Western spotted Westelike kolgeitjie Pachydactylus REPTILES gecko serval purelli Golden spotted Goue kolgeitjie Pachydactylus ORDER: CHELONIA gecko oculatus Striped leaf-toad Gestreepte Phyllodactylus Family: Testudinidae gecko blaartoongeitjie lineatus lineatus Common barking Gewone blafgeitjie Ptenopus garrulous Angulate tortoise Ploegskaarskilpad Chersina angulata gecko garrulous Leopard tortoise Bergskilpad Geochelone pardalis
Karoo padloper Karoo padloper Homopus boulengeri Family: Agamidae Greater padloper Groot padloper Homopus fermoralis Southern rock Suidelike Agama atra Tent tortoise Knoppiesdopskilpad Psammobates agama rotskoggelmander REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS tentorius The Southern rock agama is a very large, striking lizard, especially the male Family: Pelomedusidae when seen in breeding colours. This species occurs in high rocky areas. Marsh terrapin Moeraswaterskilpad Pelomedusa subrufa
Family: Chamaleonidae ORDER: SQUAMATA Karoo dwarf Karoo-dwerg- Bradypodion chameleon verkleurmannetjie karroicum Family: Gekkonidae Namaqua Namakwa- Chamaeleo AUGUST 2003 Giant ground gecko Groot grondgeitjie Chondrodactylus chameleon verkleurmannetjie namaquensis angulifer
The Giant ground gecko is marked orange, Family: Varanidae he arid zones of the Karoo are home to 59 reptile reddish-brown and black with white patches. T species and 8 amphibian species. Reptiles are This gecko is nocturnal and lives in burrows Rock monitor Veldlikkewaan Varanus descendants of extinct reptiles (known as “saurus”), that are created in sandy pebbly flats. It grows exanthematicus of which the fossil bones can still be found here. to 17cm long and feeds mainly on insects, but albigularis also little mice and small geckos. There are five tortoise species in the park – more Bibron’s gecko Bibron se geitjie Pachydactylus bibronii Family: Lacertidae species of tortoise in a single area than anywhere Though mostly nocturnal, the Bibron’s gecko is else in the world. The leopard tortoise, Southern one of the more common, widespread species. Spotted desert Kol- Meroles suborbitalis Africa’s largest and most common land tortoise, can These can be seen close to campfires, often in lizard woestynakkedis grow to 60 cm in length. groups of 20. They grow to 20cm in length and Striped sandveld Streep- Nucras tessellata feed on insects and small mice. lizard sandveldakkedis livida The most common amphibian is the squat, rough- Cape gecko Kaapse geitjie Pachydactylus Burchell’s sand Burchell se Pedioplanis burchelli skinned Karoo toad. They are often seen around capensis lizard sandakkedis the campsite, feeding on moths that are attracted to Ocellated gecko Geoogde geitjie Pachydactylus geijtie Cape sand lizard Kaapse Pedioplanis laticeps the lights. Reproduction occurs in summer, when the sandakkedis toad’s rasping song celebrates the rain. The park is Spotted gecko Kolgeitjie Pachydactylus maculates Spotted sand lizard Gevlekte Pedioplanis also home to the marsh terrapin that can exist in sandakkedis lineoocellata fresh or stagnant water. Marico gecko Marico-geitjie Pachydactylus pulchella mariquensis Namaqua sand Namakwa- Pedioplanis Namaqua gecko Namakwa geitjie Pachydactylus Though it is difficult to see many of these creatures, lizard sandakkedis namaquensis this checklist may be useful to identify species. namaquensis
Family: Scincidae SUBORDER: SERPENTES AMPHIBIANS
Striped legless Gestreepte Acontias lineatus Coral snake Koraalslang Aspidelaps lubricus skink pootlose skink lineatus lubricus ORDER: ANURA Cape legless skink Kaapse pootlose Acontias meleagris Horned adder Horingadder Bitis caudalis skink meleagris Karoo toad Karoo Bufo gariepensis skurwepadda gariepensis Cape skink Kaapse skink Mabuya capensis The Horned adder is beautifully coloured Red-sided skink Rooiflankskink Mabuya according to habitat and can vary from a homalocephala blue-grey to orange-brown. This species Karoo toads are mainly brown in colour smithii is usually found under rocks a few metres with darker margins. If disturbed, they from water. will produce a slimy substance from Western three Westelike Mabuya raised skin glands. They breed in striped skink driestreep-skink occidentalis streams, waterholes or rain pools in
Western rock skink Koppieskink Mabuya sulcata Puff adder Pofadder Bitis arietans Karoo scrub or grassland. sulcata Herald snake Rooilipslang Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia Skinks are small, active lizards with Common caco Gewone blikslaner Cacosternum smooth scales. Some have diminutive Common egg eater Gewone eievreter Dasypeltis scabra boettgeri legs and reduced toes, appearing like Dwarf beaked snake Dwerghaakneus- Dipsina Namaqua caco Namakwa Cacosternum small snakes. The Western rock skink slang multimaculata blikslaner namaquense occurs on rocky slopes. bilinqua Common slug eater Gewone slakvreter Duberria lutrix lutrix
Variegated skink Gespikkelde skink Mabuya variegata Rinkhals Rinkhals Hemachatus
variegata haemachatus Spotted harlequin Gevlekte Homoroselaps The Namaqua caco breeds in temporary watercourses and pans. Family: Gerrhosauridae snake kousbandjie lacteus Aurora house snake Aurora-huisslang Lamprophis aurora Dwarf plated lizard Dwerg- Cordylosaurus pantserakkedis subtessellatus Brown house snake Bruin huisslang Lamprophis fuliginosus Bull frog Brulpadda Pyxicephalus adspersus Spotted house Gevlekte huisslang Lamprophis guttatus Family: Cordylidae snake Cape river frog Kaapse rivierpadda Rana fusigula Cape girdled lizard Kaapse Cordylus cordylus Cape cobra Kaapse kobra Naja nivea Clicking stream Gevlekte Rana grayii grayii frog graspadda gordelakkedis cordylus Sundevall’s shovel- Sundevall se Prosymna Karoo girdled lizard Karoo- Cordylus polyzonus snout graafneusslang sundevallii Cape sand frog Kaapse sandpadda Tomopterna delalandii gordelakkedis polyzonus Cross-marked snake Kruismerkgrasslang Psammophis crucifer Common platanna Gewone platanna Xenopus laevis Karoo girdled lizards are blackish in laevis colour with white to greenish patches. Whip snake Karoo-sweepslang Psammophis notostictus They live on the higher rock formations. Rhombic Gevlete skaapsteker Psammophylax Namaqua plated Namakwa- Gerrhosaurus skaapsteker rhombeatus lizard pantserakkedis typicus rhombeatus Cape crag lizard Kaapse Pseudocordylus Striped skaapsteker Gestreepte Psammophylax kransakkedis microlepitodus skaapsteker tritaeniatus capensis Delalande’s blind Delalande se Typhlops lalandei Common long- Gewone langstert- Tetradactylus snake blindeslang tailed seps seps tetradactylus tetradactylus