After months in lock-down, it was a joy to get back outdoors and into nature, as our creepy crawly expert, Jonathan Leeming, shared fascinating facts about why all arachnids should be treated with respect rather than fear.
Tag Archive for: Reptiles
Criminal syndicates are duping people into buying portions of land that belongs to private landowners. Carte Blanche focusses on Elandsfontein in the South of Johannesburg and an area bordering the Schurveberg Protected Areas of the Crocodile River Reserve north of Johannesburg.
The Cape skink is live-bearing and the female may take up to a week to birth her litter of offspring – often between 8 and 18 per brood. Each baby is born in a thin, membranous bag or ‘shell’ that it breaks out of within seconds. Newborns measure measure 5 to 7 cm.
The Brown House Snake, is one of the most common and most useful snakes in South Africa. It is attracted to human dwellings where it feeds on rats, mice and lizards. They are not venomous and are completely harmless to humans. House snakes are powerful constrictors which rely on their muscle power to constrict prey.
Tortoises store water in a cloacal bursa or sack in the rear of the body for use when required. They will also excrete this water supply as a defence against predators [or humans!] and to dampen dry soil when digging holes in which to lay eggs. If you pick up a tortoise trying to survive in very dry conditions it may excrete its valuable water supply, resulting in the eventual death of the animal.
