Uganda Jaunt - a sequel

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Uganda Jaunt - a sequel

Postby zetik » Fri Nov 01, 2013 9:08 pm

Hallo all,
I'm currently in Western Uganda. I came across this forum when googling to ID some snakes here. A series of threads by 'Sico' described encounters with a huge number of snakes, dead and alive, and other forum members had provided fantastic support in suggesting/confirming ID's.
I'm wondering if I dare hope for a repeat performance although I have a relatively paltry collection of sometimes very poor photos to go on.
Coincidentally the area these snakes come from exactly the same areas that Sico was working in.
I have just about 3 or 4 snakes for which I can't get an ID...
I also have some good pics of snakes including cobras and puff adders which were easy to ID but maybe of interest so some members?
Here is the one unknown for which I have good photos as it was dead on a local road and I was able to pick it up and photograph it at leisure. It was under 1.2m.
I was also able to count scales - mid body scales 17, ventrals 192, sub caudals just over 90 pairs - see the marked count - I don't know exactly how to count when it comes to the caudal area - perhaps someone could help with that?
My guess from looking at some reference books is western beaked snake - a pic of Sico's seems to match also - can anyone confirm?

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Ah, just discovered the 3 file limit... if any other particular pics would help, I can post them in replies.

Cheers,

Z
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Re: Uganda Jaunt - a sequel

Postby Westley Price » Sat Nov 02, 2013 8:15 am

Hi Zetik

I recon your ID is spot on, Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus.

Us snake nerds always enjoy an ID challenge so please feel free to post any other unidentified (or identified for that matter) find you may get.

Cheers
"I am dying by inches from not having anybody to talk to about insects." - Charles Darwin
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Re: Uganda Jaunt - a sequel

Postby Kennyakagera » Sat Nov 02, 2013 9:20 am

Hi Zetik,
Where in western Uganda are you?
I second you on your Id, it seems to be Western beaked snake (R.oxyrhynchus)
Please post more picture of the area and herps.
Kenny.
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Re: Uganda Jaunt - a sequel

Postby zetik » Sat Nov 02, 2013 11:34 am

Westley, Kenny, thanks for quick replies!
We've had some help with some id's in the past from the folk at Bio-ken and someone at a local University, but don't like to annoy them with constant questions...
Well I'll jump straight into a more challenging one - just have the one picture someone gave me - it is disappearing into a box so only partial.
We'd settled on wolf snake for now?

20131008.JPG


Taken just in October.

We are in Lake Albert valley and pics come from a large area between Kaiso and Bulisa. All within a few km of the lake.
I'll get some pics to show the general terrain and vegetation cover - I'm sure it's helpful when considering the likely species.
I'll post some of the identified ones also, slowly. We are very busy and I'm a bit slow to resize and load them I'm afraid.

Z
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Re: Uganda Jaunt - a sequel

Postby Westley Price » Sat Nov 02, 2013 12:09 pm

Yeah that is a tough one.

Wolf Snake would be a decent guess, but it's quite hard to tell without a picture of the head.
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Re: Uganda Jaunt - a sequel

Postby zetik » Sat Nov 02, 2013 9:01 pm

Thanks, I'm trying to find out if more pics were taken of the 'Wolf Snake'... will post more if I can get them.

This one just popped up this afternoon - just taken some pics now.
around 35 cm long, I think mid body scale row count is 17, will check properly later or tomorrow.
Not attempted any other counts.
Very non-aggressive - few early snaps when had to grab it in a hurry but sweet to handle now.

We've had a lot of stripe bellied sand snakes - I see from threads on here and the lit that it is not easy to id them but the ones we've been getting I've been calling Northern Stripe Bellied Sand Snake as the bars on the head are about right, I think same species has been identified in some expert surveys in the area although range is not shown this far in the lit such as Spawls et al. But this one as you see is missing the bars and has discontinuous ventral side stripes on each side - tiny black dashes. Markings on the labials are very similar to the other sand snakes though.
So my guess - a Psammophis - no idea beyond that? I can get any pics that anyone thinks will help or will be of interest tomorrow with macro/Cannon SLR. These are just snaps from a little Panasonic.
P1000610.JPG

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z
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Re: Uganda Jaunt - a sequel

Postby zetik » Sat Nov 02, 2013 9:03 pm

Ah, don't know what happened there... top pic was supposed to be on the bottom and is the one taken through plastic...
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Re: Uganda Jaunt - a sequel

Postby zetik » Sat Nov 02, 2013 9:09 pm

A visitor indoors...

I don't know ID on any geckos, suggestions welcome...

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z
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Re: Uganda Jaunt - a sequel

Postby zetik » Sat Nov 02, 2013 9:16 pm

And some recent butterflies as I see some members are interested to see them...
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P1000526.JPG
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Re: Uganda Jaunt - a sequel

Postby Kennyakagera » Sun Nov 03, 2013 4:41 pm

The guecko is Hemidactylus spp. probably mabuya ?
For the snake definitely a Psammophis spp. and for the species I would say a juvenil mossambicus.
Kenny.
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Re: Uganda Jaunt - a sequel

Postby zetik » Sun Nov 03, 2013 8:35 pm

Thanks a lot, will do some more reading up in Spawls. The Psammophis had the 'sense' of being quite mature, and the olive sand snakes we've had and confirmed before have been much bigger, but you are no doubt right. Not obvious what else it would be. It's not at all bitey but then I think those behavioural traits vary a lot between individiuals in some species.
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Re: Uganda Jaunt - a sequel

Postby Kennyakagera » Mon Nov 04, 2013 8:18 am

Ag I have caught a lot of P.mossambicus in the area (Rwanda) and they really are reluctant to bite, they usually will be very "awake" and try to get out of your hands but they usually dont bite. Although bites happen and they make sure that you remember them !!
Juvenile Psammophis mossambicus are very calm and settle down well in captivity I kept a few over the year and release them back into the bush when nice and fat and full of energy to survive ;)
That guecko is 99% sure a Hemidactylus mabouia, very common by human settlement.
Kenny.
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Re: Uganda Jaunt - a sequel

Postby zetik » Mon Nov 04, 2013 9:59 pm

What's their recipe of choice out of interest (the mossambicus)? Found in an area wih plentiful population of frogs and lizards although many of these a bit oversize for the little pup.
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Re: Uganda Jaunt - a sequel

Postby Kennyakagera » Mon Nov 04, 2013 10:37 pm

Mainly young lizards, gueckos, and they also go for young frogs.
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Re: Uganda Jaunt - a sequel

Postby zetik » Tue Nov 05, 2013 7:24 pm

Two more unidentified then...
Just one shot of this one and I've no idea really but the body section seems very triangular so perhaps file snake?
2013-05-17 Snake Unidentified.JPG


Two shots of this one but looks like it was in a plastic bag so quality very poor.
Probably Olive House Snake?
19092013-Olive House snake.jpg

IMG-20130919-01783.jpg


Suggestions highly appreciated again.
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