Black Beauty [P. cana]

South African snakes commonly known as non-venomous, including the Natal rock python (Python natalensis).

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Black Beauty [P. cana]

Postby glasbyb » Thu Oct 21, 2010 2:14 pm

I was recently working on Robben Island and came across this beauty. Interestingly almost every snake I have found on the island has had a stumpy tail.
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Re: Black Beauty

Postby glasbyb » Thu Oct 21, 2010 2:16 pm

The stumpy tail is also visible on this Olive house snake. I apologise for the picture quality, was taken with a cellphone.
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Re: Black Beauty

Postby eyed_lizard » Thu Oct 21, 2010 2:36 pm

...is it just me or are these snakes HUGE!? or is everything else just really small?
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Re: Black Beauty

Postby mailjvdb » Thu Oct 21, 2010 2:48 pm

Its all those invasive animals on the Island, Bunnys and what not. There's probably no shortfall of rats either(as is usually the case on Islands). Wonder how it affects the health of the animals being so fat(life expectancy etc)? The stumpy tail thing is interesting, predator related perhaps?
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Re: Black Beauty

Postby Bushviper » Thu Oct 21, 2010 3:03 pm

There are no predators on the Island except feral cats. There were some birds of prey but they were shot out many years ago. Most of the mole snakes on the island live off nestlings and eggs. As the cat population goes down the rodent population goes up and the mole snakes will breed better. It could be injuries from male combat.

I had a photograph taken many years ago (I think by Walter Rose) where they have two mole snakes of over 6 feet long (almost two metres) which came from the island.
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Re: Black Beauty

Postby eyed_lizard » Thu Oct 21, 2010 3:21 pm

...What are the temps like in winter there?
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Re: Black Beauty

Postby armata » Mon Oct 25, 2010 7:25 pm

This could well be damage from kelp gulls when the snakes were younger, in the mole snake's case anyway. Although I wouldn't put it past these gulls to take on bigger snakes. I have seen these gulls take snakes at deHoop, one even had a harlequin.
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Re: Black Beauty

Postby glasbyb » Tue Oct 26, 2010 8:10 am

I believe that the stumpy tails could definitely be from kelp gulls, there are loads of them and they are very opportunistic. The temperatures on the island are always a few degrees lower than the mainland due to wind chill and being surrounded by water. I have seen several birds of prey hunting rabbits and rats on the island but have not seen them hassle the snakes yet.
Interestingly the snakes seem more reluctant to bite than their mainland cousins and prefer to stick their heads below ground. This particular one saw me coming and put his head into a rabbit burrow leaving half the body exposed, this made it easy to pick him up and have a closer look.
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Re: Black Beauty

Postby Bushviper » Tue Oct 26, 2010 8:20 am

Your description of the snakes behaviour does seem to show that they employ this technique quite often and the gulls would then be able to attack the tails.

Are there still any Chukka partridges left on the island?
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Re: Black Beauty

Postby Rishaad » Tue Oct 26, 2010 12:20 pm

These snakes seem to be over indulging. LOL
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Re: Black Beauty

Postby glasbyb » Tue Oct 26, 2010 2:49 pm

I regularly see chukka partridge in the village area of the island.
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