Lake Shkodra,Albania April 2010

[Edmond Themeli]

Rozafa Castle



My first Elaphe Quatuorlineata ever

[Ruggero M.]

Beautiful castle over a lake! And a female quatuorlineata...

[Edmond Themeli]

I still remember that day and i wasn't there for herping at all.Finding that snake was a coincidence.By the way how can you tell if that's a female ?!

[Berislav Horvatic]

By the way how can you tell if that's a female ?!

The first guess: by the expression of your face while holding it in your hands (so gently...)?
Or, perhaps, by the visible shape of the posterior part of its (her?) body...?
But, in any case, let's have Ruggero Morimando decide & answer that delicate question...

[Ruggero M.]

The second answer is the correct one: length of the tail and shape of the vent region!

Here are two H.gemonensis that were displaying courtship behaviour in Lošinj (Croatia) during last spring.

H.gemonensis pair: female above

[Berislav Horvatic]

The second answer is the correct one: length of the tail and shape of the vent region!

Thanks, Ruggero. I was certain that you would guess/provide the right answer. But I still prefer my first option...

"displaying courtship behaviour"

I thought that behaviorism and its weird terminology has been dead for many decades... But never mind, I'm
now just being too harsh on young people who actually don't bear the sins...

[Jeroen Speybroeck]

Seems like a cool spot... Albania sure holds a lot of (herping and other) secrets for most of us.

[Edmond Themeli]

I feel like an orphan here,nobody loves snakes and people think i am crazy...hahha.In a serious note yes i think we have cool places to go herping and not only.

[Berislav Horvatic]

I feel like an orphan here, nobody loves snakes and people think i am crazy...

Of course you are crazy, no doubt about that. But so are the rest of us, in this ghetto or asylum... Welcome to the club.

[Edmond Themeli]

I like your sense of humor,i think it's a positive craziness no matter what people think about it.When i was doing the military service the people of a village near our unit used to call me " The weird guy of the snakes " which i liked as a nick.And that place was full with Montpellier snakes.