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Reptiles & Amphibians from around KZN, South Africa

Posted: April 1st, 2016, 5:13 am
by Nick Evans
Hi all.

Thought I'd share some photos of some of the reptiles & amphibians I've been lucky enough to see over the past few months. Unfortunately I haven't been able to get away as much as I would have liked, but I did get to do some exploring in the KZN Midlands and Northern parts of the province (Zululand).

I'll start off with pics from where I'm based, Durban.

My absolute favourite snake, and a very misunderstood animal: Black Mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis). A juvenile specimen full of attitude.

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One of the countries most beautiful snakes in my opinion, the Green Mamba (Dendroaspis angusticeps). I removed this beaut from someone's car engine.

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Mozambique Spitting Cobra (Naja mossambica). I removed 3 juveniles from an office in Westville, in the space of 5 days.

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New-born Puff Adder (Bitis arietans)

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Adult male Puff Adder (Bitis arietans)

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Vine Snake (Thelotornis capensis) Wasn't keen on posing for me, so this is all I got.

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Southern Stiletto Snake (Atractaspis bibronii)

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Eastern Natal Green Snake (Philothamnus natalensis natalensis)

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Southern Brown Egg-eater (Dasypeltis inornata) in action! Yes, I fed it the chicken egg before releasing it, it wasn't raiding a chicken farm.

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Hatchling Flap-necked Chameleon (Chamaeleo dilepis)

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Critically Endangered Smith's Dwarf burrowing skink, (Scelotes inornatus). Turned a friends garden upside down to try and find one, but all I saw was what I though was a head, but it shot down into the sand. This specimen was caught by my friend the day before.

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Bushveld Rain Frog (Breviceps adspersus). Gotta love these guys!

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Endangered Kloof Frog (Natalobatrachus bonebergi), keeping her eggs moist by urinating on them. Lovely.

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Now some photos from Zululand...

The best sighting I have had in the bush: A young Southern African Python that snatched a dove out of the air!

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Snouted Cobra (Naja annulifera) I was up at Bhejane Nature Training, teaching the field guides about reptiles & amphibians. I heard one of the students scream from his tent. He had lifted up a pile of dirty clothes and found this underneath!

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Eastern Tiger Snake (Telescopus semiannualatus)

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Wahlberg's Velvet Gecko (Homopholis wahlbergi)

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The Endangered Umlalazi Dwarf Chameleon (Bradypodion caeruleogula)

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Knocking Sand Frog (Tomopterma krugerensis)

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Now for some pics from the Drakensberg and Midlands...

Rinkhals (Haemachatus haemachatus)

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Drakensberg Dwarf Chameleon (Bradypodion dracomontanum)

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Midlands Dwarf Chameleon (Bradypodion thamnobates)

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The highlight of the season for me by far, the Endangered Long-toed Tree Frog (Leptopelis xenodactylus)

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Yellow-striped Reed Frog (Hyperolius semidiscus)

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Hope you enjoyed the post!

Cheers,
Nick

KwaZulu-Natal Amphibian & Reptile Conservation
http://www.kznamphibianreptileconservation.com
https://www.facebook.com/KZNHerpConservation/

Re: Reptiles & Amphibians from around KZN, South Africa

Posted: April 1st, 2016, 8:55 pm
by Roki
Outstanding! Great photography and variety of species. Some of those snake shots are beautiful!

Re: Reptiles & Amphibians from around KZN, South Africa

Posted: April 2nd, 2016, 6:26 pm
by dwakefield
I'm pretty sure these are some of the coolest animals I've ever seen in a single thread.........nice photos and great animals!

Re: Reptiles & Amphibians from around KZN, South Africa

Posted: April 3rd, 2016, 2:01 am
by Nick Evans
Thank you guys :thumb:

Re: Reptiles & Amphibians from around KZN, South Africa

Posted: April 14th, 2016, 12:05 pm
by jgjulander
Fantastic report. I echo the comments of the others. Nice job!

Re: Reptiles & Amphibians from around KZN, South Africa

Posted: April 24th, 2016, 12:16 pm
by thereptileback
Nice Photos Where in KZN, I'm going to be in Durban in December. I'm looking for a good place to go field herping