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Vivian Frederick Maynard FitzSimons
Vivian Frederick Maynard FitzSimons, born in Pietermaritzburg, was a notable herpetologist in South Africa. Also, he contributed to the collection of spermatophyte samples for the National Herbarium which has become part of the South African National Biodiversity Institute at the Pretoria National Botanical Garden. In 1937, together with Anna Amelia Obermeyer, he collected some of the earliest plant specimens from the Eastern Highlands of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Later, as director of the Transvaal Museum, he together with Charles Koch helped to establish the Namib Desert Research Institute in Gobabeb Family Vivian FitzSimons came from a family of naturalists. His father, Frederick William FitzSimons, and his mother Patricia Henrietta (née Russell), both immigrated to South Africa from Ireland. His brother was Desmond Charles Fitzsimons, who in 1939 founded the Fitzsimons Snake Park (Durban) and was a leading distributor of snake antivenoms in South Africa. Vivian FitzSimo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg (; ) is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa after Durban. It was named in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. The town was named in Zulu after King Dingane's royal homestead uMgungundlovu. Pietermaritzburg is popularly called Maritzburg and is often informally abbreviated to PMB. It is a regionally-important industrial hub, producing aluminium, timber and dairy products, and is the main economic hub of Umgungundlovu District Municipality, uMgungundlovu District Municipality. The public sector is a major employer in the city due to local, district and provincial government offices located here. The city has many schools and tertiary education institutions, including a campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. It had a population of 228,549 in 1991; the current population is estimated at over 600,000 residents (including neighbouring townships) and is a melting pot of different culture ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charles Kimberlin Brain
Charles Kimberlin Brain (7 May 1931 – 6 June 2023), also known as C. K. "Bob" Brain, was a South African paleontologist who studied and taught African cave taphonomy for more than fifty years. Biography Brain was born in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia on 7 May 1931. He was the son of the entomologist, Charles Kimberlin Brain , the Director of Agriculture of Southern Rhodesia, and Zoe Findlay. From 1965 to 1991, Brain directed the Transvaal Museum, which became one of the most scientifically productive institutions of its kind in Africa during his tenure. During his years at the museum, Brain actively pursued his own research, which was A-rated by the Foundation for Research Development (now the National Research Foundation of South Africa) from the inception of its evaluation system in 1984 until his retirement. Brain planned and scripted the displays in the museum's "Life’s Genesis I" and "Life's Genesis 2" halls, which have been seen by several million visitors. Very ea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Smaug Vandami
Van Dam's girdled lizard (''Smaug vandami'') is a species of lizard in the family Cordylidae. The species is endemic to South Africa. Geographic range The type locality of ''S. vandami'' is Gravelotte, Limpopo, South Africa. Habitat The preferred natural habitats of ''S. vandami'' are grassland and savanna. Description A large lizard, ''S. vandami'' may attain a snout-vent length (SVL) of . It has a triangular shaped head, and spiny dorsal scales. The predominant colour is dark brown with fragmented yellow rings. Behaviour ''S. vandami'' is largely solitary and hides in cracks in rocks. Reproduction ''S. vandami'' is ovoviviparous. From two to six young are born alive in summer. Branch, Bill (2004). ''Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa''. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. . (''Cordylus vandami'', p. 197 + Plate 70). Etymology The species is named for the collector of the type specimens, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Limpopo Burrowing Skink
The Limpopo burrowing skink (''Scelotes limpopoensis'') is a lizard species found in the Limpopo River valley in South Africa. This species lost the forelimbs entirely and the hind limbs are reduced to only two digits. Taxonomy There are two sub-species: * ''Scelotes limpopoensis albiventris'' JACOBSEN 1987 - first described in the Langjan Nature Reserve * ''Scelotes limpopoensis limpopoensis'' FITZSIMONS 1930 Although both sub-species occupy a similar habitat the range of ''S. l. albiventris'' is smaller than ''S. l. limpopoensis'' and they have not been discovered in sympatry In biology, two closely related species or populations are considered sympatric when they exist in the same geographic area and thus frequently encounter each other. An initially interbreeding population that splits into two or more distinct spe ..., and may probably be a full species. References External links biodiversityexplorer.org Scelotes Reptiles of South Africa Skinks of Africa Rep ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Skink
Skinks are a type of lizard belonging to the family (biology), family Scincidae, a family in the Taxonomic rank, infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one of the most diverse families of lizards. Skinks are characterized by their smaller legs in comparison to typical lizards and are found in different habitats except arctic and subarctic regions. Etymology The word ''skink'', which entered the English language around 1580–1590, comes from classical Greek and Latin , names that referred to various specific lizards. Description Skinks look like lizards of the family Lacertidae (sometimes called ''true lizards''), but most species of skinks have no pronounced neck and relatively small legs. Several genera (e.g., ''Typhlosaurus'') have no limbs at all. This is not true for all skinks, however, as some species such as the Tribolonotus gracilis, red-eyed crocodile skink have a head that is ve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scelotes Bidigittatus
''Scelotes bidigittatus'', the Lowveld dwarf burrowing skink, is a species of lizard which is found in South Africa and Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr .... References {{Taxonbar, from=Q5122512 bidigittatus Reptiles of South Africa Reptiles described in 1930 Taxa named by Vivian Frederick Maynard FitzSimons ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Platysaurus Minor
The Waterberg flat lizard (''Platysaurus minor'') is a species of lizard in the family Cordylidae. It is endemic to South Africa. Geography The Waterberg flat lizard ranges from Waterberg, South Africa, to the foothills of the Blouberg. The Waterberg flat lizard lives in rocky sandstone outcrops in a savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ... habitat. Habits The Waterberg flat lizard eats mainly insects, but will sometimes eat plants. It lives in small family groups and breeds in summer, when two eggs are produced. Description The Waterberg flat lizard is 60–70 mm long. The scales on the sides of its body are rounded, raised and larger than those on its back. Three longitudinal stripes are always entire on females, but sometimes divided in males. Referen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Breviceps Sylvestris
The forest rain frog (''Breviceps sylvestris'') is a species of frog in the family Brevicipitidae. It is endemic to Limpopo, South Africa. Two allopatric subspecies are recognized: the nominate one, ''Breviceps sylvestris sylvestris'', and ''Breviceps sylvestris taeniatus'' Poynton, 1963 from near Soutpansberg. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, temperate grassland, and rural gardens. It is threatened by habitat loss. Forest rain frogs can range in colour from red, orange, yellow, green, and purple. They can also vary in size from a mere 2 cm and grow to be about 10 cm in body length. The purple frogs are known to contain a defence mechanism consisting of a toxic chemical on their slimy exterior. If contact is made with this toxin the temporary effect of paralysis can occur. ''Breviceps sylvestris taeniatus'' is a subspecies of the forest rain frog and is found near Soutpansberg The Soutpansberg (formerly Zoutpansberg), meaning "Salt Pan Mountain" in A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Afroedura Marleyi
''Afroedura marleyi'', also known as Marley's rock gecko or Marley's flat gecko, is a species of African gecko found in South Africa and Eswatini Eswatini, formally the Kingdom of Eswatini, also known by its former official names Swaziland and the Kingdom of Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa on all sides except the northeast, where i .... References marleyi Reptiles of Eswatini Reptiles of South Africa Taxa named by Vivian Frederick Maynard FitzSimons Reptiles described in 1930 {{Gekkonidae-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Afroedura Langi
''Afroedura langi'', also known as Lang's rock gecko, Lang's flat gecko, or Lowveld flat gecko, is a species of African gecko found in South Africa and Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr .... References langi Reptiles of Mozambique Reptiles of South Africa Taxa named by Vivian Frederick Maynard FitzSimons Reptiles described in 1930 {{Gekkonidae-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Transvaal Dwarf Chameleon
The Transvaal dwarf chameleon (''Bradypodion transvaalense'') is a chameleon native to South Africa, where it is found in forested areas of Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces. It is also known as the Wolkberg dwarf chameleon, after the Wolkberg range. Description They can be distinguished from their relatives in the genus by their bright colouration, with reds and oranges. They are highly territorial and relatively aggressive towards one another. Varieties and relatives In 2003, an ecological impact study near the village of Roossenekal, conducted by BSc Honours students (Centre for Wildlife Management at University of Pretoria) found a new variety of this dwarf chameleon. DNA research from samples collected by R.P. Zoer at the Transvaal Museum (Pretoria) revealed that it is a new variety from the Sekhukhuneland region (''Bradypodion transvaalense var. sekhukhunii)''. A related species found in Ngome Forest, KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
