Kokotsha - South Western Botswana

Accounts and photos of non-captive reptiles in their natural habitat outside of South Africa. Try to record with your account details such as time of day/night, temperature, weather conditions, lunar cycle, sex, rough age of reptile, and so on.

View Gallery

Re: Kokotsha - South Western Botswana

Postby Sico » Thu Mar 26, 2015 12:13 pm

Yeah Wes, been an awesome week, I'm super chuffed with all the fossorial stuff, and hoping to find some more. Just about everything I have found on this trip has been first time stuff for me which is excellent.
Regarding the Lygodactylus, I see in Branch's Snakes and Other Reptiles of Southern Africa, that L bradfieldii has a broken range covering mostly Namibia into the Kgalagadi area of Botswana, with an isolated population in far western Botswana/Eastern Zimbabwe, with a large question mark almost excatly where I am, whilst L capensis has a range south of thatgoing up north and east through Zim and Mozambique and into the Okavango delta almost encapsulating the range of L bradfieldii.

I have been out walking a LOT during the days and nights in all weather to try and find more snakes, was really hoping to find some B caudalis, as well as species of Ptenopus. The guys have mentioned that they have seen N nivea, and P. sebae natalensis, both with decent sized specimens in the area, which I would also liked to have seen. We had a small pack of Jackals in the camp last night, I didn't get any pictures though, will try tonight if the lights are on again and they are visible.
Mark
Good judgment comes from experience. Unfortunately, experience usually comes from bad judgment.
User avatar
Sico
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 1092
Joined: Sat Aug 23, 2008 2:15 pm
Location: Randburg and the rest of the continent

Re: Kokotsha - South Western Botswana

Postby Mitton » Thu Mar 26, 2015 12:20 pm

Awesome stuff man, very nice post!
www.moreliapythons.co.za
User avatar
Mitton
Forum gatekeeper
 
Posts: 3206
Joined: Mon Dec 04, 2006 12:32 pm
Location: Jhb

Re: Kokotsha - South Western Botswana

Postby Sico » Thu Mar 26, 2015 12:26 pm

Sorry I forgot to add a map to the previous long post
Image
Mark
Good judgment comes from experience. Unfortunately, experience usually comes from bad judgment.
User avatar
Sico
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 1092
Joined: Sat Aug 23, 2008 2:15 pm
Location: Randburg and the rest of the continent

Re: Kokotsha - South Western Botswana

Postby Sico » Thu Mar 26, 2015 4:34 pm

Found this Fork-marked sandsnake - Psammophis leightoni trinasalis today. Incredibly calm for a sand snake, didn't try very hard to flee, in fact I just picked it up by slowly moving my hand towards its raised head and gently grasping it around the neck. It tried feebly to get loose by wriggling once or twice then calmly just sat in my fingers.
Image
Image
Mark
Good judgment comes from experience. Unfortunately, experience usually comes from bad judgment.
User avatar
Sico
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 1092
Joined: Sat Aug 23, 2008 2:15 pm
Location: Randburg and the rest of the continent

Re: Kokotsha - South Western Botswana

Postby MrG » Fri Mar 27, 2015 12:20 pm

Nice finds. Thx for sharing.
_______________________________
www.photog.co.za
We make the moment last a lifetime!
User avatar
MrG
SA Reptiles Honorary Member
 
Posts: 1707
Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2005 3:00 pm
Location: West-Rand

Re: Kokotsha - South Western Botswana

Postby Sico » Sat Mar 28, 2015 11:54 am

Dawn and dusk in Africa are unique across the world and never cease to inspire awe.
Image

Moon last night
Image

I was supper excited to find my first Shield nosed snake - Aspidelaps scutatus scutatus (albeit a baby one) trying to climb over the small step into my room whilst I was working at my desk. It put up a brave show (like most small Naja and Heamachatus) with plenty of hissing and lunging at the camera.
Image
Image
Mark
Good judgment comes from experience. Unfortunately, experience usually comes from bad judgment.
User avatar
Sico
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 1092
Joined: Sat Aug 23, 2008 2:15 pm
Location: Randburg and the rest of the continent

Re: Kokotsha - South Western Botswana

Postby reptile » Sat Mar 28, 2015 12:08 pm

Beautiful Snake! Is'nt it weird... each time you go looking for herps they are never there, then you go sit down somewhere to do something else and then something suddenly apears...
85% of all snakes are harmless!!!!
0:1 Super Hypo Leopard Gecko
God made everything... It's all to perfect for it to be able to just appear
User avatar
reptile
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 409
Joined: Mon May 05, 2014 1:08 pm
Location: Kandern, Germany

Re: Kokotsha - South Western Botswana

Postby Sico » Sat Mar 28, 2015 12:20 pm

I hear you, but I seem to be able to always find them without too much effort.
Mark
Good judgment comes from experience. Unfortunately, experience usually comes from bad judgment.
User avatar
Sico
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 1092
Joined: Sat Aug 23, 2008 2:15 pm
Location: Randburg and the rest of the continent

Re: Kokotsha - South Western Botswana

Postby Ruan Stander » Sun Mar 29, 2015 5:41 pm

Great post, thanks for sharing.
Love the geckos and little boomslang. Really gorgeous puff adder and house snake as well.
The way to success has no shortcuts.
Ruan Stander
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 1008
Joined: Thu Mar 29, 2012 5:25 pm
Location: Mookgopong/Modimolle(Naboomspruit/Nylstroom)

Re: Kokotsha - South Western Botswana

Postby Bushviper » Sun Mar 29, 2015 7:58 pm

If you can grab tail tips and some nice photos of the exact specimens of Lygodactylus I am sure Bill Branch will be very grateful. The tail tips have to go into alcohol but I am sure you can either freeze them or squeeze some out of webcol swabs and just seal them in a small plastic bag.
It is easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

Those who are afraid to ask are ashamed of learning.
User avatar
Bushviper
Founder Member
 
Posts: 17358
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2005 10:02 am
Location: Pretoria

Re: Kokotsha - South Western Botswana

Postby Sico » Mon Mar 30, 2015 11:22 am

The last of the pics from this site for a while.

Unidentified Longhorn - looks similar to Dirphya sp
Image

Dotted veld antlion eating a moth. I wasn't aware that they preyed on other insects like dargonflies do.
Image

One of the dropwing dragonflies - Trithemys sp
Image
Mark
Good judgment comes from experience. Unfortunately, experience usually comes from bad judgment.
User avatar
Sico
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 1092
Joined: Sat Aug 23, 2008 2:15 pm
Location: Randburg and the rest of the continent

Re: Kokotsha - South Western Botswana

Postby Sico » Mon Mar 30, 2015 12:41 pm

Just found this strikingly and interestingly coloured Solifugid
Image
Image

It wasn't very large, and surprisingly sat still for some time whilst I got very close and took pictures. It didn't even zoom off when I poked it gently with a twig, but it did try and bite the twig.
I have seen a couple of these out here, but a very tiny species, which were far too fast to try and get pictures of.
Mark
Good judgment comes from experience. Unfortunately, experience usually comes from bad judgment.
User avatar
Sico
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 1092
Joined: Sat Aug 23, 2008 2:15 pm
Location: Randburg and the rest of the continent

Previous

Return to Exotic reptile observation records

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests

cron