March 2006     

Date: Date: 14 - 22 December 2005
Locality: Locality: NE of Groblershoop, Northern Cape, on farms Blackridge, Koedoesnek and Vaalkop.

Trap array on a hillside.

Trap array under a copse of acacias, alongside a drainage line.

SARCA Team 4:
Marius Burger: SARCA Project Herpetologist.
Donovan du Toit and Robert James: two head-bangers who had just matriculated, and set out on a SARCA expedition to celebrate the conclusion of their school years. Both have been snake enthusiasts for several years, and they work part-time at the Durban Snake Park.

SARCA Team 4: Robert and Donovan.

Marius's comments:

Well I suppose not all trips can be highly successful, and SARCA 4 proved to be a case in point. We managed to record only 24 reptile species during the 10-day surveying effort (see checklist below). This was quite a bit lower than the previous three trips which each produced more than 30 species. Nevertheless, 24 species out of an expected 40 for the cluster of grid cells that we surveyed is still a 60% success rate and not bad, especially as absolutely nothing was previously known from these cells.

Volunteers Donovan and Robert had a wish-list: they so wanted to find a Black Spitting Cobra, and a Cape Cobra, and a Horned Adder, Tiger Snake, Coral Snake - any snake in fact! In the end we got only eight snakes of four different species. Yep, they got their Cape Cobra, and three Kalahari Sand Snakes in the funnel traps, a dead-on-road Brown House Snake, and we missed a Black Spitter that was killed at Boegoeberg just a few days before we visited that locality. But the most special of all were two specimens of thread snake (Leptotyphlops sp.) that fell into our pitfall traps. They still have to be identified, but for now we know that this is the first record of a thread snake species from this region. In fact, this is the first time that any member of this snake family (Leptotyphlopidae) has been recorded within 250 km of this locality! The maps in the snake field guides will have to be redrawn…

Checking the pitfall and funnel traps each morning is always done with great anticipation - akin to opening Christmas presents as a child. Quite often the traps contain the common, not-so-exciting species - handkerchiefs from grandma, or a dictionary from some aunt. But once in a while you get a bright red fire engine! I found mine in a pitfall trap: it was a beautiful Spotted Sandveld Lizard (Nucras intertexta). When I say beautiful, I mean stunning - in fact the most gorgeously handsome lizard that I've ever captured in a pitfall trap. And what's more, this species was also about 200 km beyond its known distribution range. Keep on redrawing those maps…

Unidentified thread snake.

Spotted Sandveld Lizard Nucras intertexta

Kalahari Sand Snake Psammophis trinisalis.

A Y-shaped trap array takes shape.

Donovan's comments:

SARCA 4 was great fun for me. I already knew a bit about reptiles, but still learnt a hell of a lot. Unfortunately it was very dry and not many retiles were caught. My best moments were catching the Rock Monitor, finding the hatchling Bushveld Lizard, the Spotted Sandveld Lizard and, best of all, the food and guys we stayed with at Vaalkop. So thanks to Marius and SARCA for the opportunity!

Donovan does the Kalahari quick-step to catch a wily Rock Monitor Varanus albigularis.

Who's checking whom?

Clearly there was nothing wrong with the chow...

A SARCA survey is an excellent experience that I would highly recommend to anyone with an interest in reptiles. During the trip I learnt a lot of useful information, ranging from building traps to how to preserve specimens. Highlights were knowledge gained, catching a Cape Cobra, working with so many scorpions (especially Parabuthus spp.), and the hospitality of our hosts at Vaalkop. The downside was a lack of rain which resulted in rather few reptiles. Better luck next time, I hope.

Digging in the traps can be hard work in the Kalahari heat.

Robert handles a mean-looking Cape Cobra Naja nivea with care.

Acknowledgements

SARCA 4 was based on the farm Vaalkop, in a luxurious hunter's lapa, with the brothers Jaco and Joachim van der Walt feeding us at every opportunity and making our stay memorable. Many thanks boys! We are thankful to the farmers who permitted us to survey their properties: Jannie Jacobs (Blackridge), Hanlie and Philip van Staden (Koedoesnek) and Kobie van der Walt (Vaalkop).

Joachim van der Walt does his Oom Kallie impersonation.

Farmers' daughters get to know a Pouched Mouse (Wangsakmuis) Saccostomus campestris that was caught in a trap. This species is amazingly docile and safe to handle.

The bakkie performed admirably, clocking 1000s of kilometres on tar and off-road. We gratefully acknowledge the support and sponsorship of 4x4 Eco Challenge for biodiversity research projects such as SARCA. (See www.4x4ecochallenge.co.za for details of their other projects.)

The 4X4 Eco Challenge bakkie in action.

Thanks to Northern Cape Nature Conservation Service for providing a permit
(0861/05 1/10/2/730) to collect reptiles during SARCA surveys.

Photos by Marius Burger

Compiled by James Harrison & Marius Burger
SARCA Project Coordinator & Project Herpetologist

SARCA is a joint project of the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), the Herpetological Association of Africa (HAA), and the Avian Demography Unit (ADU), Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Cape Town.