST COBRA
Naja melanoleuca (Forest cobra, Black and white lipped cobra)
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
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my very first cobra to handle, Im super excited! :)
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HERALD SNAKE
Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia (Red-lipped snake, Herald snake)

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BLACK MAMBA
Dendroaspis polylepis

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BOOMSLANG
Dispholidus typus

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Spotted bush snake.
Philothamnus semiverigatus.

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Tiger Snake.
Telescopus semiannulatus.

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Natal Green Snake
Philothamnus natalensis

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Schlegel's Beaked Blind Snake.
Rhinotyphlops schlegelii.

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Jan's Shovel-snout.
Prosymna janii.
Kozi Bay, South Africa.
Male
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Female
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http://katiya-junkyard.blogspot.com/201 ... janii.html
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Mammals
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My new friend Chuba the chetah :)
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Chetah Spots Forming via Reaction Diffusion system

http://katiya-junkyard.blogspot.com/201 ... ample.html

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Our perfect habitat-the Bush:
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GABOON ADDER

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PUFF ADDER

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Birds
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Lizards/Chameleons
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EggEaters
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House Snakes
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Black File Snake
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Kozi Bay , green mamba habitat... didn't see any though :(
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Crocs
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Baby Croc! :)
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frog (Check out Myke's Africa post for Frogs, he has some awesome shots! )
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people
Myke-The Cheetah-Master
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Rob- The Sleeping Herper
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BRUCE
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Gayle
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Rob and Anton
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Graham
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The "Fuckwits" trying to spot a lizard by the Swaziland border :)
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A hog, an elephant and a bird
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I want this for my front door!
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Dr. Dark
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Re: Kwa-Zulu Natal. A few pictures from a herping trip to SA

Post by Dr. Dark »

Awesome! Again, that Gaboon just blows my mind! How big was it?
JohnU
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Re: Kwa-Zulu Natal. A few pictures from a herping trip to SA

Post by JohnU »

Great Stuff!
The gaboon viper is on my short list of greatest snakes in the world.
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Correcamino
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Re: Kwa-Zulu Natal. A few pictures from a herping trip to SA

Post by Correcamino »

Wow, great post with awesome animals. Loved all the reptiles, what caught my eye the most though was the Nyala! Very cool!

Rich
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Hans Breuer (twoton)
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Re: Kwa-Zulu Natal. A few pictures from a herping trip to SA

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

Thank you very much - very nice post, almost better than Myke's! :-)

PS: About all those forced-open mouths: I remember posting pics many years ago of a Bungarus m. multicinctus whose mouth was being pried open by a local (Taiwanese) herpetologist, and getting a lot of flak for it, in the vein of "yes, we all know there are fangs in that mouth - so why subject the animal to discomfort just for a photo op?". I wonder what forum members think of this these days?
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Tonia Graves
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Re: Kwa-Zulu Natal. A few pictures from a herping trip to SA

Post by Tonia Graves »

Great stuff! That Tiger Snake is super cool!
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kyle loucks
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Re: Kwa-Zulu Natal. A few pictures from a herping trip to SA

Post by kyle loucks »

Incredible post!
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muskiemagnet
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Re: Kwa-Zulu Natal. A few pictures from a herping trip to SA

Post by muskiemagnet »

Hans Breuer (twoton) wrote:Thank you very much - very nice post, almost better than Myke's! :-)

PS: About all those forced-open mouths: I remember posting pics many years ago of a Bungarus m. multicinctus whose mouth was being pried open by a local (Taiwanese) herpetologist, and getting a lot of flak for it, in the vein of "yes, we all know there are fangs in that mouth - so why subject the animal to discomfort just for a photo op?". I wonder what forum members think of this these days?

noticed you were milking the mamba. were you taking part in or doing research? if yes, disregard this, of not, super uncool.

-ben
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KatiyaLilith
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Re: Kwa-Zulu Natal. A few pictures from a herping trip to SA

Post by KatiyaLilith »

muskiemagnet wrote:
Hans Breuer (twoton) wrote:Thank you very much - very nice post, almost better than Myke's! :-)

PS: About all those forced-open mouths: I remember posting pics many years ago of a Bungarus m. multicinctus whose mouth was being pried open by a local (Taiwanese) herpetologist, and getting a lot of flak for it, in the vein of "yes, we all know there are fangs in that mouth - so why subject the animal to discomfort just for a photo op?". I wonder what forum members think of this these days?

noticed you were milking the mamba. were you taking part in or doing research? if yes, disregard this, of not, super uncool.

-ben
My research is on ontogenetic dorsal pattern formation, but a couple people are all doing venom stuff... so yes it was for research, what else would you need that for? Ive never seen a Mumba, let along the whole process of venom collection, so I thought it was cool to take pictures....it doesn't hurt the snake and Im sure he's living happily ever after in the bush somewhere, bringing death to annoying people :)
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KatiyaLilith
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Re: Kwa-Zulu Natal. A few pictures from a herping trip to SA

Post by KatiyaLilith »

Thanks everyone! :)
I wish we saw more Gaboons this time , but Ill be back there soon enough, looking specifically for them! Their dorsal patterns are absolutely intriguing, Ill definitely post the pictures.
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muskiemagnet
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Re: Kwa-Zulu Natal. A few pictures from a herping trip to SA

Post by muskiemagnet »

KatiyaLilith wrote:
muskiemagnet wrote:
Hans Breuer (twoton) wrote:Thank you very much - very nice post, almost better than Myke's! :-)

PS: About all those forced-open mouths: I remember posting pics many years ago of a Bungarus m. multicinctus whose mouth was being pried open by a local (Taiwanese) herpetologist, and getting a lot of flak for it, in the vein of "yes, we all know there are fangs in that mouth - so why subject the animal to discomfort just for a photo op?". I wonder what forum members think of this these days?

noticed you were milking the mamba. were you taking part in or doing research? if yes, disregard this, of not, super uncool.

-ben
My research is on ontogenetic dorsal pattern formation, but a couple people are all doing venom stuff... so yes it was for research, what else would you need that for? Ive never seen a Mumba, let along the whole process of venom collection, so I thought it was cool to take pictures....it doesn't hurt the snake and Im sure he's living happily ever after in the bush somewhere, bringing death to annoying people :)
the point is it could hurt the snake, and many people here feel that the snake's well being is #1. you are doing research, great. no issues from me except for your lackadaisical attitude toward man-handling a snake. how would you feel if you were grabbed by a "giant" and restrained in a manner such as this. stress on an animal is real, and you should be very aware of this. it can hurt the snake. i understand that you are doing it for science, but the way you come across is that you are doing it for you, and that you do not care otherwise. the snake could be dead right now for all you know. you paint a rosy picture of how it went down, but the fact remains that the way that snake was contorted in your grip that you easily could have broken ribs, and punctured it's lungs. it may be dead, and you don't know.

-ben
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Mulebrother
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Re: Kwa-Zulu Natal. A few pictures from a herping trip to SA

Post by Mulebrother »

Awesome post KatiyaLilith! Incredible stuff, and thank you so much for posting.
Now, get ready to duck as the herp police descend on you like a plague of locusts.
No wonder so many cool people dont post on here anymore...

but again, great pics!!!!
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natrix
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Re: Kwa-Zulu Natal. A few pictures from a herping trip to SA

Post by natrix »

I think one should avoid grabbing snakes by the neck for photographic displays of their dentition unless there is a very good reason. Otherwise your photos were great and a joy to peruse.
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Andy Avram
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Re: Kwa-Zulu Natal. A few pictures from a herping trip to SA

Post by Andy Avram »

How many of these were actual wild animals you experience in the field? It seems there are a lot of zoo shots in there.

Otherwise, looks like a great trip, and one I would like to take in a couple of years.

Andy
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Nigel Smith
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Re: Kwa-Zulu Natal. A few pictures from a herping trip to SA

Post by Nigel Smith »

There were a few nice suprises in that post. The boomslang and the gaboon viper top my list. Thanks for sharing.
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reptilist
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Re: Kwa-Zulu Natal. A few pictures from a herping trip to SA

Post by reptilist »

I like the crocodiles posting by the signage! Cute shot!
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KatiyaLilith
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Re: Kwa-Zulu Natal. A few pictures from a herping trip to SA

Post by KatiyaLilith »

Mulebrother wrote:Awesome post KatiyaLilith! Incredible stuff, and thank you so much for posting.
Now, get ready to duck as the herp police descend on you like a plague of locusts.
No wonder so many cool people dont post on here anymore...

but again, great pics!!!!

Thank You! :)
...and yes, many great people don't post here, exactly for those reasons...I don't care though, it only shows who is who :)
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KatiyaLilith
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Re: Kwa-Zulu Natal. A few pictures from a herping trip to SA

Post by KatiyaLilith »

Andy Avram wrote:How many of these were actual wild animals you experience in the field? It seems there are a lot of zoo shots in there.

Otherwise, looks like a great trip, and one I would like to take in a couple of years.

Andy
They are all wild actually, except for a couple crocs
I didn't personally catch the elapids of adders, I don't have the skill for that, but the local , more experienced herpers in our group did. We had to hold on to most snakes for a day of two to study and photograph them, but afterwards they were all released back where they were found. You pretty much have to do that there anyway, especially night driving... unless you want to get shot by some Zulu warrior; they really like to use white people for target practice :)
We did go to Hluhluwe Imfolose game park, which was awesome and you could see all the stunning large mammals, but you cant get out of the car there and we didn't really spot any snakes ...only the nile water monitor resting on the rock . I really cant call that place a zoo though :)
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Andy Avram
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Re: Kwa-Zulu Natal. A few pictures from a herping trip to SA

Post by Andy Avram »

I guess by zoo I meant captive animals. Like the cheetah...

But really cool. To be honest I didn't know Gaboon vipers were found in South Africa until this post! What a sweet snake.
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Antonsrkn
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Re: Kwa-Zulu Natal. A few pictures from a herping trip to SA

Post by Antonsrkn »

Nice post! It was all awesome but of course the gaboons really stand out!
but Ill be back there soon enough, looking specifically for them! Their dorsal patterns are absolutely intriguing, Ill definitely post the pictures.
Wow sounds amazing...take me with you! Haha can't wait for the photos.
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dery
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Re: Kwa-Zulu Natal. A few pictures from a herping trip to SA

Post by dery »

Cool FC. I can't wait to find my first elapid.
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Joshua Jones
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Re: Kwa-Zulu Natal. A few pictures from a herping trip to SA

Post by Joshua Jones »

Just found your post, Katiya, and I have to say that I'm impressed. (And a little jealous, too. :lol: )

I especially like the shovel-snout cruising through the sand and that Cheetah looks like it's got Myke's number....
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KatiyaLilith
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Re: Kwa-Zulu Natal. A few pictures from a herping trip to SA

Post by KatiyaLilith »

Joshua Jones wrote:Just found your post, Katiya, and I have to say that I'm impressed. (And a little jealous, too. :lol: )

I especially like the shovel-snout cruising through the sand and that Cheetah looks like it's got Myke's number....
Thanks Joshua! :)
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Robyn@TRR
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Re: Kwa-Zulu Natal. A few pictures from a herping trip to SA

Post by Robyn@TRR »

Great series of pics, love the variety!
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Re: Kwa-Zulu Natal. A few pictures from a herping trip to SA

Post by Jimmy_77 »

KatiyaLilith wrote:
Mulebrother wrote:Awesome post KatiyaLilith! Incredible stuff, and thank you so much for posting.
Now, get ready to duck as the herp police descend on you like a plague of locusts.
No wonder so many cool people dont post on here anymore...

but again, great pics!!!!

Thank You! :)
...and yes, many great people don't post here, exactly for those reasons...I don't care though, it only shows who is who :)
I think the pics with jaws and fangs pried open are a bit too much "great white hunter"-ish, otherwise nice post.
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Jeffreyrichard
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Re: Kwa-Zulu Natal. A few pictures from a herping trip to SA

Post by Jeffreyrichard »

Outstanding :beer:

What a great opportunity, and what a great series of photos. Thanks for sharing ...

The most awesome shot IMO is you with the Cheetah ... that must have been breathtaking ... what is the backstory with that cat? It is obviously tame (to some degree)
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KatiyaLilith
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Re: Kwa-Zulu Natal. A few pictures from a herping trip to SA

Post by KatiyaLilith »

Jeffreyrichard wrote:Outstanding :beer:

What a great opportunity, and what a great series of photos. Thanks for sharing ...

The most awesome shot IMO is you with the Cheetah ... that must have been breathtaking ... what is the backstory with that cat? It is obviously tame (to some degree)
It was a rescue/sanctuary place for large cats. Im not sure what the story was with the cheetah, the guide talked in the third person and we could not really understand anything. He'd just say stuff like : "Mishka say, chetah lick, you let chetah lick, chetah bite, no Mishka problem lol But that cheetah did seem pretty tame, he was mostly trying to get away from everyone
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