Fascinating Reptiles

Ever since the time when Adam bit into the infamous apple, reptiles have caused a shiver down people’s spine and our inborn reaction is to scream and run, or on occasion, worse for the reptile, pick up a blunt object and beat it into oblivion. Reptiles however play a vital role in the environment and if one takes the time to study them, they are generally shy but fascinating creatures.

Southern Africa has a incredible diversity of reptile fauna with a minimum of 517 species that have so far been described. These include 151 snakes, 338 lizards, 27 tortoises and one crocodile. Many more species are still awaiting description in the scientific literature. Sadly, many of these reptiles have largely been ignored in conservation management plans and require special attention in the future.

The Puff Adder is one of the most wide-spread snakes in South Africa and can attain an adult length of just under one meter. It is a slow moving snake that relies on its camouflage to avoid detection and ambush prey.

The Puff Adder is responsible for more cases of serious snakebites in South Africa than any other. The venom is cytotoxic, causing extreme pain. Handlers use plastic tubing and a snake stick to carefully capture and handle Puff Adders.

The male Southern Tree Agama is brightly colored to both attract females and warn other males of their dominance status. They form family groups that are centered around clusters of trees. They avoid danger by moving rapidly around the tree trunk and fleeing into the upper branches.

Southern Tree Agamas are unusual in that they feed almost entirely on ants and termites.

The Leopard Tortoise is the largest species to be found in southern Africa and may weigh as much as 12kgs. Their home ranges may exceed 80 hectares

During the breeding season between September and April, male Angulate Tortoises use their enlarged gular shields in intensive battle with other males and try and use the gular shields as levers to overturn and ram their rivals.

The Robertsons Dwarf Chameleon is one of 15 currently described species of Dwarf Chameleon and adults are small  ranging between 4,5 and 10cm in length. Dwarf Chameleons are heliothermic using the suns rays to raise their body temperature and climb into exposed positions in the mornings to bask.

Chameleons eyes can scan almost 180 degrees and can be moved in different directions simultaneously. Their vision is more acute that that of humans.

 

GETTING TO KNOW THE NORTHERN CAPE

Home to the ancient San people, the Northern Cape is about wide-open spaces, an utterly beautiful coastline and a number of unique national parks offering the tourist a very different experience of the South African landscape. This province boasts a colorful history and a variety of cultural tourist attractions and is particularly well known for its incredible annual floral display that takes place in Namaqualand.

Overview The Northern Cape lies to the south of the mighty Orange River and comprises mostly desert and semi-desert. The landscape is characterized by vast arid plains with outcroppings of haphazard rock piles. The cold Atlantic Ocean forms the western boundary. This region covers the largest area of all the provinces in South Africa yet has the smallest population. The last remaining true San (Bushman) people live in the Kalahari area of the Northern Cape. The whole area, especially along the Orange and Vaal rivers, is rich in San rock engravings. The province is also rich in fossils.

The first people of the Northern Cape were the San, who were gradually pushed out of the area by the arrival of Europeans, and other African tribes.  The Dutch came to the area to mine for copper under the famous Cape governor Simon van der Stel.  Mining has always defined the history in this part of the world and, when diamonds were discovered in Kimberley, unprecedented growth took place in the province under the leadership of men such as Barney Barnato and Cecil John Rhodes.  In 1899, the Northern province was the scene of the Anglo-Boer War, where Kimberley was one of the first towns to be besieged by the Boers.

Climate Apart from a narrow strip of winter-rainfall area along the coast, the Northern Cape is a semi-arid region with little rainfall in summer. The weather conditions are extreme cold and frosty in winter, and extremely high temperatures in summer. Sutherland, in the Hantam Karoo, is one of the coldest towns in southern Africa with an average winter minimum is -6º Celsius.  In winter, snow often blankets its surrounding mountains.

Major attractions in the area:

  • Richtersveld National Park
  • Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
  • Augrabies Falls National Park
  • Flowers, Flowers Everywhere During August and September, the area of Namaqualand is transformed into a brilliant carpet of wild flowers.
  • Rock Art
  • Diamond Digging Country Kimberley boasts an excellent museum called the Kimberley Mine Museum.
  • The Big Hole at Kimberley
  • Trains and Trams
  • Moffat Mission Station Missionaries, Robert Moffat and his wife Mary arrived in the Kuruman area in 1820.
  • Wonderwerk Cave Not too far from Kuruman, lies the Wonderwerk Cave.
  • The Kalahari Desert
  • Small-town delights The Northern Province is littered with small towns that are fast growing in popularity with the arty set. Places such as Nieuwoudtville, Calvinia, Poffadder and Springbok are definitely worth a visit, especially for their warm-hearted local hospitality.
  • Orange River Adventures
  • Pella Mission Pella Mission is truly in the middle of nowhere. Approximately 150km from Springbok, Pella boasts a striking yellow cathedral that was built by French missionaries in the late 1880’s.

 

Information courtesy of South African Tourism (www.southafrica.net)

South African cultural experiences

Hanging with South Africans

But nothing beats actually meeting people. South Africa’s many cultural villages offer a close-up insight into the country’s traditional cultures. In the major centers, township tours – conducted with sensitivity and pride – will put you in touch with real South Africans and their history. In the rural areas, community tours will help you get to know the country through the eyes of those who live here. You can discover ancient Setswana astronomy through the lens of a grandmother with an intimate knowledge of the ancient traditions. Or how about being taught to cook line fish the traditional way by the fishing community in Kalk Bay?

Cradle of Humankind

And remember, no matter where you’re from, this is where your roots are. It’s pretty much accepted that human life started in Africa. Most people look at the world differently after a tour of the Cradle of Humankind near Johannesburg – one of the richest hominid fossil sites in the world. Fossilized footprints near Cape Town, and the wealth of rock paintings and surviving shelters in KwaZulu-Natal’s Drakensberg mountains and elsewhere in the country, all testify to humanity’s origins on this ancient continent.

Wars, apartheid, reconciliation

More recently, South Africa’s history has been one of conflict and confrontation, but also of reconciliation and restitution. You can explore the battlegrounds where the bloody events that shaped the country took place.From Isandlwana or Talana in KwaZulu-Natal to Soweto in Johannesburg or Langa in Cape Town, our land tells a story – but one that can be difficult to interpret, so it’s worth doing a guided tour. We show the wounds of our past – visit the Women’s Monument in Bloemfontein, or the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg. But we also announce our new-found unity. A trip to Robben Island will show just how powerful that attitude can be. We’ve taken a place of oppression, isolation and despair and turned it into a symbol of forgiveness and hope. That’s what South Africans are doing with the whole country.

SA info reporter and South African Tourism