South Africa Herping

Dedicated exclusively to field herping.

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Carlcia
Posts: 6
Joined: February 28th, 2015, 4:11 pm
Location: Louisville, KY/Cincinnati, OH

South Africa Herping

Post by Carlcia »

Hey everyone. I found myself in between jobs this winter, and like any sane herper, I decided to blow all my saved-up money on a trip to Africa. I stayed at the Kinyonga Reptile Centre (formerly "Khamai") for 6 weeks, relocating snakes from local houses and businesses along with caring for their collection. The guys there were awesome and the trip absolutely exceeded my expectations - we were doing relocation call-outs everyday, with the majority being Black Mamba and Boomslang. During those 6 weeks, I saw 18 different species of snakes (all wild, many of them were repeat offenders) and too many frogs to count.
I've included some pictures below, even though I only used a point-&-shoot camera. Majority of my field herping was done at night, walking along the sides of roads. I highly recommend anybody interested in a South Africa trip to hit these fellas up. If you would like to know more about the experience from an American's viewpoint, I'm more than happy to answer questions. [email protected] or facebook: Noah Carlcia

-- Enjoy! Noah

Python natalensis regurgitating during a call-out
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Parasites attached to the prey (a Nyala)
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Oliphant River
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Boaedon capensis
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Noah Carl with a hefty Naja annulifera
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Elapsoidea sundevalii
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Atractaspis bibronii
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Dasypeltis scabra
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Dendroaspis polylepis and Bitis arietans cuddling up (captive specimens)
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Amblyodipsas polylepis
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My buddy Silence with a Python natalensis
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Mehelya nyassae
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Thelotornis capensis
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Crotaphopeltis hotaemboeia
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Scelotes guntheri
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Damien Ellett with a D. polylepis
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Phrynomantis bifasciatus
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Chris Steenkamp taking a D. polylepis out of a tree in the middle of town
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Breviceps
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Chamaeleo dilepis
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Noah Carl with a Dispholidus typus viridis
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Crushed Naja mossambica :( ... luckily I saw a few live ones, too
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Chondrodactylus turneri
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Chris Steenkamp and Prince removing a retained eyecap on a Naja nivea
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Leptopelis spp.
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Megatyphlops schlegelii (formerly Rhinotyphlops)
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Pyxicephalus adspersus
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Crocodylus niloticus
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Solifuge
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Damein Ellett with N. annulifera
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Hyperolius spp.
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And I will end with a mammal
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Thank you for lookin at the post!
-- Noah
Kfen
Posts: 413
Joined: June 17th, 2010, 5:51 am
Location: CT

Re: South Africa Herping

Post by Kfen »

Looks like an awesome time! I think you made the right choice. How big was that python that regurged?
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PrimitiveTim
Posts: 154
Joined: September 8th, 2013, 9:05 pm
Location: Florida
Contact:

Re: South Africa Herping

Post by PrimitiveTim »

I've been to Khamai! Does Given still work there? Great photos!
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mtratcliffe
Posts: 533
Joined: January 19th, 2014, 4:34 pm
Location: Mt Laurel, NJ

Re: South Africa Herping

Post by mtratcliffe »

Awesome finds - thanks for sharing! I always enjoy seeing posts from Africa.
Carlcia
Posts: 6
Joined: February 28th, 2015, 4:11 pm
Location: Louisville, KY/Cincinnati, OH

Re: South Africa Herping

Post by Carlcia »

Thanks guys. Python was just under 3 meters (the Nyala was a newborn baby). Good to hear from a past Khamai volunteer! I feel more people should know of this place and this area if they are visiting Africa. Gavin doesn't work there still, but he calls the Centre concerning unwanted snakes from his new job down the road.
-- Noah
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