Natalina cafra

The Common Cannibal Snail, family Rhytididae.
This large snail is not all that common, being endemic to our province, KwaZulu-Natal.
It is recognised by its large size, the marked umbilicus and the feelers, the lower of which are modified with an extension that are used to track prey.
Cannibal: because it is carnivorous, feeding on a mixed diet that includes other snails, including possibly its own species.
At bottom feeding on an Agate Snail, possibly a previous prey, but now using the shell as a source of calcium.
 

Assassin bug

Certainly an Assassin, judging by its looks. Probably family Reduvioidea and genus Rhynocoris.
An ambush predator with an amazing snout through which it injects a paralytic toxin.
   

Ferncliffe Nature Reserve

Ferncliffe, on the outskirts of Pietermaritzburg, is a paradise of ferns. It is a delightful reserve, mainly a riverine forest (there is a Lemonwood walk), streams, streptocarpus, clivia, birds and fungi, as well as butterflies (abundant Bush Beauties), and of course FERNS.
Nature made ferns for pure leaves, to show what she could do in that line. --Thoreau.
Neil and Tanza Crouch have put together a charming booklet: The Ferns of Ferncliffe a Ramblers guide in which they identify 67 species in the reserve. The ferns on this blog were mostly from here, but some from our garden or the KZN-NBG.
 

Fishing Spider and Damselfly

I found this pair of Sprites about to mate. I think that the white on the male's forehead (on the right) probably makes these Kersten's Sprite (Pseudagrion kersteni.) While watching, the male suddenly left, the female after a momentary struggle fell the victim of the fishing spider. I felt rather sad.
The spider I think is a Thalassius sp. (family Pisauridae: presumably related to fishing.)
 

Grielum humifusum

The Duikerwortel (Afr.) so named because the Duiker impala has a predilection for seeking out the roots. We came across this flower on a farm while coming back from the Cedarburg.
The seeds are flattened with burrs on top, and rely on the trample burr method by animals  for dispersal  (big word - ectozoochory.)
The pale centres probably make this G. humifusum.
    

Vervet Monkey

Ceropithecus aethiops: Vervet aparantly because the fur on the back has a greenish tinge.
As the suburbs have encroached on their territory, so have they invaded the suburbs. They have become quite bold, and not past stealing food out of your hand. The alpha male can be quite threatening. The troupe tend to do a round of their  territory.
At top, an adult male, next a juvenile.
A distinguishing feature of primates is having the posterior orbit of their eyes enclosed, with no bony opening behind. I found this skull, not in very good condition, and cleaned it up. I have labelled the bones of the orbit (I hope I have remembered my anatomy correctly.)
 

Causus rhombeatus

The Rhombic Night Adder: We came across this snake while walking out of the forest of Kranshoek (W. of Plettenburg Bay) and onto the shore. An adder, the venom of which  is somewhat less toxic than our Puff Adder.
 

Stapelia gigantea / Chrysomya

Part of my Stapelia collection.
The fly in the top picture, and and the close up below, give an indication of the size of the flower, some 10 inches wide, hence the specific epithet gigantea. The previously described sp. nobilis has has been subsumed to a subspecies of this flower.
The fly is one of the Blowflies attracted to the smell. Because of its white face and eye surround, it may be Chrysomya albiceps (again sp. epithet: white head.)
Stapelias rely on an interesting pollination method, reminiscent of the orchids. They rely on their smell of rotting carrion to attract flies. These get caught in the cleft in the staminal column and in the effort to get free catch onto the pollinaria and take it to the next flower.
 

Theba pisana

The Mediterranean Snail.
These were photographed at Clochester (E. Cape), and also at Plettenburg Bay. They were found in quite large numbers. As its common name implies, it is a native of the Mediterranean shores. It is a problem invader, colonizing the Fynbos, and competing with local snails.
Here they are aestivating on Spek-boom (Portulacaria afra.) in September.
 

Crepidomanes melanotrichum

The Black Haired Filmy-fern is common at Ferncliffe.
Attractively covering boulders, because of its small size it it is easy to overlook. The stipe is winged, hence the family Hymenophyllaceae. The spores are produced in a tiny capsule. These are seen in the bottom picture as translucent bodies, (the third from left is maturing).
I think that the few black hairs at the base of the stipes is enough evidence to warrant its specific epithet "black haired."