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.

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.

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)