For those who enjoy looking at indigenous animals here are some pictures from the Soutpansberg. I am doing a long term biodiversity survey and have been finding some really amazing animals.
Highlights so far for 2015.
Platysaurus relictus, these are common and I see them everyday. They are really amazing lizards. Always a pleasure to watch. The colours on them are so bright. The images really don't do them any justice. They actively hunt insect and will investigate bits of fruit or any high sugar food (for example honey). Just all round great animals.
Smaug warreni depressus. These are also very common. They get big and can become very tame.
Gerrhosaurus flavigularis, the blue phase is the most common in my area.
Trachylepis margaritifer, these are very common skinks in the area. I found an unusual specimen, a juvenile without a blue tail, it is the first time I had seen one like this.
A common bushveld species whichis quite rare in my area is T striata. I have only seen three and all on apple leaf trees in a sandveld area.
Another lizard which is often seen is Matobosaurus validus. I sometimes see massive individuals. They seem to forage some distance away from where they sleep.
Spotted-necked Snake-eyed Skinks (Afroablepharus maculicolis) are common in the area. These lizards are really beautiful.
There are many gecko species in the area. The most common being Afroedura pienaari, Chondrodactylus turneri, hemidactylus mabouia (not pictured) and Homopholus wahlbergii. All four species live inside and around my hut. The afroedura and hemidactylus live side by side. The hemidactylus do bully the afroedura, but neither are dominant (if pressed I would say there are more afroedura in my hut). The boss is the Homopholus, they try and eat the others, I often see big chondrodactylus without tails and I suspect they got too near to a homopholus.
There are many of these Agama armata lizards. I have only seen A atra once and still looking for tree agamas which must be in the area. Flap-necked chameleons are common. At the right time of year I can find up to six in a night. Still looking for a dwarf chameleon.
We get both varanus species. Varanus niloticus being the most abundant.
The two types of tortoise we get are Kinixys spekii and Stigmochelys pardalus. The hinged tortoises are very common and the population density is high. But they are very particular about when they come out. The best time to see them is during or after a shower.
As far as snakes go, the area is good. The most common snakes are Psammophis subtaeniatus. It is not uncommon to see three a day.
Second most common is the Mfezi. Now that the weather is cooling down I am seeing four or five a week. In midsummer one a week is normal. I also found a skeleton of a juvenile, it is really interesting to look at the head, it is comparable to a mammalian predator of the same size (i'm thinking dwarf mongoose).
Python natalensis are not too uncommon. There is a lot of prey for them and a lot of good habitat (dassies). The big one pictured below was found at 1200 metres on a cliff.
Those are the most commonly seen species. I saw my first bark snake (Hemirhagerrhis nototaenia) in January. I have been looking for this species for long but could never see them (in the second image you can see for yourself how difficult they are to see). WIithin two weeks I got four. Funny how that works. The literature says these snakes rarely bite. I got bitten by the first one I found and feel that was lucky.
Philothamnus semivariegatus
Boaedon capensis
Myriopholis longicauda (Long-tailed thread snake). These are quite common.
Puff adder tracks are often seen and occasionally I get to see one. This was a beautiful juvenile I found one warm afternoon.
The boomslangs we get are this nice olive green colour. Unfortunately this snake was killed by a satanic fox terrier. This was a male.
The highlight for me this year was finding a nile crocodile in the sand river. It is a new record for the area and exciting because it is free roaming. I saw the animal for the first time a month ago and have been staking out the area regularly ever since. Last week it paid off and I got a few pictures.
That is it for reptiles. The rest is just some other animals in the area.
Opistophthalmus lawrencei
Greater Painted Snipe
Spiny Mouse
Selous' Mongoose
Large Spotted Genet
Thick-tailed Bushbaby
Bushpigs
There are many leopards in the area. This is a big tom that lives up in the mountains in a remote forest. I go there about once every two weeks and always see scat full of bones and blood, scratch marks and occasionally nice big fresh tracks.
Thanks for looking.
Ryan.
http://soutpansbergcbc.blogspot.com/