Snake ecology · University of the Western Cape

Studying the ecology, evolution, and natural history of African snakes

We are interested in understanding the functional roles of snakes in African ecosystems. Our research spans multiple biomes and a diversity of snake species.

Current projects

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Passive Monitoring of Ectotherms with Camera Traps

Existing passive monitoring methods are poorly suited to detecting small ectothermic animals. We are developing a camera trap designed specifically for this group, eliminating the capture-related mortality and non-target bycatch inherent to physical trapping, along with the daily site visits it demands. The system will enable sustained monitoring of reptile populations in terrain that is difficult to access, supporting robust trend analysis over time. Prototypes will be tested across a range of environments to assess performance and refine the design for different deployment contexts. The project will also integrate machine learning for automated species identification from captured images, improving data processing efficiency. By making continuous, low-effort monitoring feasible, this technology aims to make undersampled groups tractable for biodiversity assessment and long-term trend analyses. This work is supported by the UWC Technology Transfer Office.

Mole Snake Ecology in Cape Town and on Robben Island

This project investigates the ecology of the mole snake (Pseudaspis cana) in the urban environment of Cape Town, South Africa, including a remote population on Robben Island. It aims to understand how these snakes have adapted to urbanisation, their habitat preferences, and their distribution relative to human populations. Additionally, the study will answer classical questions linked to island biogeography and investigate the genetic diversity of the Robben Island population in relation to mainland populations. A key component of the research is to investigate the diet of mole snakes in these contrasting habitats and their interactions with seabird colonies on Robben Island. This work is supported by the Leiden Conservation Foundation.

Natural History and Evolution of African Snake Diets

Understanding the diets of African snakes is a long-standing focus of our lab. Our research spans multiple timescales, from examining single populations across seasons, such as Naja nivea, to investigating the evolution of dietary traits within Elapidae. We have compiled dietary data from field studies, community science platforms, published records, museum specimens, and faecal DNA analyses. By integrating these data with morphological and phylogenetic analyses, we address questions about dietary specialisation and generalism across snake lineages. Additionally, we explore how environmental factors, prey availability, and morphological adaptations influence dietary choices, activity patterns, and overall fitness.

To date, our work has focused on the following lineages: Dispholidus typus (boomslang), Naja nivea (Cape cobra), Dasypeltis scabra (egg-eater), Boaedon capensis (brown house snake), Aparallactus capensis (centipede-eater), Colubrinae, Atractaspididae, Psammophiidae, and Elapidae. Planned research will expand to include Duberria lutrix (slug-eater) and Pseudaspis cana (mole snake).

Recent work

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2026

Clements, H.S., Biggs, R., De Vos, A., Do Linh San, E., Hempson, G.P., Linden, B., Maritz, B., Monadjem, A., Reynolds, C., Siebert, F., Stevens, N., Child, M., Di Minin, E., Esler, K.J., Hamann, M., Loft, T., Reyers, B., Selomane, O., Singh, G., and Skowno, A.L. (2026). A place-based assessment of biodiversity intactness in sub-Saharan Africa. Nature 649(8095): 113–121.
doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-09781-7

2026

Buckley, E.E. and B. Maritz. (2026). Community‐and species‐level responses of reptiles to an avian ecosystem engineer. Journal of Zoology 328(2): 203–209.
doi: 10.1111/jzo.70087

2025

van Wyk, K.M. and B. Maritz. (2025). Distribution and status of reptile species in south-eastern Zimbabwe. African Journal of Herpetology 74(2): 210–270.
doi: 10.1080/21564574.2025.2538151