Northern KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

For your reports/images, made outside Europe and the "Mediterranean" countries. Not to be too narrow minded and limited to our European/Mediterranean herps.

Northern KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

Postby Nick Evans » Thu Feb 05, 2015 1:13 pm

Hi all

My name is Nick Evans, I'm from Durban, South Africa. I have recently moved up into Northern KwaZulu Natal to live and work. At the moment I'm doing freelance work, such as guiding, snake removals etc.

Over the past month and a bit I've been lucky enough to find some amazing reptile and amphibian species. It's such an amazing part of the world, with so much to see and such a high level of diversity. It wasn't just reptile sightings that have been great!

It's been a pretty dry summer, all though we did have quite a bit of rain recently which brought out a few fossorial species as well as many frog species. Most of the species found were found while road cruising, and a few were removed from farms.

Eastern Purple-Glossed Snake (Amblyodipsas microphthalma microphthalma)

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Common Purple-glossed Snake (Amblyodipsas polylepis polylepis)

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Jan's Shovel-snout (Prosymna janii)

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East African Shovel-snout (Prosymna stuhlmannii)

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Transvaal Quill-snouted Snake (Xenocalamus transvaalensis)

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Variegated Slug-eater (Duberria variegate)

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Common Wolf Snake (Lycophidion capense)

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Rhombic Egg-eater (Dasypeltis scabra)

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Herald Snake (Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia)

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Schlegel's Blind Snake (Megatyphlops schlegelii)

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Eastern Natal Green Snake (Philothamnus natalensis natalensis)

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Southern African Python (Python natalensis)

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Forest Cobra (Naja melanoleuca)

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Snouted Cobra (Naja annulifera)

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Mozambique Spitting Cobra (Naja mossambica)

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Vine Snake (Thelotornis capensis)

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Puff Adder (Bitis arietans)

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Van Dam's Dwarf Worm Lizard (Zygaspis vandami)

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Eastern Sand Skink (Trachylepis depressa)

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Rock Monitor (Varanus albigularis)

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Transvaal Girdled Lizard (Cordylus vittifer)

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Flap-necked Chameleon (Chamaeleo dilepis)

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Eastern Hinged-back Tortoise (Kinixys zombensis)

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Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus)

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African Bullfrog (Pyxicephalus edulis)

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Red-legged Kassina (Kassina maculata)

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Bubbling Kassina (Kassina senegalensis)

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Mozambique Rain Frog (Breviceps mossambicus)

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Bronze Caco (Cacosternum nanum)

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Broad-banded Grass Frog (Ptychadena mossambica)

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Mottled Shovel-nosed Frog (Hemisus marmoratus)

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I do snake removals in and around the area of Hluhluwe. I've had some pretty adventurous ones so far! A lot of the time I'd like to leave the snake alone, but the farmers will kill them if I don't remove them.

I got a call to remove a Forest Cobra that was in a hollow tree. It was tricky enough to get it out, but I soon painfully discovered the tree was occupied by a swarm of bees! Luckily a staff member at the lodge had a bee suit, but only the top half! It was a lot of fun...

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Another call for a Forest Cobra high up a tree...

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And a female Boomslang, also up a tree!

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Game viewing isn't too bad either....

Black Rhino on the Eastern Shores of Isimangaliso Wetland Park.

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Boat rides on the St.Lucia estuary allow you to get close to hippos, Nile Crocodiles, and birds.

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Yellow Weaver

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Egyptian Geese and Woolly-necked Storks

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White Rhino in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve

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Wild Dogs

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Elephants in Tembe Elephant Park

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Nyala's at Mkhuze Game Reserve

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Warthog family

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Hippo at Muzi Pan just outside of Mkhuze

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Ndumo Game Reserve...

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Pelicans at Ndumo

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If anyone's keen on visiting the area, give me a shout!

Hope you enjoyed reading this post.
Nick Evans
 
Posts: 52
Joined: Thu Feb 05, 2015 12:55 pm
Hometown: Durban
country: Africa

Re: Northern KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

Postby Andre Schmid » Thu Feb 05, 2015 1:26 pm

Great post with a great variety of species, including some really nice venomous snakes...thanks for sharing !
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Re: Northern KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

Postby Peter Oefinger » Thu Feb 05, 2015 3:27 pm

Nick Evans wrote:Game viewing isn't too bad either....
Haha!
Impressive pictures - thanks for sharing.
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Re: Northern KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

Postby Jürgen Gebhart » Thu Feb 05, 2015 3:33 pm

WOW! Awesome pics!!!
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Re: Northern KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

Postby Niklas Ban » Thu Feb 05, 2015 5:39 pm

Amazing! The Najas are very impressive. :!:
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Re: Northern KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

Postby Frédéric Seyffarth » Thu Feb 05, 2015 9:32 pm

Right!
Beautiful pics! But it seems that you have a guest on your sensor? Or in one of your lens...it's a little pity as your photo are great!
Thanks for sharing! :-)

Regards

Fred
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Re: Northern KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

Postby Nick Evans » Fri Feb 06, 2015 8:04 am

Thanks everyone! Really appreciate it.

Frédéric Seyffarth- Yes, a little insect found his way onto my sensor :evil: Up there in the bush it's not so easy to get it fixed! I managed to send it to Durban and it took 5 minutes to get the little bug off. Pity!
Nick Evans
 
Posts: 52
Joined: Thu Feb 05, 2015 12:55 pm
Hometown: Durban
country: Africa

Re: Northern KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

Postby Mario Schweiger » Fri Feb 06, 2015 9:51 am

Welcome here in the Forum, Nick ;)
Great pics, like all the others wrote.
Hope to see more!

Mario
Mario (Admin)

Please visit also my personal Herp-site vipersgarden.at
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Re: Northern KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

Postby Rémon ter Harmsel » Fri Feb 06, 2015 12:44 pm

Welcome! Great pics! Been lucky enough to visit KZN and Hluhluwe in 2008, awesome area :D
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Re: Northern KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

Postby Nick Evans » Fri Feb 06, 2015 1:20 pm

Thank you for the welcoming and compliments :)
Nick Evans
 
Posts: 52
Joined: Thu Feb 05, 2015 12:55 pm
Hometown: Durban
country: Africa

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