Heartbreaking Road Trips

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Re: Heartbreaking Road Trips

Postby Pythonodipsas » Sat Oct 10, 2009 6:32 pm

Yeah it is a harsh reality. Its also terrible when you see a gravid snake - I once got out to inspect a roadkilled many horned adder (cornuta) and it was split open and i counted 3 babies.
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Re: Heartbreaking Road Trips

Postby Mongoose » Sat Oct 10, 2009 8:14 pm

What gets killed on tar roads is just the tip of the iceberg. What researchers collect for voucher specimens is even less than what gets killed on roads.. I can almost guarantee that this does not really affect populations, although to some people it is very sad.

We have also driven over our fair share of herpetofauna.
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Re: Heartbreaking Road Trips

Postby armata » Sun Oct 11, 2009 12:07 am

Roadkills in protected areas is unforgiveable - West Coast nat Park and deHoop, although I hope the signs are helping.
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Re: Heartbreaking Road Trips

Postby Bushviper » Sun Oct 11, 2009 6:38 am

Mongoose wrote:What gets killed on tar roads is just the tip of the iceberg. What researchers collect for voucher specimens is even less than what gets killed on roads.. I can almost guarantee that this does not really affect populations, although to some people it is very sad.


What I hope is that at least some of the road kills are collected for DNA or when in good shape even as specimens especially rare species or unusual encounters. I was often told "If I dont want it rather let me throw it away than you decide when standing next to the road". That forced me to bring back box loads of frozen stuff and much of that is still in the Transvaal Museum today. Very little was ever thrown away. If it had started decomposing that seemed to be the only reason.
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Re: Heartbreaking Road Trips

Postby armata » Mon Oct 12, 2009 11:17 am

DORs can also reveal surprises - a collegue last year found a DOR fisks at the entrance of Karoo Nat Park, Beaufort West.
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Re: Heartbreaking Road Trips

Postby Rob » Mon Oct 12, 2009 11:22 am

We came across a DOR Black Mamba once at the entrance to a game farm near Hoedspruit. The guard at the gate said one of the guests had arrived from wherever they lived and when they opened the boot there was a BM inside. They murdered it and tossed it onto the road for some odd reason. Of no scientific value of course but figured it was interesting enough to post.
Oddly, 1m away from the corpse was a DOR A. s. intermedius
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Re: Heartbreaking Road Trips

Postby Mongoose » Mon Oct 12, 2009 12:07 pm

Yes, DORS are just as important as live specimens.

We once collected a Leptotyphlops sp. in the stomache of Psammophis brevirostris which was DOR.
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Re: Heartbreaking Road Trips

Postby armata » Tue Oct 13, 2009 9:56 am

Here a young Cape cobra squished at DeHoop while eating a slug-eater, how tough is that? But useful info.

Image
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Re: Heartbreaking Road Trips

Postby JPWittstock » Thu Oct 15, 2009 10:21 am

More carnage yesterday
Picture-004.gif

Picture-002.gif


I am in agreement with BV on this one, if it is on the road then it is fair game.
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Re: Heartbreaking Road Trips

Postby JPWittstock » Thu Oct 15, 2009 10:24 am

Sorry about the picture quality, but to downsize from 5.3mb to a poultry 97kb is not condusive to great picture viewing.
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Re: Heartbreaking Road Trips

Postby Rishaad » Thu Oct 15, 2009 11:56 am

What species are these JP. The top one looks like dendrosapis.
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Re: Heartbreaking Road Trips

Postby JPWittstock » Thu Oct 15, 2009 2:45 pm

Rishaad,
Top one is female Boomslang and second is olive grass snake.

Byron,
Thanks for the correction: A paltry, as apposed to a poultry, 97kb. The fact that we have to downsize that much is fowl, I mean foul.
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