Madikwe Reptile Checklist

Snakes, lizards, geckos, tortoises and terrapins recorded in the reserve.

57 entries · tick boxes are included, so you can print it and take it on a drive.

Filter this list 57 entries

	Common name	Scientific name	Notes
Snakes
	Bibron's Stiletto Snake	Atractaspis bibronii	Venomous (cytotoxic). Cannot be held safely behind the head; never pick one up.
	Black Mamba	Dendroaspis polylepis	Highly venomous (neurotoxic). Shy and fast; the name refers to the inside of the mouth, not the body.
	Boomslang	Dispholidus typus	Highly venomous (haemotoxic) but back-fanged and extremely reluctant to bite.
	Brown House Snake	Boaedon capensis	Harmless, and a useful rodent controller around buildings.
	Cape Cobra	Naja nivea	Highly venomous (neurotoxic). Colour varies from yellow to almost black.
	Cape File Snake	Limaformosa capensis	Harmless. Eats other snakes, including venomous ones.
	Cape Wolf Snake	Lycophidion capense	Harmless. Nocturnal lizard-eater.
	Common Brown Water Snake	Lycodonomorphus rufulus	Harmless. Where: the Marico River and dams.
	Common Purple-glossed Snake	Amblyodipsas polylepis	Mildly venomous; not dangerous. Burrowing and nocturnal.
	Common Tiger Snake	Telescopus semiannulatus	Mildly venomous; not dangerous. Nocturnal.
	Delalande's Beaked Blind Snake	Rhinotyphlops lalandei	Harmless.
	Horned Adder	Bitis caudalis	Venomous (cytotoxic). Where: sandy ground in the drier west.
	Mole Snake	Pseudaspis cana	Harmless but bites hard. Where: hunts rodents in burrows.
	Mozambique Spitting Cobra	Naja mossambica	Highly venomous (cytotoxic) and can spray venom at the eyes.
	Olive Grass Snake	Psammophis mossambicus	Mildly venomous; not dangerous. Fast and diurnal.
	Peters' Thread Snake	Leptotyphlops scutifrons	Harmless. Blind and worm-like; eats termites.
	Puff Adder	Bitis arietans	Highly venomous (cytotoxic). Relies on camouflage rather than flight, which is why it is bitten into so often.
	Red-lipped Herald Snake	Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia	Mildly venomous; not dangerous. Eats frogs.
	Rhombic Egg-eater	Dasypeltis scabra	Harmless. Mimics the puff adder in pattern and hissing display.
	Rufous Beaked Snake	Rhamphiophis rostratus	Mildly venomous; not dangerous.
	Schlegel's Beaked Blind Snake	Afrotyphlops schlegelii	Harmless. The largest blind snake in Africa.
	Short-snouted Grass Snake	Psammophis brevirostris	Mildly venomous; not dangerous.
	Snouted Cobra	Naja annulifera	Highly venomous (neurotoxic). Often shelters in termite mounds.
	Southern African Python	Python natalensis	Protected. The largest snake in southern Africa. Where: rocky hillsides and riverine bush.
	Southern Vine Snake	Thelotornis capensis	Highly venomous (haemotoxic). The twig snake, and almost impossible to see.
	Spotted Bush Snake	Philothamnus semivariegatus	Harmless. Where: hunting geckos on tree trunks and lodge walls.
	Striped Skaapsteker	Psammophylax tritaeniatus	Mildly venomous; not dangerous to people.
	Western Yellow-bellied Sand Snake	Psammophis subtaeniatus	Mildly venomous; not dangerous.
Lizards, geckos & monitors
	Bibron's Gecko	Chondrodactylus bibronii	Large and vocal; barks at night from rock cracks.
	Bushveld Lizard	Heliobolus lugubris	The juvenile mimics an unpalatable oogpister beetle.
	Cape Dwarf Gecko	Lygodactylus capensis	Tiny and diurnal; runs up tree trunks and lodge walls.
	Cape Gecko	Pachydactylus capensis
	Cape Skink	Trachylepis capensis
	Common Flat Lizard	Platysaurus intermedius	Flattened to squeeze into rock cracks.
	Common Rough-scaled Lizard	Ichnotropis squamulosa
	Flap-necked Chameleon	Chamaeleo dilepis	Often crossing roads at dusk; easiest to find at night by torchlight.
	Giant Plated Lizard	Matobosaurus validus	Where: deep rock cracks on the koppies.
	Moreau's Tropical House Gecko	Hemidactylus mabouia	The gecko around the lodge lights at night.
	Nile Monitor	Varanus niloticus	The water leguaan. Where: the Marico River and larger dams.
	Ornate Sandveld Lizard	Nucras ornata
	Rock Monitor	Varanus albigularis	The rock leguaan. Where: koppies and open bushveld.
	Southern Ground Agama	Agama aculeata
	Southern Rock Agama	Agama atra	The breeding male turns brilliant blue.
	Southern Tree Agama	Acanthocercus atricollis	Where: pressed flat against a trunk, watching you.
	Spotted Sand Lizard	Pedioplanis lineoocellata
	Striped Skink	Trachylepis striata	Common on walls and tree trunks.
	Sundevall's Writhing Skink	Mochlus sundevallii	Burrows in loose soil and leaf litter.
	Turner's Thick-toed Gecko	Chondrodactylus turneri
	Van Son's Gecko	Pachydactylus vansoni
	Variable Skink	Trachylepis varia
	Wahlberg's Velvet Gecko	Homopholis wahlbergii	Where: under loose bark on large trees.
	Yellow-throated Plated Lizard	Gerrhosaurus flavigularis
Tortoises, terrapins & crocodiles
	Kalahari Tent Tortoise	Psammobates oculifer	Where: the sandy western sections.
	Leopard Tortoise	Stigmochelys pardalis	The largest tortoise in southern Africa; most active after rain.
	Marsh Terrapin	Pelomedusa galeata	The helmeted terrapin; walks overland between pans after rain.
	Nile Crocodile	Crocodylus niloticus	Where: the Marico River. Verify current presence with the reserve before publishing.
	Speke's Hinged Tortoise	Kinixys spekii	The rear of the shell hinges shut.