Coronella austriaca from Bulgaria

Croatia, BiH, Serbia, Macedonia, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, Greece including ALL islands

Coronella austriaca from Bulgaria

Postby Ilian Velikov » Fri Jun 27, 2014 10:11 pm

The last few times I visited Bulgaria were all in June/July by which time the temperatures there are in their 30s (C). I don't usually expect to find austriaca in these conditions but I did every time. Although there were some cloudy days it was still pretty hot (27-29C) even when raining. Maybe lack of direct sun light is more important for austriaca than the actual temperature? I was nicely surprised to find this female at the exact same spot under a big piece of tin and wood (must have been quite hot under that) where I found her last year :)

CA12013.jpg

Female found in June 2013

CA12014.jpg

Same female at the exact same spot in June 2014

I was also lucky to observe austriaca out in the open for the first time (I've always found them under some sort of cover) which was again a bit strange for this time of year. This one was resting in a man-made ditch next to the road and it was completely motionless even when I got really, really close (this has never happened to me with any other snake). It was not trapped there as the ditch was open to one side and there was also vegetation hanging on the "walls" to which the snake could take "hold". Even when I touched it gently it was reluctant to move but finally went very slowly in the surrounding leaf litter. I have no idea if it was tired or what it was doing there at all...Any ideas? I should mention that 10min after this observation there was a big thunder storm with heavy rain.

CA32014.jpg

In situ

CA42014.jpg

In situ

Coronella austriaca is quite well studied in Western Europe (and the UK, for those who think it's not Europe) but not so much in Eastern Europe and the Balkans, so I'd be interested to hear your experience with this species in this area including under what conditions you observed it, where (under cover/in the open), how did it behave?

Thanks.
Ilian Velikov
 
Posts: 1216
Joined: Thu May 21, 2009 12:19 pm
Hometown: Pravets
country: Bulgaria

Re: Coronella austriaca from Bulgaria

Postby Thomas Reich » Sat Jun 28, 2014 6:52 pm

The snake in the man-made ditch has a very nice pattern. Coronella bilineata... ;)

I observed Coronella in the Balkans under the following conditions:

Eastern Croatia, May, in a bushy area after a hot day just before a thunderstorm

Northeastern Greece, early May, warm day, unter a small rock eating a lizard

Greece, Olympos area, late April, cloudy interval during quite a hot day, basking in the herbs in the open
User avatar
Thomas Reich
 
Posts: 143
Joined: Sun Dec 05, 2010 3:30 pm
Hometown: Switzerland
country: Switzerland

Re: Coronella austriaca from Bulgaria

Postby Ilian Velikov » Sat Jun 28, 2014 7:26 pm

Thomas, thanks for sharing your observations.

Thomas Reich wrote:Eastern Croatia, May, in a bushy area after a hot day just before a thunderstorm


This sounds very much like my experience with austriaca. I can understand why they avoid direct sun light on a hot day, and why they prefer cloudy weather but I wonder why they come out just before a thunderstorm. I doubt they enjoy the rain. I wonder if it might have something to do with pressure or humidity...?
Ilian Velikov
 
Posts: 1216
Joined: Thu May 21, 2009 12:19 pm
Hometown: Pravets
country: Bulgaria

Re: Coronella austriaca from Bulgaria

Postby Ruggero M. » Mon Jun 30, 2014 6:39 am

Ilian Velikov wrote:Thomas, thanks for sharing your observations.

Thomas Reich wrote:Eastern Croatia, May, in a bushy area after a hot day just before a thunderstorm


This sounds very much like my experience with austriaca. I can understand why they avoid direct sun light on a hot day, and why they prefer cloudy weather but I wonder why they come out just before a thunderstorm. I doubt they enjoy the rain. I wonder if it might have something to do with pressure or humidity...?



It's common experience to find snakes outside just before a thunderstorm: thunderstorms arrive during very hot weather, and just before thunderstorms the sky becomes totally cloudy, the temperatures sink down and the humidity raises. That's why snakes come outside, just like "waiting for the rain". Pressure is not an important factor, in my opinion. Reduced light or even partial darkness, cooler temperatures and probably also the increased air humidity are probably more than enough to explain this typical snakes behaviour...

The Coronella austrica I've found on Cres (Croatia) was seen in Mai with good weather in the second (or even late) afternoon in a stony area near a deciduous forest, between sunlight and shadow (but, if I remember well, the snake was in the sunlight exposed zone), and was ready to flee away under a stone.

P.S. The second smooth snake of Ilian is Coronella quatuorlineata, not bilineata! :lol:
Ruggero M.
 
Posts: 673
Joined: Tue May 13, 2014 7:15 pm
Hometown: Pavia
country: Italy

Re: Coronella austriaca from Bulgaria

Postby David Bird » Sun Mar 08, 2015 6:36 pm

Not sure what any of you think but the second snake in the concrete ditch seems very long and slim compared with those from the U.K.. Did you by any chance get a measurement snout-vent and total length ?
David Bird
 
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat May 09, 2009 6:32 pm
Location: Dorset, U.K.
Hometown: Spetisbury Blandford Forum
country: England

Re: Coronella austriaca from Bulgaria

Postby Ray Hamilton » Mon Mar 09, 2015 10:14 am

My own observations of Coronella austriaca in the area are as follows;

1).21.06.2007 Single adult snake found in the open, crawling over concrete steps in the early evening at Plitvice Lakes, Croatia. This was after a warm day with no rain or storm clouds.

2).13.04.2011 Adult snake found under a tin sheet in a garden at Hotnitsa (near VT), Bulgaria. Morning, sunny but cool.

3).30.04.2011 Smooth snake sighted basking a couple of feet up a dry stone wall in the same garden. Warm sunshine, midday.

4).01.05.2011 Adult snake under tin sheet as (2). Weather not noted.

5).07.05.2011 Adult snake - different individual to (2/4) under same tin sheet in Hotnitsa garden.

6).18 + 22.05.2011. Adult snake observed basking during the morning in stone garden wall. Warm and sunny conditions, no cloud cover.

Probably not that helpful for you. I have twice seen Macroprotodon cucullatus in Andalucia, out and active just prior to evening thunderstorms.

Image
C.austriaca basking off the ground in a stone wall - Bulgaria.

Image
As found under lifted tin sheet - Bulgaria.

Image
As found under lifted tin sheet - Bulgaria.

Image
Snake from 13.04.2011.
Ray Hamilton
 
Posts: 149
Joined: Tue Nov 08, 2011 6:43 pm
Hometown: Bournemouth
country: England

Re: Coronella austriaca from Bulgaria

Postby Ilian Velikov » Wed Mar 11, 2015 2:59 pm

Thanks Ray!
Ilian Velikov
 
Posts: 1216
Joined: Thu May 21, 2009 12:19 pm
Hometown: Pravets
country: Bulgaria


Return to Balkan peninsula

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 15 guests