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Tanzania herpeto

PostPosted: Mon Nov 13, 2017 10:03 am
by André Van Hecke
Dear Members,
If you like to see the herpeto result of my South Tanzanian safaria, see http://www.freanonherping.be/watisnew.htm
Friendly greetings
André
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315 (Small).JPG (104.14 KiB) Viewed 4693 times

Triceros tempeli - Tubercle-nosed Chaleleon

Re: Tanzania herpeto

PostPosted: Mon Nov 13, 2017 10:34 am
by Pablo Deschepper
Thanks for sharing! Nice that you were able to see a black mamba!

Re: Tanzania herpeto

PostPosted: Fri Nov 17, 2017 9:43 pm
by Ruggero M.
Pablo Deschepper wrote:Thanks for sharing! Nice that you were able to see a black mamba!


Seen, but not photographed? Or yes? How was the encounter? 8-)

Re: Tanzania herpeto

PostPosted: Sat Nov 18, 2017 11:17 am
by André Van Hecke
I have not observed the black mamba alive. I striped her on my list because I found her ecdysis. I used the key for the determination and our guide confirmed it. You can argue this notition but for me it is interesting to have a notice of the habitat and the scale counting.

Re: Tanzania herpeto

PostPosted: Sat Nov 18, 2017 2:37 pm
by Ruggero M.
André Van Hecke wrote:I have not observed the black mamba alive. I striped her on my list because I found her ecdysis. I used the key for the determination and our guide confirmed it. You can argue this notition but for me it is interesting to have a notice of the habitat and the scale counting.


Thanks! I don't argue your notice: on the contrary, an ecdysis means the presence of at least one living specimen, while a dead specimen could be (theoretically) the last one of that area or even the last one of the whole world... ;)

Re: Tanzania herpeto

PostPosted: Sat Nov 18, 2017 3:13 pm
by Michal Szkudlarek
Ruggero Morimando wrote:
André Van Hecke wrote:I have not observed the black mamba alive. I striped her on my list because I found her ecdysis. I used the key for the determination and our guide confirmed it. You can argue this notition but for me it is interesting to have a notice of the habitat and the scale counting.


Thanks! I don't argue your notice: on the contrary, an ecdysis means the presence of at least one living specimen, while a dead specimen could be (theoretically) the last one of that area or even the last one of the whole world... ;)

It could theoretically also be that the snake which left the ecdysis is dead and there are no other snakes alive around :P

Re: Tanzania herpeto

PostPosted: Sat Nov 18, 2017 3:49 pm
by Ruggero M.
Michal Szkudlarek wrote:
Ruggero Morimando wrote:
André Van Hecke wrote:I have not observed the black mamba alive. I striped her on my list because I found her ecdysis. I used the key for the determination and our guide confirmed it. You can argue this notition but for me it is interesting to have a notice of the habitat and the scale counting.


Thanks! I don't argue your notice: on the contrary, an ecdysis means the presence of at least one living specimen, while a dead specimen could be (theoretically) the last one of that area or even the last one of the whole world... ;)

It could theoretically also be that the snake which left the ecdysis is dead and there are no other snakes alive around :P


Yes Michal. I should have written: "living specimen when it was in ecdysis process..." :lol:
But your observation is valid also if you see a living specimen: you cannot know whether in a few minutes it will be killed or not by a predator or a car...
In the books we couldn't then write: "in Italy lives Podarcis muralis" but only "the last known observation of P.muralis in Italy was 2 days ago..."
:cry: :lol:
Ok we are still with paradoxes...
But the difference of a dead specimen from a living one or a fresh ecdysis is clear: a dead snake is dead, a snake seen alive or an ecdysis means that the presence of at least one living specimen (= that specimen) is possible...

Re: Tanzania herpeto

PostPosted: Fri Nov 24, 2017 12:33 pm
by Berislav Horvatic
Ruggero Morimando wrote:In the books we couldn't then write: "in Italy lives Podarcis muralis" but only
"the last known observation of P.muralis in Italy was 2 days ago..."
:cry: :lol:

Both in science and in “everyday life” one supposes some reasonable continuity.
Unless a really big asteroid hits the Earth, and exterminates most of the species,
including us, it’s a reasonable assumption. David Hume would disagree, of course,
but purely theoretically... A never resolved philosophical issue, till the present
day... But I'd bet that even Hume, "privately", not philosophically, would expect
the sun to rise next morning, almost certainly, 99.9999 %, unless... see above.