The next generation

[Peter Oefinger]

Hi,
yesterday afternoon we checked the local Zootoca population.

20 °C, clouds: the Zootocas were warming up on dry wood:

Another guy:

Most females still gravid:

But finally, we spotted the first baby:

Regards
Peter

[Daniel Kane]

Nice shots Peter. I went out for an hour or so today to my local place, cloudy and quite wet (its rained for the last 10 days); saw 10 Anguis and a single baby Zootoca. Not long till the baby vipers now!

[Jürgen Gebhart]

Nice shots!
But I think the Baby is not from this year. Freshborn Zootoca are black or darkbrown.

[Mario Schweiger]

Agree with Jürgen,

newborns are mostly very dark brown to black!
But, maybe not everywhere
These youngsters, probably newborns - because you found lots of them at the ed of July 2009 - are not black. Total length 40 - 45 mm.
Location: Ibmer Moor, border Salzburg - Upper Austria, Austria; 400 mm asl
Sorry for image quality

little Zootoca, Ibmer Moor, Austria; July 30th, 2009

[Peter Oefinger]

You are right, Jürgen: it doesn't look like a new born - surprising, that it's still so small. I will have an eye on it...