Chad Keates Archives
On the 16th of August I traveled to Sibuya Private Game Reserve, about 10km from Kenton-on-Sea, and presented a snake talk for the rangers working there. The talk focused on the ‘Snakes of Albany’ and discussed snake biology, snake identification and snakebite treatment. The talk was well received and was followed by a short snake handling tutorial, in which I showcased the correct management strategy for problem snakes. Following this, all the rangers… Read More
On 14 August, I delivered a snake talk to Grade 9 learners at Victoria Girls High school. The aim was to expose the girls to the amazing world of reptiles, and more specifically snakes. The talk ran for 30 minutes and consisted of general information about Grahamstown reptile diversity, followed by a short breakdown of snake biology and the common snakes of the area. The talk was followed by a 15 minute… Read More
On the 27th of July 2019, I did a snake presentation for members of the Grahamstown Garden Club in Grahamstown. The talk was well received with people eagerly asking questions throughout the talk. I spoke about the common and endemic species of snake found in the Albany area, and what to do if one encounters a snake in their daily lives. In addition to detailing the snakes of the area, I also… Read More
During mid-June I ventured coast wards to do a frog talk for the Probus Club, at the Port Alfred Ski Boat Club. Check out the story, which was covered in ‘Talk of the Town’, the local Port Alfred newspaper.
During mid-June I ventured coast wards to do a frog talk for the Probus Club, at the Port Alfred Ski Boat Club. The talk was incredibly well received with over 80 people attending on the day. In addition to the members of the club, the talk was also attended by Talk of the Town (Local Port Alfred newspaper). In the talk I discussed basic frog biology, behavior and the threats that face… Read More
On friday the 10th of May, I set up a stand at the Science Open Day, hosted in the Rhodes University Life Sciences Building. I represented the field of Herpetology alongside several other members of the Zoology and Entomology Department, whom showcased their respective fields (Ornithology, Mammalogy, Biocontrol etc) on the day. The event was also attended by members from all the other departments in the Science Faculty. The event was geared… Read More
Another great blog entry by Jessica Evans, that lists, explains and debunks some of the most popular myths pertaining to snakes. https://www.bite-sizedsci.com/single-post/2019/04/25/6-snake-myths—busted
Check out this awesome blog post by Sean McCabe, that details the reptiles of Grahamstown, and what makes them special. https://conservatemakhanda.home.blog/2019/04/25/reptiles-of-makhanda/
On the 8th of march 2019, I attended the WESSA/ Grocott’s Mail #CelebrateNaturalHeritage Bio-Bash and Photo Walk at the Makana Botanical Gardens (part of Scifest 2019). The day was designed to teach the youth of Grahamstown about the amazing wildlife that surrounds them. It also aimed to ignite some creative flair through encouraging artistic expression through photography. My colleagues and I helped out by guiding the students through the gardens and helping… Read More
On the 11th of February 2019, I did a snake presentation for members of the Grahamstown Rotary Club at the Graemian Centre, Graeme College. The talk was well received with over 30 people attending on the day. I spoke about the common and endemic species of snake found in the Albany area, and what to do if one encounters a snake in their daily lives. In addition to detailing the snakes of… Read More
On the 27th of March 2019, I did a chameleon presentation for members of the Men’s League in Grahamstown. It was the second time I had addressed the group as I had spoken to the group a year before on the ‘Snakes of Grahamstown’. This time around I spoke about chameleons, their biology, and the different species found throughout South Africa. I capped the talk off with a short discussion of the… Read More
On the 12th of February 2019, I did a snake presentation for members of the Port Alfred Garden Club at the Port Alfred Gold Club. The talk was well received with over 50 people attending on the day. I spoke about the common and endemic species of snake found in the Albany area, and what to do if one encounters a snake in their daily lives. In addition to detailing the snakes… Read More
I am proud to announce that I have won best photo for the Terrestrial Vertebrate Category (Juvenile Boomslang) of the 2019 Zoology and Entomology Photo Competition. My prize was to have my photo hung up in the foyer of the Life Sciences Building. Thanks to all that voted. Winning Photo
On 16 December 2018, I ventured to Morgans bay, Eastern Cape with Megan Reid, for one night in search of as many as ‘herps’ as I could find. Whilst I was keen to see anything, I was particularly keen to see the regionally endemic Kentani Dwarf Chameleon (Bradypodion kentanicum), that calls Morgans Bay home. I stayed at the beautiful Yellowwood Forest Campsite, http://www.yellowwoodforest.co.za/, and managed to find many species of reptile and… Read More
Another great blog entry by Jessica Evans, that explains what to do if you get bitten by a snake, and the effects of the different types of snake venoms found in South Africa. https://www.bite-sizedsci.com/single-post/2019/04/15/What-do-I-do-if-I-get-bitten-by-a-snake-how-venom-works
From the 20th to the 23rd of September, last year, myself and nine other researchers, set off for the Sneeuberg, in search of South Africa’s most elusive adder, the plain mountain adder (Bitis inornata). The trip was organised by the Bionerds (Keir and Alouise Lynch) and was attended by myself, Luke Kemp, Jo Buggs Balmer, Justin Rhys Nicolau, Gary Kyle Nicolau, Adriaan Jordaan, Christiaan Klippies Steenkamp and Faansie Peacock. Plain Mountain Adder… Read More
Chad Keates 