Namibian Field Herping Trip November 2016

Accounts and photos of non-captive reptiles in their natural habitat in South Africa. Try to record with your account details such as time of day/night, temperature, weather conditions, lunar cycle, sex, rough age of reptile, and so on.

View Gallery

Namibian Field Herping Trip November 2016

Postby Fooble » Mon Nov 21, 2016 9:08 pm

After a decent amount of planning in the beginning of the year it was finally time to head to Namibia.

Leaving my home city of Durban (South Africa), I travelled to Johannesburg and then connected to Windhoek, Namibia for the next 9 days.
Although there wasn't all that much time for herping days on end I certainly made the most of it. Hope you enjoy the images.

Trip outline:
Image

No chance the bags will get opened up to take a few things :lol:
Image

Bitis peringueyi - Peringuey's Adder.
Chamaeleo namaquensis - Namaqua Chameleon
Chondrodactylus turneri -Turners Gecko
Dendroaspis polylepis - Black Mamba
Dayspeltis scabra - Rhombic Egg Eater.
Meroles reticulatus - Retculated Desert Lizard
Meroles suborbitalis - Spotted Desert Lizard
Pachydactylus puntactus - Speckled Gecko
Pachydactylus maraisi - Marais's Gecko
Pachydactylus rangei - Namib Web Footed Dune Gecko
Rhoptropus barnardi - Barnards namib Day Gecko
Rhoptropus bradfieldi - Bradfields Namib Day Gecko

Just want you want to see when on a trip.
Image

The iconic snake of the Namib Desert. Bitis peringueyi - Peringuey's Adder.
Image

Image

Image

Image

Even when you're in the middle of nowhere news travels fast!
Image

The gravel plains with small shrubs dotted around it, home to Bitis caudalis and notable Chamaeleo.
Image

This was something I've always wanted to see since I was a kid. A dream find you could say. Chamaeleo namaquensis - Namaqua Chameleon
Image

Image

Image

They switch it up as soon as they venture onto the gravel plains
Image

Image

These are one of the most common geckos across Namibia Chondrodactylus turneri - Turners Gecko
Image

Image

They're fairly large robust geckos.
Image

Image

Image

Image

Behind the scenes
Image

Another extremely common snake across Southern Africa Dayspeltis scabra - Rhombic Egg Eater.
Image

Image

Small male
Image

Image

Towards Walvis Bay through Dorob National Park.
Image

Trying to catch these Meroles reticulatus - Retculated Desert Lizards is something else.
Image

Image

Image

This technique seemed to work rather well!
Image

The equally as quick Meroles suborbitalis - Spotted Desert Lizard
Image

Image

Classic sights, social Weaver Bird nests, Naja nivea are known to frequent these but I wasn't in luck this time.
Image

Found numerous individuals within a few feet fo each other under some rocks on the gravel plains Pachydactylus puntactus - Speckled Gecko
Image

Image

Image

Hatchling
Image

Adults
Image

Long days in the field when the sun only goes down around 20:30pm
Image

Another huge find for me on this trip was this nondescript little gecko Pachydactylus maraisi - Marais's Gecko.
Described only as recently as 2011 and renamed after one of the masters in Southern African herpetology Johan Marais.
Commonly seen benath small rocks amongst larger boulders:
Image

Image

Image

Image

In the middle of nowhere, or so I thought.
Image

Another Icon of the Namib Palmatogecko rangei - Namib Web Footed Dune Gecko

Image

Image

Image

Image

After 45mins in the sweltering afternoon sun chasing down this Rhoptropus I finally managed some photographs.
Image

Rhoptropus barnardi - Barnards namib Day Gecko

Image

Image

A little car trouble.
Image

Another common species that inhabits the large round black boulders along the coastline Rhoptropus bradfieldi - Bradfields Namib Day Gecko
Habitat:
Image

Image

Image

Unforynately darker specimen with lost tail.
Image

Image

Thanks for looking!

More images over on http://www.tyroneping.co.za
Organized crime comes in more forms than one.
User avatar
Fooble
Forum gatekeeper
 
Posts: 5319
Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2008 10:32 am
Location: Umhlanga, Durban - KZN

Re: Namibian Field Herping Trip November 2016

Postby Mitton » Tue Nov 22, 2016 8:36 am

Bloody hell, those pics are fantastic.
Looks like you had a great time, some nice finds.
www.moreliapythons.co.za
User avatar
Mitton
Forum gatekeeper
 
Posts: 3206
Joined: Mon Dec 04, 2006 12:32 pm
Location: Jhb

Re: Namibian Field Herping Trip November 2016

Postby IanM » Tue Nov 22, 2016 11:30 am

Great pictures, love the day geckos, they look like little dragons
User avatar
IanM
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 85
Joined: Mon Jun 10, 2013 5:33 pm
Location: Western Cape

Re: Namibian Field Herping Trip November 2016

Postby Westley Price » Tue Nov 22, 2016 12:06 pm

Awesome pics s always and a great selection of finds!

That P. maraisi is out of this world!
"I am dying by inches from not having anybody to talk to about insects." - Charles Darwin
User avatar
Westley Price
Forum gatekeeper
 
Posts: 4019
Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2008 8:25 am
Location: South Africa

Re: Namibian Field Herping Trip November 2016

Postby Fooble » Tue Nov 22, 2016 2:45 pm

Thanks Wes!

When you're out that part of the world go scratch around for the P. maraisi easy enough to get.
Organized crime comes in more forms than one.
User avatar
Fooble
Forum gatekeeper
 
Posts: 5319
Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2008 10:32 am
Location: Umhlanga, Durban - KZN

Re: Namibian Field Herping Trip November 2016

Postby Fooble » Tue Nov 22, 2016 2:45 pm

IanM wrote:Great pictures, love the day geckos, they look like little dragons


Cheers Ian, they put our Lygodactlys to shame they're huge.
Organized crime comes in more forms than one.
User avatar
Fooble
Forum gatekeeper
 
Posts: 5319
Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2008 10:32 am
Location: Umhlanga, Durban - KZN

Re: Namibian Field Herping Trip November 2016

Postby Fooble » Tue Nov 22, 2016 2:46 pm

Mitton wrote:Bloody hell, those pics are fantastic.
Looks like you had a great time, some nice finds.


Cheers man! Highly suggest heading out that side if you ever get a chance!
Organized crime comes in more forms than one.
User avatar
Fooble
Forum gatekeeper
 
Posts: 5319
Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2008 10:32 am
Location: Umhlanga, Durban - KZN

Re: Namibian Field Herping Trip November 2016

Postby Sico » Tue Nov 22, 2016 7:03 pm

Great shots and awesome species Tyrone. I'm planning a roadtrip from Jhb to CT via Northern and Western cape, back through the Karoo in Dec, so also hoping to find some interesting things.
Mark
Good judgment comes from experience. Unfortunately, experience usually comes from bad judgment.
User avatar
Sico
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 1092
Joined: Sat Aug 23, 2008 2:15 pm
Location: Randburg and the rest of the continent

Re: Namibian Field Herping Trip November 2016

Postby Fooble » Tue Nov 22, 2016 7:26 pm

Sico wrote:Great shots and awesome species Tyrone. I'm planning a roadtrip from Jhb to CT via Northern and Western cape, back through the Karoo in Dec, so also hoping to find some interesting things.


Thanks man!

Sounds like a good route for that time of year! Goodluck be sure to share what you find!
Organized crime comes in more forms than one.
User avatar
Fooble
Forum gatekeeper
 
Posts: 5319
Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2008 10:32 am
Location: Umhlanga, Durban - KZN

Re: Namibian Field Herping Trip November 2016

Postby Sico » Wed Nov 23, 2016 12:05 pm

Always! How do you know my posts... :p
Mark
Good judgment comes from experience. Unfortunately, experience usually comes from bad judgment.
User avatar
Sico
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 1092
Joined: Sat Aug 23, 2008 2:15 pm
Location: Randburg and the rest of the continent


Return to Indigenous reptile observation and identification

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests

cron