Next Gen Herpetologist 
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This list includes all the green snakes that can be found in the Eastern Cape. Barring the boomslang (Dispholidus typus) and the many-spotted reed snake (Amplorhinus multimaculatus), all the individuals listed come from the genus Philothamnus and they are all closely related. In the Eastern Cape, the boomslang is not uniform green. Females are olive and males are green/yellow with black barring. Irrespective of this, the boomslang has been included at the end of… Read More
Western Natal Green Snake (Philothamnus natelensis occidentalis) Family: Colubridae. Scientific name: Philothamnus natalensis occidentalis (Broadley, 1966). Other name: Natal green snake. Size: 60-90cm, but can be as long as 130cm. Diet: Frogs, lizards and especially geckos. Description: Slender snake with a well-defined head, black eyes and round pupils. The body is Bright green to turquoise on top with a yellowish-white belly. The head and tail are usually turquoise green. Number of young:… Read More
This weekend saw Luke and I on the road again. This time we traveled to a far more magical place – Hogsback, the home of fairies, hobbits and more importantly, Natal black Snakes. We had been to Hogback several months prior and in the grips of winter, we had found many species from a large range of taxa. Last weekend held much promise because unlike last time, it was summer. We were… Read More
Listed below are the skinks that you are most likely to see or find in and around Grahamstown. Family: Scincidae The Scincidae family is considered the most species-rich lizard family in the world. In South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland combined, there are 59 recognized species and several subspecies. Skinks are characterized by shiny overlapping scales and a cylindrical, robust body. Most skinks also feed on invertebrates and irrespective of whether they have limbs or not,… Read More
Yesterday, Luke and I conquered tick bite fever and to celebrate, we ventured to Alicedale in search of the elusive berg adder, a species of dwarf adder which has not been seen in the region for over 75 years. To give context to the story, we had been in Alicedale one week prior and whilst we did not find the fabled berg adder, we did manage to find pepper ticks, lots… Read More
Cape Girdled Lizard (Cordylus cordylus) Family: Cordylidae Size: 13-19cm Life span: Up to 15 years in captivity Diet: Most insects, snails, millipedes and occasionally small amounts of vegetation Description: Mottled brown, often with pale dorsal stripe, they also have a spiny tail, are strongly keeled and have a yellow to dull red-brown belly Number of young: 1-3 per year Conservation status: Least concern Enemies: Many small carnivores, including: Snakes and birds of prey (especially… Read More
