Snake - SE Bulgaria

You have a picture of an amphibian or reptile and do not know, what it is! Ask here

Snake - SE Bulgaria

Postby Mike Richardson » Sun Jun 14, 2015 11:48 am

Hi

This snake was crossing a road in the Eastern Rhodopes, South East Bulgaria last month. I only had a couple of seconds to take some photos and move the animal as traffic was approaching extremely fast.

I initially thought it was Zamenis longissimus but now I'm wondering if I can rule out a dark Elaphe sauromates. I realise that this may be an easy ID for you guys, but mammals are my main interest and I struggle with herps.

Image

Image

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Best wishes

Mike
Mike Richardson
 
Posts: 17
Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2010 4:44 pm
Hometown: Bridlington
country: England

Re: Snake - SE Bulgaria

Postby Mario Schweiger » Sun Jun 14, 2015 11:55 am

No reason for wondering :lol:
Its a dark Zamenis longissimus for sure
Mario (Admin)

Please visit also my personal Herp-site vipersgarden.at
User avatar
Mario Schweiger
Site Admin
 
Posts: 2230
Joined: Wed May 06, 2009 7:57 pm
Location: Obertrum, Salzburg, Austria
Hometown: Obertrum
country: Austria

Re: Snake - SE Bulgaria

Postby Mike Richardson » Sun Jun 14, 2015 12:24 pm

Thanks for the quick reply Mario. I should learn to go with my initial thoughts and not think too much! Incidentally I had no ID doubts about the next snake I came across 5 minutes later. ;)

Image
Mike Richardson
 
Posts: 17
Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2010 4:44 pm
Hometown: Bridlington
country: England

Re: Snake - SE Bulgaria

Postby Berislav Horvatic » Sun Jun 14, 2015 12:29 pm

Mario Schweiger wrote:No reason for wondering :lol:
Its a dark Zamenis longissimus for sure

Yes, for sure. Just look at the face shape & expression in the second photo - only a Zamenis has that look... hard to
describe in objective terms, privately I call it duck-like... From en face, shows something like a surprise, incredulity...
Applies to Z. situla as well. (Pardon my imprecise & emotional observations like that, but that's how I see them.)
Berislav Horvatic
 
Posts: 1132
Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2009 4:35 pm
Hometown: Zagreb
country: Croatia

Re: Snake - SE Bulgaria

Postby Ruggero M. » Sun Jun 14, 2015 2:24 pm

I would add only 3 concepts for an easy determination of an aesculapian snake at "first look".
Very right observation from Bero about the "head shape" and "face expression"... :lol:

But think also of these 3 other things.
1) Dorsal scales of aesculapian snakes are almost always smooth and brilliant. Only once in my life I captured an aesculapian snakes with all dorsal scales heavily keeled, but this is obviously not the rule: sometimes aesculapian could have only slightly keeled dorsal scales on the second half of the body, and that's all.
So: the overall appereance of an aesculapian snake (in contrast with Elaphe sauromates) is that of a smooth, shiny and very often even "brilliant" snake.

2) aesculapian have elegantly slender bodies. It's not a case that the latin name is "longissimus"... :oops:


3) the position "en accordeon" is typical for many snake species, but it's extremely typical indeed for the aesculapian snake!


So, if you see a long, slender, shiny snake, staying in a "en accordeon" position (obviously if you are in the right areal for this species), you can be pretty sure it's an aesculapian, even if you don't have yet seen the "peaceful" expression of its smile... ;)

I post here, as typical example, two pictures taken "in situ" of a big melanistic male "en accordeon" on a dirty road in Cres.
accordeon.jpg

accordeon2.jpg


P.S. From the tail shape, it seems to me that your aesculapian specimen was a female...
Ruggero M.
 
Posts: 673
Joined: Tue May 13, 2014 7:15 pm
Hometown: Pavia
country: Italy

Re: Snake - SE Bulgaria

Postby Berislav Horvatic » Sun Jun 14, 2015 2:48 pm

... even if you don't have yet seen the "peaceful" expression of its smile... ;)

Well, Ruggero, you obviously understand... (And of course I agree with all you wrote in a more objective vein...)

Regarding the face expressions, I once sent an en face portrait of V. ursinii to Ljiljana Tomović, and she replied:
"Of course it's not an adder - what a question(?!) - only an ursinii could have a "dear & friendly" face expression
like that..." Ever since then, I've taken much more attention to "untechnical" traits like that... And it helps.
Berislav Horvatic
 
Posts: 1132
Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2009 4:35 pm
Hometown: Zagreb
country: Croatia

Re: Snake - SE Bulgaria

Postby Mike Richardson » Sun Jun 14, 2015 2:56 pm

Thank you all for the additional comments. They're all very helpful.
Mike Richardson
 
Posts: 17
Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2010 4:44 pm
Hometown: Bridlington
country: England


Return to Herp ID´s

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests