Incredible: have you ever seen like this ?

[Francesco Tri]

Guess: what kind of snake is this?

P8216853bis.jpg

[Edvard Mizsei]

Coronella austriaca?

[Ilian Velikov]

The divided anal scale tells us it's a colubrid snake..and the dorsal scales and proportions look like a C.austriaca (I was thinking the same)..but this black belly scales got me confused!?

[Jürgen Gebhart]

I´m pretty sure, that this is a Coronella austriaca!
I also found one this year with a black belly!

[Francesco Tri]

surprise! It is a Zamenis situla, var lineata!!
I too have had some moments di incredulità when I found this snake just died

[Ilian Velikov]

Very nice and unusual snake! Too bad it was dead!

[Jürgen Gebhart]

Surprise, surprise!!!
Maybe I`m the next time right!

Sad, it was a very nice one!

[Francesco Tri]

Unfortunately some ignorant thug had broken his neck and the ants had already attacked, when I found on the hills of Dubrovnik!
I do not think that has ever been described so clearly a form of Zamenis situla, lineata: the head does not give almost anything for the characteristic patterns that distinguish this species ...

[Mario Schweiger]

Hello,

it seems, in that particular area there is an abberant color/markings morph of the Leopard snake.
On May 5th, 2006 we found this individual south of the Neretva delta, Croatia.
The place is only about 50 kms northwest of Dubrovnik.

When I found the snake, she was nearly dead. She was stucking in at least 3 skins. So we soaked it for one night and in the next morning I wanted to take off the old skins. But she was dead.

So these pictures show the dead Zamenis situla with old skins removed.

Zamenis situla, south of Neretva Delta, Croatia

Zamenis situla, south of Neretva Delta, Croatia

Mario