fieldherping.eu

Hi everyone,
I am new to the forum so i thought i should introduce myself,
My name is Avery, i'm 15, and i have been fascinated with herps my whole life.I plan to study herpetology or zoology or wildlife biology... i am yet to decide which field exactly, but i am certain that i want to work with animals in the future. I have always had a specific love for snakes, and whenever i get the chance i go all afternoon on dirt trails and paths in my area looking for them. My goal species since i can remember has been a M. Monsspessulanus (which i have found) though i am yet to find one over 2ft long. My favorite species is probably the malaysian king cobra, though i also think keelback snakes, or kraits are awesome. I am hoping to learn a lot from people with a bit more experience on this forum, and also having help id-ing reptiles and other things i come across. My hobbies include: photography, herping, sports, hiking... basically anything outdoors (which is why this quarantine is killing me).

Welcome!
Species epiteth is not capitalised, only generic name is capitalised, so Malpolon monspessulanus. Latin scientific names should be in italics but not everyone adibes to that.
You live at end of range of that species it seems, so it might be hard to find them. I encountered that snake (adult) "by accudent" in Andalusia, at dunes. viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1578&start=10#p15471 But you should have many beautiful newts and salamanders in your region though. Have you photographed some? Feel free to show us! Btw are you a Basque? Your surname sounds English. Also you speak English very well for your age.

Hi!
Thanks for the reply!
It makes sense that you write the latin names like that... thanks for the info. Also, i haven't really photographed many salamanders or newts as the only species i have ever found (as i usually focus more on reptiles in my studies and searches) are the marbled newts (and i have only had my camera for a year), though this summer i plan to learn and find a bit more about the amphibians in my region. I am actually american, though i was born and raised here in Spain. Both of my parents were american so English was my first language though i do speak Spanish fluently and just about there with French. Yeah, also I know that the Montpellier snake is pretty rare to see this far north, though my brother claims to has seen a meter and a half snakes with the same coloration in the past year. All of them he has come across by accident when i am not there. Because of the size (he is not the type to exaggerate) and coloration, i can really only assume that it was the species, as no other species has a bright head. The other reason i search for them is because i find (in early summer) juveniles everywhere (even in my town), so there must be adults somewhere. Though i also enjoy finding Elaphe scalaris and a few of the other common species here like the smooth snake (can't remember the scientific name...), and things like the Natrix maura. I don't have any of my photos on this laptop but later i will probably post some here (if i remember...)
Thanks so much for you reply!