South Africa 2011

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

South Africa 2011

Postby Bastien Comment » Fri Dec 23, 2011 9:42 pm

Hi there everyone!

Here are some pictures that I've had the chance to bring back from South Africa where I've been with my father and brother from 26th of November to 10th of December so 2 weeks. First week was spent in Cape Town and second week was spent travelling to the East by car to a reserve north to Port Elizabeth.

As you'll see, I didn't find as many snakes as I would have wanted but out of the two that you'll find below, I've seen another beautiful one. I think it was a boomslang, it really looked like a Hierophis viridflavus when it escaped and I've seen some pictures of this kind of colourations with male boomslangs. As I've found the 2 last snakes less than an hour before we had to leave, I was quite frustrated to go "yet"... ;)

Anyway, enjoy and merry Christmas to all of you!!

Bastien
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First spot where I've searched for 2-3 hours with my father.
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My brother's hobby is golf and one day he was playing there and guess what?
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A Crossed Whip Snake (Psammophis crucifer) was waiting for him on the 2nd hole!
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Here, we've been with a guide in the area of Cape Town looking for snakes mostly. Unfortunately, there was quite some wind and we didn't find all what we expected. This is the 1st spot.
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2nd spot.
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This sand looks like snow.
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Behind the dunes.
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From right to left, Joris my brother, Jamie our guide for the day and me.
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3rd spot, a botanical garden at the bottom of a mountain.
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4th spot of the day.
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And finally, after a whole day of unsucessful snake searching, a Delalande's Beaked Blind Snake (Rhinotyphlops lalandei).
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Cape Point.
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Hmm, interesting...
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Damn, but where are they!! :-x
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This is in the area of Oudtshoorn, one of the places where we've stopped. I've been in places where there are mostly puff adders and Cape cobras but unfortunately, no luck.
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Another guide who helped me.
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We were driving from one place to another when two leopard tortoises crossed the road.
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We obviously helped them cross the road just before an impressive storm.
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Uh, is this really Africa? We've been surprised by the climate differences we've had: lowest temperature seen on the car was 14 degres (not sure at nights though) and the highest 34 degres!
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Another place where we've stopped, Plettenberg.
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Final destination, 2 days of safari in the Kariega Game Reserve north of Port Elizabeth.
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And finally, a snake! Probably a boomslang or a spotted bush snake (Philothamnus semivariegatus) but as I couldn't see the head and knew the place had more boomslangs, I didn't catch it.
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Re: South Africa 2011

Postby Bastien Comment » Fri Dec 23, 2011 9:48 pm

Not really herping but still worth a look I think ;)
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The great white!! This is at Gansbaai, 2 hours away from Cape Town.
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What an impressive animal...
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After the sharks, we've stopped at Hermanus and had the chance to see...
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...whales!
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Mossel Bay, we couldn't resist a second shark trip...bigger specimen this time.
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Re: South Africa 2011

Postby Andre Schmid » Fri Dec 23, 2011 10:04 pm

Great looking landscape and nice herps but I miss some venomous snakes :twisted:

Looks like you had a nice time in Africa ! Thanks for sharing.
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Re: South Africa 2011

Postby Bastien Comment » Sat Dec 24, 2011 12:05 am

Yeah I miss the venomous snakes as well. Everywhere we've been told that there were plenty of puff adders, Cape cobras and boomslangs but the weather hasn't been with us, there was too much wind and at the end, it was even fresh with some rain.

I put the same picture of the green snake but unzoomed (I've wrongly removed it from the initial post).
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Re: South Africa 2011

Postby Guillaume Gomard » Sat Dec 24, 2011 10:20 am

Hi Bastien,

It seems you spent a good time there. I'm happy to see such nice biotopes and animals (especially when we are in December!). Too bad you couldn't find any N.nivea, but this will be for next time ;). Regarding the last picture, it's hard to conclude based on this sole image, but I would choose for a Philothamnus semivariegatus rather than for a Boomslang (again, as you saw in more details the scales, maybe you will think differently). I guess that the "shark session" was also one of the highlight of your trip :!:

Have a Merry Xmas and thanks for those pics.

Guillaume
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Re: South Africa 2011

Postby Mario Schweiger » Sat Dec 24, 2011 11:46 am

You should have shown a thumb up pic with the Homopus aureolatus - instead of the everywhere pardalis ;)

Nice pics!

Mario
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Re: South Africa 2011

Postby Gabriel Martínez » Sat Dec 24, 2011 2:29 pm

Hi Bastien,

Very interesting trip. The first reptile looks similar to female Agama impalearis!!! :shock:

Incredible the nice sharks, whales... Great!

Cheers
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Re: South Africa 2011

Postby Bobby Bok » Sat Dec 24, 2011 2:47 pm

Those sharks are incredible! Sad you didn't find any Bradypodion species, would have loved to see some photographs of those but overall nice trip, your grasshoppers look like they are Phymateus morbillosus.
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Re: South Africa 2011

Postby Michal Szkudlarek » Sun Dec 25, 2011 12:35 am

Great blind snake and Homopus aureolatus. Browsing Your photos I rembered my boat excursion on Adriatic, bread was being thrown into sea to lure fishes for tourists. :x
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Re: South Africa 2011

Postby GertJan Verspui » Sun Dec 25, 2011 10:31 am

Michal, you should have thrown in meat and blood, the adriatic sea is a place where great white's are seen more often..
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