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Striped Zamenis longissimus

PostPosted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 2:44 pm
by Lennart Schmid
After I found the first Zamenis longissimus in late march this year, I decided to head back to my spot and check again yesterday. After some searching I had found quite a few including this interesting specimen. I guess it was between 100 and 120cm long and lacked the typical white freckles of Zamenis longissimus. However it had these beatiful stripes along its body, making it almost look like a Zamenis lineatus. Its eyes however had the typical yellow-brownish longissimus coloration. Have you guys ever seen such a Zamenis longissimus before? I know I havent and i have seen quite a few now, at least in germany.

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Re: Striped Zamenis longissimus

PostPosted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 4:09 pm
by Mario Schweiger
nice specimen :)
I've seen nearly an equal one in coastal northern Tuscany before many years

Re: Striped Zamenis longissimus

PostPosted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 12:34 pm
by Ruggero M.
I've seen many striped longissima in north Italy where I live.
At least 2-3 of those were so yellow and so well striped to resemble an obsoleta quadrivittata!
I've seen once a striped specimen with completely keeled dorsal scales: so keeled as we could find in a Natrix natrix...

I've also seen one (but probably two) olive green / blotched aesculapian snakes: a very rare coloration. One of these specimen, the only one I've actually manage to capture, was very similar to a green viridiflavus, and was aggressive too: but it was 100% a longissimus... :o

Sometimes it happens to find black or blackish aesculapian: and in Cres it's the normal colour of the aesculapian which live there!

Re: Striped Zamenis longissimus

PostPosted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 12:36 pm
by Ilian Velikov
Ruggero Morimando wrote:One of these specimen, the only one I've actually manage to capture, was very similar to a green viridiflavus, and was aggressive too: but it was 100% a longissimus...


Any photos?

Re: Striped Zamenis longissimus

PostPosted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 12:42 pm
by Ruggero M.
Sorry, for the green ones no photos...
But... in a book I own there's a picture of an aesculapian snake predated by foxes. And this is the only picture of a green-bluish blotched aesculapian I could ever find.
Of the yellow-striped specimens I've a couple of pictures, but not of those 2-3 which were so striped as quadrivittata, and, very sorry, no picture of the keeled-scaled specimen.
You must think I started watching snakes in the seventies, and at that time, smartphones and even cameras were not available for a boy like I was.
And even in more recent years, I started to have a smartphone with me only 1-2 years ago... :? :oops:

I think this is the book I meant (it's in another house at the moment...): http://www.ebay.it/itm/9788880952091-It ... 1517962608

Re: Striped Zamenis longissimus

PostPosted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 12:52 pm
by Ruggero M.
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An awful picture of a wonderful golden-yellow striped aesculapian male I've found many years ago (picture not in situ, taken by myself with a slide and found on the web :lol: ).

This specimen was found "en accordeon" in a warm august day of the eigthies (? if I remember well) during light rain over an asphalted road.
It's many years that on the same road you will no longer find aesculapian... :roll:

Re: Striped Zamenis longissimus

PostPosted: Tue May 16, 2017 6:37 am
by Kai Kolodziej
Hello,
I found a similar individual in Austria in 2016, and in fact also yesterday but no picture of that one.
cheers Kai