Some pictures from the Cres-Lošinj archipelago

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Re: Some pictures from the Cres-Lošinj archipelago

Postby Ruggero M. » Wed Jun 21, 2017 8:42 pm

Ruggero Morimando wrote:And...we met a german tourist who is certain to have seen and photographed a longissima in the utmost southern part of Cres while camping... we will receive the pictures of this snake in a few weeks!


We received the pictures of the snake photographed beneath an old camper (at least, is seems to be something like this) and the snake is undoubtedly a Zamenis longissimus with typical light brown colour.
I don't know if I can publish or post the two pictures, because I've no direct permission to do so, even if the author is a colleague of mine, an austrian dermatologist from Graz.
So. The point.
We have in Cres, as far as I know, two distinct Z.longissimus populations: one in the north, where the snake is rather common, and one in the deepest south of the island, in Punta Kriza, in a "total" different habitat and even different climate.
Actually, for Punta Kriza Z.longissimus in not "totally new", because, if you search on the web, you'll find a picture of an Aesculapian snake with this locality: but now we have two specimens and we are so almost practically sure that there lives (or has lived?) a population of this species.

And this fact gives also a different light over the tale of a german tourist who told me that, when he was a child (so 35-40 years ago I would say), he saw Zamenis longissimus specimens also in the northern part of Losinj island, where the species is nowadays unknown.

But: why these two separate populations? One in the north, the other in the south, without any specimens in the biggest central body of Cres island?

In fact, so far as I can remember, no one has ever found Z.longissimus in other parts of Cres... only in the north: and/but now we know that this species lives also in the utmost southern part of the island... :shock:
Ruggero M.
 
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Re: Some pictures from the Cres-Lošinj archipelago

Postby Ruggero M. » Sun Apr 29, 2018 12:09 pm

I went for 10 days in my usual places, but the conditions were suboptimal: too sunny and too dry. Wildboars had made some once rich habitats almost snakefree (meadows and margins of macchia "worked" as by multiple plows sometimes to 100% of their surface) and roads are well known killers in Cres.
We managed anyways to find at least 13 living leopardsnakes, plus the usual roadkills. An adult leopardsnake (recognized as a female the first day) was spotted for two consecutive days (if it was the same specimen) in the exact place and in the exact position were years ago we could spot a gemonensis and then also another big leopardsnake female (surely a different specimen).
We managed also to photograph in situ an Anguis eating a huge rainworm, a beautifully coloured adult leopardsnake female on a trail (I think females could remain brighter and better marked than males, which probably tend to become duller with age), a black small female aesculapian snake (only in hand picture), a gemonensis with a baby quatuorlineata in the same picture, a beautiful subadult male austriaca, and other more usual things. If you think it's worth, I could put here a few of these pictures. We could not confirm the presence of longissima other than in the north, and we were very badly treated by two locals cause we went with the car only a few hundred meters inside a "private (?) road". My friend Melo ironically called these ugly people "patriots" of Cres... :lol:
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Re: Some pictures from the Cres-Lošinj archipelago

Postby Massimo Trentin » Mon Apr 30, 2018 10:20 am

Hello Ruggero,pictures are always welcome :D .
I think in a long term effect wild boars will be more important than traffic road because of their wide spreading :roll: .
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Re: Some pictures from the Cres-Lošinj archipelago

Postby Ruggero M. » Mon Apr 30, 2018 11:24 am

Ok, Massimo, I will try to put here some pictures.

gemo.jpg
Year 2013

oldsitula.jpg
Year 2014: big female.

n.jpg
Year 2018: day 1 (picture taken by friend Melo). Situla female with Algyroides

newsitula1.jpg
Year 2018: day 2. Same specimen?

newsitula2.jpg
Detail
Ruggero M.
 
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Re: Some pictures from the Cres-Lošinj archipelago

Postby Ruggero M. » Mon Apr 30, 2018 11:28 am

Slow worm vs earthworm

worm01.jpg

worm1.jpg
Size comparison

worm2.jpg

worm3.jpg
Ruggero M.
 
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Re: Some pictures from the Cres-Lošinj archipelago

Postby Ruggero M. » Mon Apr 30, 2018 11:39 am

situlamale.jpg
Situla male in situ

situlamalenear.jpg
Detail

situlainsitu.jpg
Situla female in situ: actually I moved, before the picture was taken, a leaf which sat in front of its head and the snake had almost no reaction... a very well tempered snake!

situlainhand.jpg
Same in hand: after release it moved very calmly, confirming its good temperament
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Re: Some pictures from the Cres-Lošinj archipelago

Postby Ruggero M. » Mon Apr 30, 2018 11:42 am

"Gemo" + baby fourlined in a same picture

gemoquatuor0.jpg

gemoquatuor1.jpg

gemoquatuor2.jpg
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Re: Some pictures from the Cres-Lošinj archipelago

Postby Ruggero M. » Mon Apr 30, 2018 11:44 am

Same place

gemohell.jpg

gemonaja.jpg


Same trail
cervone.jpg

cervonenear.jpg


Two adult leopard males taken on the same trail
situlahabitatcervo.jpg
No pictures in situ: the snake was already partially inside a rock shelter...

situlahabitatcervone.jpg
Same

leopardcodamozza.jpg
Male number 2: it had a "rounded" shorted tail, and it was difficult to take a good in situ picture
Ruggero M.
 
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Re: Some pictures from the Cres-Lošinj archipelago

Postby Ruggero M. » Mon Apr 30, 2018 11:56 am

This young leopard snake was saved from a road. It had very beautiful and shiny colours!

situlasaved2.jpg

situlasaved.jpg


Also saved from a road: a baby Pseudopus.
pseudopus.jpg
Ruggero M.
 
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Re: Some pictures from the Cres-Lošinj archipelago

Postby Ruggero M. » Mon Apr 30, 2018 12:05 pm

A subadult Coronella male, in situ
austriaca.jpg


A young black female longissimus
blackfemale.jpg


A barely visible female aesculapian on a trail...
longissimatarnung.jpg


And two different fourlined snakes in hand.
cervoneinhand.jpg

cervonehand2.jpg

We could watch on one occasion 3 fourlined snakes "together" (I mean very near each other), and on another occasion I could take in the hand a big female, only to hear and see after few seconds the big male a few meters away.
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