Scary snake - not!

Had a bit of a fright today. As hubby was about to leave after lunch he retreated into the kitchen and commented "That is surely a nasty one...???" I could tell it must be something serious so I shoo-ed the cat and dog inside and off we went to investigate. We found this guy/girl leaving the pathway.

Mole Snake (Pseudaspis cana) 

At first sight it seemed very black and shiny so we immediately thought that it might be a mamba. I e-mailed the photo to a local guy in town who relocates snakes and also consulted Google. Upon investigation we identified it as a Mole Snake, and as we have a lot of Mole Rats in the garden, we are content to keep it here. As the snake-guy commented, so many people would just have killed the snake, not worrying if it is actually there for a reason or in fact helpful to humans. 
Read some more about Mole Snakes here.

Kissing a Toad

Well, I did not actually kiss it, but I was so relieved to finally come across an interesting visitor in our garden, that I could almost kiss it! We had a very wet, harsh winter and did not spend a lot of time outdoors looking for wildlife.
This little guy is called a Raucous Toad, with the very nice Afrikaans name of the Lawaaipadda. A big thank you to Cape Nature who identified it for me. The name deriving form their loud continual call comprises short, rasping duck-like quacks, repeated incessantly at about two per second.

Raucous Toad ( Amietophrynus rangeri)

 Also read some more about them here.

The Bees Knees

When you sit still for long enough you're sure to spot a busy bee somewhere. We have a couple of local folk who keep bees and produce honey. Mmmmm! Did you know that bees are the only insect that produces food eaten by man? These little creatures are so beneficial and such an important part of our ecology, they are environmentally friendly and are vital as pollinators.

The Cape Bee (Apis Mellifera Capensis)

I found this 10 Amazzzzing Bee Facts which was just too cool to not share!


[Source: Today I found out]

Sticky fingers

While catching some of the winter sun this little fella decided to join us and soak up some of the rays too!

Cape Dwarf Gecko (Lygodactylus capensis)

Dr Jason Londt states: "Quite unlike the House Gecko, the Cape Dwarf is diurnal, which means that they are active during the day and so are usually seen basking in the open on bright sunny days. Although described as a large dwarf gecko the Cape Dwarf Gecko only reaches a total length of about 10 centimetres".

As geckos eat small insects and therefor help with natural pest control, we are happy to have this one around.

SSSSSSnake!

We were about to have a braai when hubby called me over to see what he found in the old ashes. Rolled up tightly was a little "Tabakrolletjie" (tobacco roll). He scooped it out, we snap a pic and let it loose into the garden.
Seeing as it feeds on snails, it is a wonderful addition to our veggie garden!

Takbakrolletjie (Duberria lutrix) Common Slug Eater

"When alarmed, the snake secretes a noxious substance from glands near the base of the tail and rolls up into a defensive spiral with the head in the middle, leading to the Afrikaans common name tabakrolletjie."

Read some more about it here.

Holy Moly - It's a Mole Rat!

Winter is in the air, the rain started and the grass is turning a beautiful shade of green. Our lawn looks lovely except for the molehills everywhere! Say hello to the little critter responsible for this:

Common Mole Rat (Cryptomys hottentotus)

The Common mole rat, Cryptomys hottentotus, is a burrowing rodent found in the continent of Africa, specifically in the southwest Cape province, South Africa. It is also found in Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The common mole rat belongs to the Bathyerginae family. Bathyerginae is monophyletic, with all taxa tracing back to one common ancestor.

Physical Appearance: The average body length of a common mole rat is 10.5 to 16.5 cm, the tail is 1.2 to 3.8 cm. The fur is thick with many different colors, with a distinct white spot on the head. The shape of the body is cylindrical with short appendages. Common mole rats also have chisel-like incisors that are used for digging.

Reproduction & Development: Common mole rats are characterized for having one reproductive pair, consisting of the largest female and male in one group. Mating occurs between the months of September and October. During this time, the female raises her tail and allows the mate to smell her genital region. The male then gently chews on her hind region, mounts and mates. The birth of offspring is restricted to the southern hemisphere summer period. The gestation period is about 81 days with 2-5 young per litter. The average age at reproductive maturity is approximately 450 days. Females maintain reproductive function during non-reproductive months.

Ecology: Common mole rats are fossorial mammals that can live in a wide range of substrates. They are herbivorous, mainly eating geophytes (plants with underground storage organs) and grass rhizomes. Common mole rats are very widespread, thus their abundance is not well known. This species shows signs of localization due to soil requirements. The pattern of burrowing systems for common mole rats optimizes their access to food, especially gephytes. Burrowing has a negative economic impact in that it damages human property but it is also positive in that it improves soil drainage and turnover.

Behavior: Common mole rats are social creatures that live in family units up to 14 individuals. They showcase eusocial behavior, which involves specialized behavior and cooperative care of the young. Younger mole rats would likely be workers and older mole rats could be casual workers. These workers, for the most part, burrow and forage, with casual workers not working as much as younger workers. The oldest mole rats are breeders.

Tunneling: Mole-rats have cylindrical bodies with short limbs to help inside of the tunnels. It has loose skin to fit in small spaces. Has hair behind its teeth to prevent dirt and soil from getting inside of the mouth. Loosens soil with teeth then pushes soil underneath its body with forefeet to the hind feet which kick it behind them.

Conservation: The IUCN Red List lists Cryptomys hottentotus as of Least Concern. Because of their dense and widespread population and their adaptability to pasturelands and rural gardens, their prognosis is a positive one.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_mole_rat

Slowly going somewhere!

Discovered this little fella in the garden passing through. I'm not entirely sure about the classification, but my best guess it that it is the Rooipens Tortoise. If we see it again we'll have a look whether it has a reddish underbelly which lends it the name "Rooipens".

Rooipens Tortoise (Chersina angulata)