Herping Greece for the first time (snakes included!)

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Russianherps
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Herping Greece for the first time (snakes included!)

Post by Russianherps »

Hi! My name is Seva, I’m 21 years old, Russian by origin, but right now live and study in Norway. This year, crazy dictator’s ambitions made our family reunion in Russia very difficult, so me and my parents opted to meet each other in Greece. I chose the island of Zakinthos, or Zante, as it seemed as the ideal combo for herping and diving, including relatively high possibility of meeting a Loggerhead turtle in the local marine protected area.

I flew from Oslo to Athens, where me and my parents finally met. On the next day, while they were sleeping, I woke up at 6 for a guided birding tour - I had some target species to tick off the list. Although birds are technically reptiles, and so birding is technically herping too, I won’t dedicate much time to them here. However, this trip wasn’t completely unrelated to herping! Spyros, a guide from Greece Bird Tours, knows his herps very well, and he made sure we also see some of those during the half-day trip.

Shortly after the beginning we found a first sign of snake presence - beautiful Caspian Whipsnake (Dolichophis caspius) - sadly, in the form of DOR. The next species we saw was Sheltopusik (Pseudopus apodus) - a beautiful, glossy, thick lizard, that vanished into the spiky vegetation before I could get a photo. I did get a picture of this species, though - shortly after, a Snake Eagle (Circaetus gallicus) soared above, carrying another individual in his talons…

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There were also Balkan Green Frogs (Pelophylax kurtmuelleri) - pretty little amphibians and another lifer species for me!

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The birds included Black-Headed Bunting, Blue Rock Thrush, Little Tern, Kentish Plover and other species - 9 lifers in total!

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Next day me and the family drove all the way to the port, loaded on the ferry and were at Zakynthos in no time. First herps I saw here were Moorish Geckos (Tarentola mauritanica) and Turkish Geckos (Hemidactylus turcicus) at our hotel in Tsilivi area.

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They were followed by an Ionian Wall Lizard (Podarcis ionicus) in the morning. This former subspecies of P. taurica is now recognized as a separate species, so it was another lifer!

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However, I was excited for something more exotic, and that day we headed to the so-called Keri Lake.The lake turned out to be a half-dried muddy reedbed, but a small roadside stream held what I was hoping for: island’s only population of European Pond Turtle (Emys orbicularis), plus a few Balkan Terrapins (Mauremus rivulata)! More Balkan Frogs, dragonflies and some fat mullets were also found here. After a long photo shoot (and facepalming over people calling the terrapins “baby sea turtles”), I called it a day in terms of herping.

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The next day I went for a dive, and had the first brief views of a Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) - very distant both above and underwater. In the evening, we were walking by a small wasteland, and I saw a long shape dashing into the grass! I knew it was a good sign and decided to check it out tomorrow.
Early in the morning, I was on the spot and started flipping. It was pretty unrewarding at first, but my mood went up after finding a chunky Mediterranean Checkered Scorpion (Mesobuthus gibbosus). Some beautiful insects were also around, but not much more.

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Temperature started to rise, and I decided to flip one last stone before going home. Well, I did so… and when the rock was turned over, I suddenly realised, that I was looking at a coiled up snake! It started to flee, and I made a dive for it. Seconds later, I was holding a beautiful Eastern Montpellier Snake (Malpolon insignitus) in my hand!

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It was ferocious and tried to bite me, as I started taking pictures. Still, I managed to get some nice close-ups and left with triumph in my soul. First snake found in Southern Europe, and a lifer for me!

Next day was pretty uneventful, and after that I went diving again. Divemasters told, that there’s no chance of seeing a turtle at this site, so I was very relaxed… until I saw a torpedo-shaped silhouette disappearing behind a rocky outcrop! Seconds later we were watching an enormous Loggerhead grazing on an underwater cliff, and I even got some pictures! The most-wanted lifer of the trip - I couldn’t have been happier!

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After that, we woke up early and drove to the mountains - for parents to enjoy the views, and for me to try and do some herping. My plan was to look under the stones and check out the olive groves for Four-lined snakes. Mountains, however, produced nothing apart from a DOR Montpellier and a lot of cool invertebrates, including the famous European Black Widow (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus).

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A bit lower we enjoyed some local dishes and great views in a mountainside tavern. After that I went to check out the olive groves nearby, and after the first few steps saw a thick brown snake vanishing into the bushes at lightning speed. I wasn’t able to catch it, but saw well, that it was a young Balkan Whip Snake (Hierophis gemonensis) - another lifer for me and 2nd snake of the trip! Excited, I searched and searched, but groves produced nothing else, except for a few Ionian Wall lizards, little mantis and gorgeous Two-Tailed Pasha (Charaxes jasius) butterflies on a fig tree.

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The remaining days were probably too hot, - I haven’t found anything of interest despite my best efforts, - so that was it in terms of herping Zante.
I also had one and a half day in Athens - just enough to make my list a bit longer!
After a three hours drive from ferry dock, while my parents went to give back the rented car, I went to the Philopappos Hill near Acropolis to look for the Marginated Tortoise (Testudo marginata). It took me no more than half an hour to spot one! I already had T. graeca from my trip to Turkey and April, but this species was very different - much bigger, darker and heavier looking. Awesome animal and a great addition to the trip list!

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Finally, on my last day my parents had to leave early for the flight, but my flight was only in the evening. So, I teamed up with Lefkeris, another guy from Greece Bird Tours, to see the species that I missed last time - Scops Owl, Short-Toed Treecreeper, Firecrest and Ferruginous Duck. Needless to say, the same trip also produced some of non-avian reptiles! On our way to Schinias National Park we stopped near a dilapidated building to look for Little Owls. There I scared another Balkan Whip Snake, that was basking on a concrete plates, off into the grass. Further in the park, - a nice wetland harbouring many bird, insect, plant and fish life, - we were just about to go look for the ducks, when I saw a huge green lizard crossing the road! When I raised my 400 m lens, it was already gone. However, there was no doubts, that it was a Balkan Green Lizard (Lacerta trilineata) - my 9th and last lifer of the trip! Finally, on our way back to Athens we saw another Marginated Tortoise, and that was it.
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Overall, it was a great experience giving the season and the limitations of family trip! I’ll definitely be back to Greece in spring - this time solely for herping.

Trip list (lifers in bold, DORs not included):

1. Balkan Green Frog (Pelophylax kurtmuelleri) - many at Spata fields and in every water body on Zakynthos.
2. Sheltopusik (Pseudopus apodus) - 1.5 at Spata Fields (the half was carried by snake eagle).
3. Moorish Gecko (Tarentola mauritanica) - many near every street light at Zakynthos and while flipping.
4. Turkish Gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus) - few around the hotel lights in Tsilivi.
5. Ionian Wall Lizard (Podarcis ionicus) - many at Zakynthos.
6. European Pond Turtle (Emys orbicularis) - 10+ at Keri, Zakynthos.
7. Balkan Terrapin (Mauremus rivulata) - 3 at Keri, Zakynthos.
8. Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) - 2 in Laganas Bay on different days. 1 seen at Gerakas Beach by my father while snorkelling.
9. Eastern Montpellier Snake (Malpolon insignitus) - 1 at wasteland in Tsilivi, Zakynthos.
10. Balkan Whip Snake (Hierophis gemonensis) - 1 in overgrown olive groves near Agia Marina on Zakynthos, 1 on the way to Schinias NP.
11. Marginated Tortoise (Testudo marginata) - 1 on Philopappos Hill, probably many more in the area, 1 on the way back from Schinias NP on the side of the road.
12. Balkan Green Lizard (Lacerta trilineata) - 1 at Schinias NP.
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Porter
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Re: Herping Greece for the first time (snakes included!)

Post by Porter »

Nice post :thumb: I like those shots of the katydid and assassin bug. Rad :beer:
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Jeff
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Joined: June 11th, 2010, 6:01 am
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Re: Herping Greece for the first time (snakes included!)

Post by Jeff »

It appears that the sheltopusik trick of throwing its tail did not fool the snake eagle!
Thanks for the tour.
Jeff
Vipera1234
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Joined: December 29th, 2021, 2:43 am

Re: Herping Greece for the first time (snakes included!)

Post by Vipera1234 »

Nice pictures (lucky to see a Pasja sitting still, I have seen one and it went about Mach 3.0), during what month did you visit Greece? My girlfriend and I might visit Greece next spring as well, perhaps we will run into each other.
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Jeroen Speybroeck
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Re: Herping Greece for the first time (snakes included!)

Post by Jeroen Speybroeck »

Jeff wrote: June 28th, 2022, 4:50 am It appears that the sheltopusik trick of throwing its tail did not fool the snake eagle!
Thanks for the tour.
Jeff
Unlike Anguis, they cannot autotomize their tail.
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