Zululand finds!

[Nick Evans]

I've been lucky enough to spend quite a bit of time in Zululand over the past few months, mainly at Umkhumbi Lodge in Hluhluwe, and Amangwane in Kosi Bay, but I also visited St.Lucia and the Ongoye Forest. Managed to find some interesting things...

Intermediate Shield-nose Snake (Aspidelaps scutatus intermedius). The last snake I expected to see in KZN! Definitely the highlight of the year for me so far, and I think it may stay that away!





East-African Egg-eater (Dasypeltis medicii)





East-African Shovel-snout (Prosymna stuhlmanii)





Marbled Tree Snake (Dipsadoboa aulica)





Common Purple-glossed Snake (Amblyodipsas polylepis)





Southern Stiletto Snake (Atractaspis bibronii)





Olive Grass Snake (Psammophis mossambicus)





Herald Snake (Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia)



Snouted Cobra (Naja annulifera)



Juvenile



Forest Cobra (Naja melanoleuca)



Mozambique Spitting Cobra (Naja mossambica)



Puff Adder (Bitis arietans)



Brown Water Snake (Lycodonomorphus rufulus) eating a Painted Reed Frog (Hyperolius marmoratus taeniatus)



Some interesting but sad DOR's...

Floodplain Water Snake (Lycodonomorphus obscuriventris)



Decoster's Garter Snake (Elapsoidea sundevalli decosteri)



Umlalazi Dwarf Chameleon (Bradypodion caeruleogula)



Setaro's Dwarf Chameleon (Bradypodion setaroi)



Giant Legless Skink (Acontius plumbeus)





Wahlberg's Snake-eyed Skink (Panaspis wahlbergi)



Van Dam's Round-headed Worm Lizard (Zygaspis vandami)





Rock Monitor (Varanus albigularis)



Pickersgill's Reed Frog (Hyperolius pickersgilli)



Argus Reed Frog (Hyperolius argus)



Delicate Leaf-folding Frog (Afrixalus delicatus)



Red-legged Kassina (Kassina maculata)



Bushsqueaker (Arthroleptis wahlbergi)



Carrion Beetles eating a Rock Monitor



Ongoye Forest



Isimangaliso Wetland Park



View from Bat's Cave



Inside the cave...



False Bay



Kosi Bay



Working with the Blue Planet film crew filming Spitters in Hluhluwe.



Definitely my favourite part of the world!

[ENZO]

Brilliant pics.

Love the Egg eater

[Mehelya]

Awesome pics, Nick. Amazing find with that Aspidelaps. How far out of recorded range is it, if I may ask, without giving away locality? Sure those DORs will be live next time.

[Nick Evans]

Thanks!

Mehelya, I'm not too sure. They've been recorded in Swaziland, this one was about 200km's from there. I think one may have been found near Pongola in the 60's. This one wasn't as far inland as that.

[Westley Price]

Great finds and great pics!

The Bradypodion and Zygaspis are awesome finds! Well, they're all awesome finds, but those are my favourites.

Thanx for sharing.

Out of interest, does anyone know whether the new genera (or rather subgenera) for cobras is accepted yet? If it has, then your Snouted Cobra would be Uraeus annulifera, your Forest Cobra would be Boulengerina melanoleuca and the Mozam would be Afronaja mossambica. All three new subgenera in one trip, how crazy is that, haha.

[Nick Evans]

Thanks Westley!

Wow, I haven't heard of the new genera for cobras! Wish they would stop changing these sort of things!

[Fooble]

Beats of a thread!

Nicely done Nickhead! Some stellar finds in the mix!

[Serpent]

Outstanding as always Nick!