Ladismith Fauna

Lenght: 90cm
Vivid black chevron markings on yellow.

Lenght: 30-50cm
Orange to red with 20-47 narrow black crossbars running around the body. No anti-venom.

Lenght: 30-60cm
Greyish olive. Dark triangles down length with pale stripe running from eyes down each side.

Lenght: 1-1.5m
Dark grey/black above and belly with 2-3 irregular pale cross bars across throat. Often feigns death. Spits.

Lenght: 75-90+cm
Light speckled grey to brown above with pale belly. Possible stripes along the sides. White rimmed eyes and mouth.

Lenght: 30-40cm
Blackish head and light brown to orange-brown body. Usually found in deserted termite mounds or under logs and rocks.

Lenght: 45-85cm but known at 1.4m.
Yellowish to silvery with darker zigzag blotches or jagged stripes down length. Belly yellowish with spots & blotches.

Lenght: 60-85+cm
Olive green to brown with pink/yellow/white belly. Long and slender. Bulging brown eyes. Harmless and unaggressive.

Lenght: 1-1.4cm
Adults light grey, brown or black with yellowish belly. Juveniles colourful zigzag markings with spots/mottling. Bites readily.

Lenght: 60-90cm
Uniformly light to reddish-brown above (often with blotches on lower half of body). Two light stripes running from nose, across top of eyes and part-way down body. The other from bottom of eye to end of mouth.

Lenght: Up to 10cm long.
Light yellow to orange, (depending on the region), and has a dark orange/red stinger. It can be found under rocks. Sting can be fatal.

Lenght: Small to medium size (3-6cm).
Painful sting, aggressive. Found under rocks.

Lenght: 80-150mm long.
Well-developed casque, (raised structure on back of head). Dorsal crest extends along the entire length of the body and halfway along the tail.

Lenght: 48-58mm long.
Found on inland escarpments of Western Cape. Eat insects.

Lenght: 100mm long.
Prefer mountainous areas. Diurnal. Males develop a white vertebral stripe and bluish throat during breeding season.

Lenght: 200-240mm long.
It is golden-brown with tiny black spots. It is usually found burrowing in dry sand as well as beneath boulders, dead trees and other detritus. It gives birth to 2-4 live young in summer.

Lenght: 120mm long.
Found in montane fynbos. Reduced casque and tail shorter than body.

Lenght: 100mm long.
Strongly keeled tubercles.

Lenght: 90-105mm long.
Colouration varies greatly. Normally dark brown but can be black in cold areas, e.g. Towerkop. Thick scales run down the back and tail, protecting vulnerable underparts.

Lenght: 60-80mm
Prefer drier, rocky areas. Females (& young) chocolate to olive-brown with longitudinal stripes. Belly dirty white. Males don’t have longitudinal stripes & become infused with black; in some areas completely (above).

Lenght: 90-110mm long.
Dark bar on head between eyes. Habitats include farms & gardens. Breeds in water, but spends most time away from water. Visits houses where insects attracted to lights; establishing itself in moist, sheltered spot. If injured exudes whitish venom; can be hazardous to dogs.

Lenght: 120mm long.
Occurs near water, at least seasonal. Upper body is grey, green or brown; underside is smooth and white with grey/brown mottling on the throat.

Lenght: Shoulder height H = 50cm.
Prefers open country.

Lenght: Shoulder height H = 75cm.
Usually in riverine bush.

Lenght: Shoulder height H = 50cm.
Flees then stops to look back.

Lenght: Shoulder height H = 75cm.
Rocky areas.

Lenght: Typically 40cm long and 13kg.
Between May and Oct female digs a hole and lays a clutch of 5 – 30 eggs. As many as 5-7 clutches may be laid in a single season. Incubation takes 8-15 months depending on temp.

Lenght: Can reach 25cm and 2kg.
The only tortoises in Africa with a single throat shield. Usually only a single, oval-shaped egg is laid. Each female may potentially lay up to 6 times a year. The egg hatches after 4 to 14 month.

Lenght: About 12 cm, 0.3kg.
Very rare, endangered and small; (males smaller than females). A clutch of 1 – 3 eggs buried, young emerge in late summer or early autumn.