AFRICA
October 2014
2 of 3
AFRICA
October 2014
2 of 3
Most of the landscape we traveled was covered in mixed woodland and thorn thickets, but where there were
rocks, there were lizards.
I was particularly enamored of the charismatic Giant Plated Lizards. Two-feet long, they dominated the rock
piles, crawled where they pleased practically underfoot of the tourists, and generally disregarded the presence of us
humans, even during their most intimate encounters (see video).
Perhaps my favorite places in Kruger were the various blinds (which they call “hides”) where it was possible to
just sit and see what would come by. These were always placed by water, which naturally attracted all sorts of
wildlife, which naturally attracted crocodiles.
I found this behavior interesting. Watch how the crocodiles slowly move backwards, angling their bodies and
swishing their tails to drive fish towards the shore, where the crocs try to grab them in the shallows. And who knew
that storks were so bossy?
Our last few days were spent outside of Kruger, where it was safe to go for hikes. Some herps we found on foot:
Giant Plated Lizard
Gerrhosaurus validus
Rainbow Skink
Female (top) and Male (bottom)
Trachylepis quinquetaeniata
Variable Skink
Trachylepis varia
African Striped Skink
Trachylepis striata
Grey Foam-nest Tree Frog
Chiromantis xerampelina
Clicking Stream Frog
Strongylopus grayii
Bronze Caco Frog
Cacosternum nanum
Western Natal Green Snake
Philothamnus natalensis occidentalis
Painted Reed Frog
Hyperolius marmoratus
