Southern Africa (updated species names)

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Jacob
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Joined: July 1st, 2010, 8:07 pm

Southern Africa (updated species names)

Post by Jacob »

At the beginning of this year I was able to complete my Master's research and in the process learn the fine art of picking ticks off my body at all hours of the day/night.
Unfortunately, now that I am stateside again I am supposed to start writing up the results. With that being said, I apologize for not a more thorough explanation or identification of all the species.
Schismaderma carens
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Cacosternum sp.
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Amietophrynus gutturalis
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Depressingly, this is much of what I saw:
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Hemidactylus mabouia
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This was my residence for two months:
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My neighbors and daily roadblocks:
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Trachylepis striata
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Platysaurus intermedius
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Trachylepis margaritifer
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Lygodactylus capensis
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Kinixys spekii or natalensis
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Acanthocercus atricollis
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Sneaky lil croc
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Hemisus marmoratus
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Phrynobatrachus mababiensis
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Amietia angolensis
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These guys sure like the rocks!
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Kassina senegalensis
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Ptychadena mascareniensis
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Ptychadena anchietae
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Hyperolius marmoratus
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Hyperolius tuberilinguis
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A common sight around puddles near the river:
(Lycodonomorphus rufulus)
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Xenopus laevis
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Gerrhosaurus validus
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Trachylepis varia
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Amietophrynus maculatus
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Hyperolius tuberilinguis
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Female Trachylepis margaritifer
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Chiromantis
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Pelusios sinuatus
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"It's the best you can do." This became our motto at the research camp.
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Roommate
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Afrixalus aureus
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Afrixalus
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Dipsadoboa aulica
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Hyperolius pusillus
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Bitis arietans
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Prosymna stuhlmannii
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Dwarf Puddle
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Kassina maculata
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Rhinotyphlops schlegelii
Another researcher hit this bad boy sausage right in front of me! They were looking at birds...
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Panaspis walbergii
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Chondrodactylus turnerii
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Phrynomantis bifasciatus
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Afrixalus fornasinii
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Python natalensis
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Chiromantis
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Shameless shot of me with one-of-many V. albig's (never took an in situ)
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These guys would periodically graze meters from my tent
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Road-cruising would turn up long lost cousins of our targets
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Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia
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Normal night collecting dead snakes and "almost" dead snakes (File + Mamba)
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Lamprophis capensis
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Quick trip to Krueger
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Chameleo dilepis
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Back to work
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Cordylus warrenii
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The next couple of snakes were rescues from nearby villages
Naja annulifera
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Dendroaspis polylepis
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Back to work (theme here)
Telescopus semiannulatus
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I also should add that, though I thought I took pictures of a stiletto snake and a Prosymna sundevallii....I did not.

This is how much of my days were spent
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More rescues
Naja mossambica
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Me: "This mamba smells entirely too much like curry." and "These guys like twist up the hook!"
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Work again
Lycophidion capense
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Playing dead...not gonna fall for it
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Amblyodipsas polylepis
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I upgraded with a new mattress
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Helping out catch a few poatchers
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And then I see this to my side...
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Dasypeltis scabra
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Thelotornis capensis
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More shameless shots of rescues
Dispholidus typus
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More work
Leptopelis mossambicus
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Monster Marketing
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A not-so-wise owl
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Tomb bats
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I will try to add i.d.'s in the coming days.
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Rothdigga
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Re: Southern Africa

Post by Rothdigga »

Great stuff. Is this in/around KZN? Looks like some of the stuff I saw while there late last year. I unfortunately only had 3 days to spend there, looks like you had a bit longer.
Now when I see photos of a vine snake from SA I think of how bad their bite is. I'm used to seeing them down in Costa Rica where it's no big deal if you get bit. Quite different in Africa.
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Martti Niskanen
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Re: Southern Africa

Post by Martti Niskanen »

Not a bad place to do your MSc fieldwork. Can you tell us what you were working on?
Rothdigga wrote:I'm used to seeing them down in Costa Rica where it's no big deal if you get bit. Quite different in Africa.
Apples and oranges. Not much in a common name.
Jacob
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Joined: July 1st, 2010, 8:07 pm

Re: Southern Africa

Post by Jacob »

I was in Northeast South Africa/Swaziland for 8 weeks. I am looking at the different herp communities that reside in and around the sugar cane that shrouds the area.

Thelotornis capensis venom is not something to take lightly. Not only is it severely hemotoxic, but the thought of the local clinics ("hospitals") working on you should be even more of an incentive not to mess with the business end. I am pretty sure they would use any antivenin laying around not knowing there is no such remedy existing. A blood transfusion under those circumstances scare me more than skinny dipping in the Nile.
Y.Morgan
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Re: Southern Africa

Post by Y.Morgan »

Holy hell, you killed it - especially in only 8 weeks! I'm surprised there aren't more wows coming from the forum; it's probably because we're so biased toward the places we actually know something about and South Africa is such a long trip for many of us. I was lucky enough to make it there a few weeks ago (including a week in/near Krueger) and I didn't have nearly the success you did, at least not with snakes. But with all the amazing mammals, lizards, frogs, birds, pies, and biltong - it's hard to complain. :D

So, you found quite a few albigularis? Nice! What was your largest python? It looks like you had good luck with them, eh? Can't believe you had hippos hanging out near your tent...it seemed like locals were more afraid of them than anything except maybe mambas. Speaking of...was it difficult to tail that big mamba? Did you actually go on the rescues? What's the story with the leopard tort and eggs? Was she actually laying them on the road when she was hit? Reckon she'll survive?

Thanks for your post - it's really great!
York
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Antonsrkn
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Re: Southern Africa

Post by Antonsrkn »

Amazing finds, I'm very jealous you got to spend 8 weeks in such an amazing place. Great post!
Jacob
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Re: Southern Africa

Post by Jacob »

Y.Morgan wrote:Holy hell, you killed it - especially in only 8 weeks! I'm surprised there aren't more wows coming from the forum; it's probably because we're so biased toward the places we actually know something about and South Africa is such a long trip for many of us. I was lucky enough to make it there a few weeks ago (including a week in/near Krueger) and I didn't have nearly the success you did, at least not with snakes. But with all the amazing mammals, lizards, frogs, birds, pies, and biltong - it's hard to complain. :D

So, you found quite a few albigularis? Nice! What was your largest python? It looks like you had good luck with them, eh? Can't believe you had hippos hanging out near your tent...it seemed like locals were more afraid of them than anything except maybe mambas. Speaking of...was it difficult to tail that big mamba? Did you actually go on the rescues? What's the story with the leopard tort and eggs? Was she actually laying them on the road when she was hit? Reckon she'll survive?

Thanks for your post - it's really great!
York
I was very fortunate for the opportunity. The snakes were actually fairly difficult to find. As with any area, the snakes would appear in numbers then be non-existent for a few days.
The monitors were very abundant in both habitats. Not many animals can bring down a large niloticus or albigularis in a reserve lacking in large mesopredators!! The trick to catching them is to wait till the lizard runs off the road and hides. The hide spot is usually just a thick patch of grass or an acacia bush. Then you can just walk up and grab!
I think my largest python was around 4.5 meters and I lost it in the camp. The python ripped through the poorly designed sack I was using. I found a total of 30 pythons while there with most being newborns. I was hesitant at first to tail the mamba, but after chasing it around for a bit I and the snake were much more relaxed. The villagers heard what I was doing and I would occasionally get calls to rescue the snakes.
The leopard tortoise was in pretty bad shape and I imagine that a jackal or mongoose probably put it out of it's misery. I found her while I was road cruising and just missed the collision, but I assume she expelled the eggs in shock. Poor girl.

Thank you Anton for the comments.
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mrichardson
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Re: Southern Africa

Post by mrichardson »

Great post! A nice mix of herps, mammals, birds and food! South Africa is a fantastic country and you did well to see so much in such a relatively short time.
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TravisK
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Re: Southern Africa

Post by TravisK »

Talk about a lot of different species. I really enjoyed this thread, thanks for sharing it with us. :thumb:
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Sam Bacchini
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Re: Southern Africa

Post by Sam Bacchini »

Great post! Love the shot of the hammerkop.

I'm dying to know what Steers Monkey Gland Sauce Flavored Potato Chips tasted like.
Jacob
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Joined: July 1st, 2010, 8:07 pm

Re: Southern Africa

Post by Jacob »

gila-91 wrote: I'm dying to know what Steers Monkey Gland Sauce Flavored Potato Chips tasted like.
It was good. It was like a curry flavor. Appreciate the comments!
Y.Morgan
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Location: SW New Mexico

Re: Southern Africa

Post by Y.Morgan »

Thanks for your thorough reply! A great opportunity for sure! 30 pythons? That makes me sick! We found a grand total of 1 juvie DOR in about 8 days of searching on foot and by car, with 4 seasoned herpers searching quite hard at times. Maybe it was because much of our herping took place at designated survey sites that were selected based on various criteria rather than likelihood of specifically finding snakes. I thought many times that our luck might improve if we hunted closer to sugar cane fields, and in fact we did flip a 3-meter mamba under the only board we checked in said habitat. Our best day was probably a total of 3 snakes , but like I said - it was very hard to complain with all the other critters and beauty surrounding us.
Thanks again,
York
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Mike VanValen
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Re: Southern Africa

Post by Mike VanValen »

Really awesome stuff. I'm kind of obsessed with Africa at the moment. Thanks for sharing.
Durban Keeper
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Re: Southern Africa

Post by Durban Keeper »

Jacob you did really well. Let me know if you need any help on the ID's. Never nice to see a dead file snake, overall though your species count was incredible. I hope you had a great stay here!

Dean
Jacob
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Joined: July 1st, 2010, 8:07 pm

Re: Southern Africa

Post by Jacob »

Durban Keeper wrote:Jacob you did really well. Let me know if you need any help on the ID's. Never nice to see a dead file snake, overall though your species count was incredible. I hope you had a great stay here!

Dean
Thank you. The only one I really question is the dwarf puddle frog. What do you think?
Zach_Lim
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Re: Southern Africa

Post by Zach_Lim »

"Monkeygland Sauce is a restaurant item in South Africa. The tangy sauce is prepared in several manners, and may include a blend of fruit[1] and spices.[1] It is typically served with meats,[2] such as steak,[3] hamburgers, pork ribs or chicken. Several popular South African fast-food chains serve a Monkeygland Burger.

Despite the name, the sauce does not involve monkeys in any way.[4] Instead, it is made up of chopped onion, garlic and ginger, with a combination of chutney, soy sauce, mustard, worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and wine. At the time the sauce was developed there was a lot of speculation in the popular medical press regarding the use of monkey glands as a means of keeping young."

I was beyond confused at first!

Great thread! Loved all your finds.
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Martti Niskanen
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Re: Southern Africa

Post by Martti Niskanen »

Jacob wrote:INot only is it severely hemotoxic, but the thought of the local clinics ("hospitals") working on you should be even more of an incentive not to mess with the business end. I am pretty sure they would use any antivenin laying around not knowing there is no such remedy existing. A blood transfusion under those circumstances scare me more than skinny dipping in the Nile.
My gf worked at a clinic/hospital just out of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and I've heard some less than appealing stories about the level of healthcare and hygiene (from having chickens running around indoors to a doctor not treating an older lady because "she'll just die anyway"). And if it's rubbish in a large city, one can just imagine what it might be like in rural areas. Certainly wouldn't want to have a snakebite treated there. At least they have good, effective antivenoms for most of the significantly venomous species.

In the age of thatwitchshallnotbenamedbook and other social media, one can get a lot of info on bite cases, and most importantly first hand experiences and reports. You certainly get a lot of horror stories from SA. Doctors often know very well who to turn to for advice on snakebites, but often don't because of a know-it-all attitude, often resulting in mistreatment of bites or putting off starting antivenom treatment.

There was a bite case by a Thelotornis in SA earlier this year. Touch and go, but if I remember correctly, it resulted in a full recovery.
Jacob
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Re: Southern Africa

Post by Jacob »

Identifications added. Any disagreements are welcomed!
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Nick Evans
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Re: Southern Africa (updated species names)

Post by Nick Evans »

Great post! Some interesting finds there, and a nice diversity of wildlife too!

Thanks for sharing.
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