We went off to the Northern Cape for a two week butterfly survey for SABCA, and in 14 days we covered about 5100km. All in all, we got 50 species of reptiles with another possible 2 (posted later), and got probably about 200-300 reptile records which I still have to count and log. EVERYTHING WAS RELEASED and lots of DNA samples were taken of everything from Rhinotyphlops shinzi (Shinz's beaked blind snake) to a Psammobates tentorius (Namaqua tent tortoise). We also got at least 7 species of scorpions and about 60 species of butterflies. You very seldom find that the butterfly diversity is roughly the same as the reptile diversity, but the Northern Cape is one of the spots where this is often the case.
The thing I really noticed was how easy it is to poach many of these species, and how little value they have when taken out of their natural habitat. The Dasypeltis scabra (egg-eaters) there are all red with whitish blothes, very much unlike the ones we find here in Gauteng and further north. I cannot even imagine why one would keep that snake on a piece of newspaper, so please don't ask what their value is or where you can find one like that
So here goes: (I don't have a book with me so I can unfortunately not add the English names as I have no idea what they are)
Agama atra - Southern Rock Agama male
Chondrodactylus bibronii
Seeing as I missed the Afrikaans thread, I figured I'll show you what "Boegoeberg se dam" really look like
Wild ostrich nest
The worlds biggest smallest tortoise - a Homopus signatus (Namaqua speckled padloper) measuring 98mm, a full 1mm longer than the record in Bill Branch's book
Pachydactylus latirostris, Dasypeltis scabra, Bitis caudalis and Chondrodactylus angulifer
Size does matter: Homopus signatus, Bradypodion occidentale and Bitis cornuta
One of those creatures that catch snakes but eat them rather than pickle them...
An still unidentified Psammophis. It is either P.notostictus (which look quite different in that area) or a P.trinasalis (which may also look different there).
A gecko that was basking on a rock at about 15:00. No idea what it is though?
Scorpions (Please correct any misidentifications)
Parabuthus schlechteri
Parabuthus raudus??
Uroplectectes sp. with the use of a UV light (Possible U.carinatus)
Bitis caudalis - Horned adder
Chondrodactylus angulifer - Giant ground gecko