Reptiles of South Africa
Reptiles of South Africa - Tree Agama.
South Africa’s unique biodiversity allows for over 350 species of reptiles to thrive in the country. Reptiles are cold-blooded creatures who enjoy the South African sun and prosper in various regions of the country. South Africa is home to the richest diversity of lizards, snakes, crocodiles, tortoises, chameleons, and turtles on the African continent. SouthAfrica.co.za explains the life and times of the large variety of indigenous reptiles of the country in 11 official languages, providing descriptive information on their habitat, feeding and appearance.
The black mamba of South Africa is covered in grey to green gunmetal scales, which are smooth, with a pale-green underbelly. They have a distinct black mouth lining that gives them their name....
moreThe boomslang has large eyes with round pupils, that dominate the distinct head. This is a large snake whose scales can range from bright green, black, grey, red and orange....
moreThe brown house snake is distinguished by its uniform brown-reddish scales that turn darker as it gets older. It also has two yellow streaks on the sides of its very large head....
moreThey are found throughout the African subcontinent except for the Namib Desert. The Cape wolf snake is distributed throughout South Africa, however, they are rarely found in the Cape Provinces....
moreThe flap-neck chameleon is characterised by its large continuous crest containing small white, triangular tubercles that stem from the throat to the belly....
moreThe leopard tortoise lays between 6-15 large shelled eggs in a hole dug by the female. Which she refills and using her belly tramps down the soil. In South Africa, hatchlings weigh...
moreCrocodiles have been observed to use cooperative feeding behaviour, whereby a number feed together each holding onto the carcass whilst twisting around using their tails to tear off chunks of meat....
moreThe olive grass snake is found along the coastal regions in South Africa, mainly in Northern KwaZulu-Natal....
moreThe ornate sandveld lizard is found through Swaziland over the Lebombo Mountains into Northern Zululand and Mpumalanga and into Northern Gauteng....
moreThe puff adder of South Africa is a large snake with yellow-brown to light brown colour adorned with black pale edged chevrons dorsally and bars on the tail. It has a large triangular...
moreThe rhombic egg-eater only feeds on eggs. Its mouth is lined with ridges which aid the swallowing of the egg. Once the contents of the egg has passed through the stomach, the shell is regurgitated whole....
moreThe serrated hinged terrapin can be found in South Africa in region of Zululand, as well as in tropical East Africa and along the Zambezi River to the Victoria Falls....
moreThe snouted cobra venom is a potent mix of neurotoxic and cytotoxic cocktail, which results in tissue damage at the bite site and severe neurological disruptions throughout the body that can lead to...
moreThe southern tree agama can be found in South Africa on the coast of KwaZulu-Natal. It can also be found in Lobatse in Eastern Botswana, Ovamboland in Namibia, Ethiopia and throughout...
moreMales and females measure 140 to 160 mm in length, this tortoise is medium in size. The shell of a young Speke’s hinged-back tortoise has a zonary pattern...
moreThe spotted bush snake can be found in the northern areas of South Africa, stretching into the Kalahari and Northern Cape. To the east, it occurs in Namaqualand, and to the west in Port Elizabeth....
moreMale spotted thick-toed geckos measure 48mm in length, whereas females are 58mm. They are tiny, gentle creatures with fat bodies and rounded snouts. Its back is grey to...
moreThe striped skink is medium sized, both males and females measuring 60 to 90 mm. Their body colour differs between subspecies. They have a transparent window in each lower...
moreThe Sundevall’s writhing skink can be found in South Africa in the Kalahari Gemsbok Park. It occurs in Angola and Somalia, as well as in the northern regions of sub-Saharan Africa....
moreIn South Africa, the variable skink can be found in the southern regions of the Eastern Cape. To the west of the continent, they occur in Namibia, Angola and Congo, and through East Africa to Sudan and Somalia....
moreFemale southern vine snakes are 975 mm in length, whereas males measure 1062 mm. Its body is very thin and its tail long. The head is spear-shaped, and its eyes large with pupils...
moreMale and female white-throated monitors are 400 to 500 mm. It is a very large and stocky lizard with strong claws and limbs. It is a dark greyish-brown colour on its back, marked with five or six light yellow blotches...
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