Amphibians & Reptiles

Frogs and toads

The diversity of frogs and toads was investigated in 1994 and compared with the neighbouring communal lands. While 18 species were recorded, there were some notable omissions. It was uncertain whether the missing species were simply overlooked or actually absent. Concern was raised whether past management practices or the extreme drought in 1992 may have caused local extinction of some species.

Reptiles

A checklist of species was compiled by Don Broadley after a brief survey of our Reserve in 2010.

Kurt van Wyk, MSc Student from University of the Western Cape is writing a paper on the reptile diversity of the Chiredzi District which will be a useful contribution to reptile conservation in Zimbabwe (reptiles have not been studied in Zimbabwe for a decade).

Kurt has been in the field on Malilangwe conducting reptile trapping surveys as he continues working towards his PhD. The aim of these surveys is to assess the impact of historical land transformation on the reptile community. This is accomplished by comparing the relative abundance of reptile species in untransformed woodland and a portion of the reserve that was previously cultivated.