Category: Viajes

The team that remained in Morocco to try to find the elusive Varano has returned.

In addition to finding the Varanus griseus, a species more abundant toward Egypt and the Middle East but very scarce in Morocco, they also found these interesting species to be added to the list of species of the previous post:

– Alytes maurus
– Bufo brongersmai
– Mauremys leprosa
– Tarentola deserti
– Tarentola annularis
– Ptyodactylus oudrii
– Stenodactylus mauritanicus
– Tropiocolotes algericus
– Trapelus mutabilis
– Uromastyx nigriventris
– Uromastyx dispar
– Varanus griseus
– Timon tangitanus
– Podarcis vaucheri
– Acanthodactylus busacki
– Acanthodactylus boskianus
– Acanthodactylus dumerili
– Chalcides ocellatus
– Myriopholis algeriensis
– Spalerosophis dolichospilus
– Malpolon insignitus
– Psammophis schokari

This makes a total of 44 species, 8 amphibians and 36 reptiles.

Part of the team has returned with the memory cards full of pictures and videos, while another part continue in Morocco in search of the elusive Varanus and the mythical Echis.

From the logistics point of view, the trip was from the beginning a complete disaster, with one of the cars, a Land Rover Defender, broken down just as we touched African soil, forcing us to completely rethink the trip and to go towards the SW instead of SE as planned.

However, the bad luck with our vehicles contrasted with the good luck with herpetofauna, despite the setbacks we found and photographed some of the most emblematic species of reptiles of Morocco.

Before doing an exhaustive account, to confirm the identifications and waiting for the rest of the team to return, the list of species observed and photographed (alive) can be summarized as follows:

– Pelophylax saharicus
– Bufo mauritanicus
– Bufo boulengeri
– Pleurodeles waltl
– Hyla meridionalis
– Discoglossus scovazzi
– Testudo graeca
– Chamaeleo chamaeleon
– Hyalosaurus koellikeri
– Tarentola mauritanica
– Tarentola chazaliae
– Saurodactylus brosseti
– Natrix maura
– Boaedon fuliginosus
– Hemorrhois algirus
– Naja haje legionis
– Bitis arietans
– Chalcides polylepis
– Chalcides sphenopsiformis
– Acanthodactylus maculatus
– Acanthodactylus lineomaculatus
– Acanthodactylus aureus

To this list must be added numerous citations of species found on the roads run over, drowned in in cisterns, or stoned by local people: Dasypeltis sahelensis, Scutophis moilensis, etc…

Taking advantage of the late Easter vacations this year, the team of www.moroccoherps.com is embarking in a new herpetology expedition to the north of Africa. The idea is to prospect the arid SE visiting Figuig and the Tigri and Chebbi ergs, although the route is flexible and we will decide at the moment depending on the meteorology, the cars, Islamic revolutions and other unexpected problems.

When we get back we hope to show here a good collection of photographs of cobras, desert Varanus, and other species, probably not so famous, but not less fascinating. If as usual, the cobras and Varanus do not appear, at least we will have some tales to tell.