Good day all
I am currently completing my Masters degree in Environmental Management and my research focus is in reptile ecology at two Highveld Naure Reserve. My one research site is in the Northern Free State and the other in Gauteng.
On a day out, conducting research (in short, herping) I came across the game rangers telling me where all the reptiles are................... and there are lots! I wont say where but in literally 2 minutes I found 3 Rhombic Egg Eaters, 3 red-lips, 1 Spotted Harlequin Snake, 3 Thin-tailed Legless Skinks, 2 Bibron's Blind Snakes, a few Thread Snakes and 1 Cross-marked Sand Snake. This site is literally crawling with reptiles. You get your hot spots and your cold spots in reptile abundance even over a short distance, this site is a boiling spot there are so many snakes!!!!!!!!
The ranger told me 4 days ago that he caught a Rinkhals, Aurora House Snake, Brown House Snake and (Barrel Snake huh?). I will upload pics and post them soon. My research has changed from 'what's there' to 'what's not there' hahaha. Some rain has just fell so ill go out tomorrow again.
The egg eaters ate weaver eggs that I 'stole' cause the snakes were so skinny. These eggs were rather far in incubation but the egg eaters still swollowed the contents of these eggs. The one red-lip got a frog and another a chameleon of mine that died. Fattening these snakes up before I release them as winter is dry and harsh this site.