When most people think of snakes, especially the infamous black mamba and the cryptic puff adder, they envision stealthy predators slithering through the undergrowth. However, beneath the surface of their unwarranted fearsome reputations lies a lesser known but equally fascinating aspect of their lives: their breeding behavior during the cooler winter months.

The mere mention of the word tick triggers revulsion and horror in most people. And to be fair perhaps this reaction is somewhat justified, having a creature stealthily attaching itself to your body, sucking your blood, while at the same time potentially transmitting a disease, is not exactly an endearing thought.

South Africa is home to a large number and diversity of spiders, with well over 2 000 species recorded, the vast majority of which are completely harmless to humans. This month we will take a closer look at the sac spiders of the genus Cheiracanthium.

This month’s featured scorpion species is the rough burrowing scorpion. This is one of the larger scorpion species found in the area.