Winter in the Cape means it’s time for the BCB honours herpetology module!
For the fourth year in a row, Bryan and Robin Maritz ventured to Nuwerus, WC to teach honours students the basics of herpetology. Set in the Karoo, Nuwerus offers a beautiful landscape that is scattered with koppies and their diverse reptile residents.
Despite the near-freezing temperatures at dawn, the herps were plentiful including all of the usual geckos and cordylids. However, our survey efforts turned up a many-horned adder (Bitis cornuta) and several sandveld lizards (Nucras livida) which we had never encountered on previous trips. After several days of surveying, the group reptile list ended on close to 30 species.
Looking forward to next year already!
The Maritz Lab 