Cape Rinkhals?

[Bushviper]

Walter Rose in his book The Reptiles and Amphibians of Southern Africa says .. the keeled scaled back is black in appearance with zig zag transverse yellow bars, belly black with one or more yellow or white bands or blotches across the throat, from which the name Ringhals {sic} (ringneck) is derived.

He was based in Newlands in the Cape and also says "We found 17 toads (Bufo angusticeps) in a specimen taken on the Cape Flats".

Now we know what the Cape specimens looked like.

[phish]

@phish any idea of the author? Sounds like a book i could use. Thanks guys, i really appreciate the feedback

Found it:

Wingate, Laurence. SNAKES ALIVE. Cape Town: Howard Timmins, 1967.

Good luck getting a copy though!

[atropos]

Thanks for the info. I'll try source both of those books. The description sounds similar to the individual found in somerset west at the end of 2008

[armata]

Guu - found it! The Guy at Gordon's Bay is Alex Krummenacher Apricot gardens Guesthouse 021 856 5421
cell 076 508 6484
e mail alex@apricotgardens.co.za

[atropos]

Awesome. Thank you! I'll call him now and see what I can find out.

I'm going to be making a poster to put up at nature reserves and in areas where Rinkhals could possibly occur. I'll make fliers as well to hand out to people in the surrounding areas. Suggestions by members on places to do this are more than welcome.

[atropos]

I just called him and he doesn't recall a Rinkhals. It was a bit difficult to communicate with him but he seemed to think that he has only seen mole snake, puff adder and cape cobra. Did anyone see the picture?

[atropos]

Hi again. One of my collegues spoke to a friend of his who says he has seen two Rinkhals on his parents property in gordons bay in the last five years.
I would still love to track down the photo of the one at the guest house if anyone has seen it.

[armata]

Quite a few of us saw that photo, I think maybe on his phone. I recall there was some interaction with a bird of prey. Surely, the guy will get back to you, he was very keen at the course.

jka informs me that when he was a little boy (littler than he is now) they had a rinkhals in the garden here in Oudtshoorn - so you never know!!

[nvlooi]

@ Guu-Exactly what area are you doing your work in?

[atropos]

@Armata, can you remember if it was the german guy who owned the guest house or his friend john (I think he said). The owner wasn't certain but informed me that his friend was the one more into snakes.
Nvlooi, the project is focussed within the boundaries of the city of cape town which extends from Kogelberg in the east, before you reach rooi els, up to around blouberg in the north and everything in between. This includes places like Kenilworth, Rondevlei, Tygerberg etc but not the table mountain range really as that is managed by sanparks, although data from it would obviously be useful.

[WW]

Here's a specimen from between Pearly beach and Elim that we got to see recently. Very nice animal!

[atropos]

Wow! Stunning markings. How did you come across it?

[froot]

That is pretty!

[westley]

I'm not a fan of venomous, but that is AWESOME!

Its pattern looks like a Carpet Python, haha.

In general, a gorgeous picture too. Well done.

[froot]

Morelia haemachatus