Breaking Ground: Quantitative Fossorial Herpetofaunal Ecology in South Africa.

The article focuses on a study which examined ecological patterns of fossorial herpetofaunal species in South Africa. To determine the underlying trends in diversity of the species, the absolute and relative fossorial herpetofaunal species richness in the region was mapped. Quantitative surveys of the species were also conducted at a site in Zululand, KwaZuluNatal, South Africa. Two methods were employed to do this with one involving two investigators excavating clusters of pits and second involved the use of heavy-duty, earthmoving machinery to systematically excavate pits.