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Rhodes 'holiday'

PostPosted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 5:46 pm
by Neil Rowntree
Hello all,

At the start of June I spent a week in Pefkos (my other half needed a relaxing 'beach holiday') and as usual I spent the week as the lone herper. I'm not too sure what this fella was, but i'm sure you'll let me know!
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Some of the other things that were creeping around the local area included;
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These guys were everywhere - just waiting for you to walk into their webs...
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and these were under most stones!
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the usual suspects
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Halfway through my week i'd given up on seeing any snakes - and then to my horror I found this DOR D.jugularis. The poor thing had managed to get off the road but had died on the verge. There wasn't much traffic in this area either, so this was just one very unlucky snake.
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Following this, I spent the next 5 or so hours of that day walking the hills/wasteland hoping to find a live one - to no avail. However (and isn't this always the case), on my return to base (literally 10 metres from the apartment) I spotted this little fella by the road and was able to help it into some safer habitat.
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P.najadum - I'm still smiling now!

Another local resident;
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I did manage to take the bus to Rhodes Town for a day - where the old city walls are pretty good for reptiles. These included;
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Some other critters from Pefkos;
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and this may be the reason for the DOR snake; giant broomstick-riding weevils!
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one last herp;
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and finally, I know that renting a car and visiting more remote sites is the best way to find new species - but due to the euro crisis in Greece it seemed that Hertz car-hire was just not worth it this time...
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Neil

Re: Rhodes 'holiday'

PostPosted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 6:23 pm
by Kevin Byrnes
The lizard in the first picture is a snake eyed lizard Ophisops elegans

Re: Rhodes 'holiday'

PostPosted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 6:27 pm
by Carl Corbidge
Your first lizard is a snake eyed lizard, the first skink looks like a levant/golden skink which is a good find.

Re: Rhodes 'holiday'

PostPosted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 6:29 pm
by Carl Corbidge
You got your reply in just as I was typing Kev

Re: Rhodes 'holiday'

PostPosted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 6:52 pm
by Neil Rowntree
Thanks Carl and Kevin,

I hadn’t seen a snake-eyed lizard before so thanks for your quick ID!

As for the skinks, I knew there were ocellated ones in the area but I wasn’t too sure about any others.

I also flipped a large bit of plastic by the roadside to find another skink buried in the sand underneath. Unfortunately it shot out into a bush before I could get a decent look at it - but it looked different from C.ocellatus and more like a golden skink I had as a pet when I was younger…perhaps another of the Levant ones…

Anyway, thanks again for your info – much appreciated.

Neil

Re: Rhodes 'holiday'

PostPosted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 6:58 pm
by Jeroen Speybroeck
Carl Corbidge wrote:the first skink looks like a levant/golden skink

Think so too...

Re: Rhodes 'holiday'

PostPosted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 8:17 pm
by Ilias Strachinis
Jeroen Speybroeck wrote:
Carl Corbidge wrote:the first skink looks like a levant/golden skink

Think so too...


yes it is