Vipera latastei

[Martti Niskanen]

As already mentioned, they can be found in the spring in Doñana, but they're staying out of sight for a good reason as the predation pressure is pretty heavy.

[Frank Deschandol]

Yes I met Juan Pablo a few times Gabri, and he also told me how hard it is to find vipers in that area.
It seems similar to Morocco !

[Thomas Reich]

I was in Doñana in May 2011. After reading all these posts, we obviously must have been very lucky with the weather. I found a subadult viper within 10 minutes... It had been raining cats and dogs for several days before and finally stopped pouring down. The whole area was soaking wet. We were mainly searching for amphibians at this spot.

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[Frank Deschandol]

Well done Thomas ! Did you find the snake under rubbish or basking, or ...?

[Thomas Reich]

Frank, the little snake was basking in the bushes, not easy to see in the dense vegetation. I didn't know that vipers are that hard to find there, but it seems to me that the weather conditions were ideal.

This is how the area looked like.

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[Frank Deschandol]

Extra ! I got the same weather a few years ago, but in November so... In May, it's pretty hard to get a such flood, it's usually rather like the death valley over there Btw I recognize the place

[Borji Heras]

Maybe they are so scarce because the high density of wild boars?
I am not sure but i think that i Doñana, tourist can just visit some certain areas,while rest of the park is closed to average tourists, they might be more common In such undisturbed places

[Frank Deschandol]

Well I've been many times to suitable places, not very disturbed (no track of boars in the sand) and mainly in dunes, but this is really not easy... One friend found a track on the beach, east of Matalascañas, so they should occur there, probably coming down from the dunes up there..

[Jeroen Speybroeck]

Gabri, the search methods of some of the local herpers we met back then need to be questioned. If you run through the habitat like you've been stung by 500 wasps, you are not likely to find snakes. I would love to drop Peter Engelen in Doñana for a year and see what he would turn up. But, of course, other places are easier.

[Martti Niskanen]

Maybe they are so scarce because the high density of wild boars?
I am not sure but i think that i Doñana, tourist can just visit some certain areas,while rest of the park is closed to average tourists, they might be more common In such undisturbed places

I've lived and worked in the reserve, to which access is highly controlled. Boars are fairly common, but I'd think the high density of raptors would be a bigger factor. Vipers are rare everywhere in Donana.