Corfu May 2012

[Matt Wilson]

I was invited back to lead field walks on Herpetology in Corfu last week (my 12th or 13th trip to the island, forgot now!) and thought you all would be interested to see some of my photos from the week. The weather was often very hot during the walks so some of the more secretive snakes/anti-sun loving snakes (situla/quatuorlineata etc) I found in the evenings when I went wandering around on my own.

Oh and after handling over several hundred adult Pseudopus apodus, I was actually bitten by one this time (!!!) That will probably never happen again for the rest of my life...

The photos: http://mwilsonherps.wordpress.com/corfu-2012/#

[Mario Schweiger]

nice collection on herps - and excellent pictures, as every time!
So, now you belong to the small circle of people, got bitten by Pseudopus

Mario

[Jeroen Speybroeck]

Love the colour of that second Malpolon...

[Peter Oefinger]

Very nice kaleidoscope of snakes...

[Jürgen Gebhart]

Great pics!!!

[Matt Wilson]

Thanks for the comments! Mario, I'm privileged to be a part of the 'got bitten by a Pseudopus' group I rescue one from a road and it gives me the most painful bite I've had from a reptile in the field for a long time.

[Gabriel Martínez]

Hi Matt! I love these big Malpolon insignitus. Very cool species

[Carl Corbidge]

Glad you got those striped Leopard snakes this year, well done mate.

[Mike Dunning]

Hi Matt,

Like yourself, I was in Corfu last week (10th to 17th) and I knew that your field trip was going to be there too, including Dr Bellamy!

We (my wife included) searched all over the island including the north side (Perithia, Loutses and the Pantokrator area), the Ropa valley, and my favourite area, Lake Korrision.

Here is a list of what we observed;

Elaphe quatrolineata, 1 live + 3 DOR
Lacerta viridis (I think), several
Vipera ammoytes, surprisingly at a site near Messongi - I thought these were a mountain species??
Testudo hermanni, 3
Pseudopus apodus, 2
Malpolon insignitus, 1 live + 2 DOR
Pelophylax ridibunda plus epeirotica, lots!!
Hemidactylus turcicus, 4
Little black scorpion, under a plant pot at the villa in Kassiopi where we stayed.

I was disappointed not to have found Bufo Viridis, my personal favourite, or Hyla arborea during the week, but altogether, a successful trip!

Best wishes

Mike Dunning

[Matt Wilson]

Mike, glad you saw some nice species. V.ammodytes is found everywhere on the island, it seems to be a common misconception that they are only found in rocky, mountainous areas. The only one of my trip was also found in the south, at sea level.

Also I've only seen Lacerta viridis at one spot on the north coast and I've never seen it anywhere else during all my visits, they are much smaller than trilineata, have a slimer build, pointer snout and have a bright blue throat.

Matt