{"id":7475,"date":"2023-07-18T21:43:48","date_gmt":"2023-07-18T21:43:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.moroccoherps.com\/?page_id=7475"},"modified":"2023-07-19T21:38:03","modified_gmt":"2023-07-19T21:38:03","slug":"english-south-morocco-herpetological-trip-09-23-05-2022","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.moroccoherps.com\/en\/english-south-morocco-herpetological-trip-09-23-05-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"South Morocco Herpetological Trip 09-23.05.2022"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Francisco Silva & Marco Caetano<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(Link for trip video at the end of the trip report)<\/p>\n

Marco and I have known each other since 2007 \u2013 he has taught me most of what I know about snakes today! We have made a few herping trips in Portugal, but this was our first international trip together.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

DAY 1 (09.05) \u2013 Sevilla – Agadir <\/strong><\/p>\n

Since we are from the south of Portugal and the flight prices were conveniently cheap, we flew from Seville to Agadir. We landed at around 18h00, picked up the car, and went straight to the hotel to check-in. After dinner, we decided to explore some hills just north of the city. We saw Tarentola mauritanica<\/em>, Sclerophrys mauritanica<\/em> and 21 individuals of Saurodactylus brosseti<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Marco and Francisco about to board in Sevilla<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Freshly landed in Agadir<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Food and herps<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Moroccan Toad – Sclerophrys mauritanica<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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South Morocco Lizard-fingered Gecko – Saurodactylus brosseti<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Moorish Gecko – Tarentola mauritanica<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

DAY 2 (10.05) \u2013 Agadir – Sidi Ifni<\/strong><\/p>\n

On the second day, we drove to the legendary herping paradise Sidi Ifni. We stopped a few times along the road and climbed down the first water tank\/cistern (hereafter aljibe<\/em>) of the trip. On the way we found a few Pelophylax saharicus<\/em>, Mauremys leprosa saharica<\/em>, Saurodactylus brosseti<\/em>, Tarentola mauritanica and Chalcides mionecton<\/em>. Before getting to Sidi Ifni, we saw the first snake of the trip: a Dasypeltis sahelensis<\/em>, sadly dead on the road (DOR).<\/p>\n

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Mionecton Skink – Chalcides mionecton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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North African Water Frog – Pelophylax saharicus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Hottentotta sp.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Spanish Terrapin – Mauremys leprosa saharica<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Sahel Egg Eater – Dasypeltis sahelensis (first of six!)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Mountains around Sidi Ifni<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Suerte Loca Hotel, Sidi Ifni<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Sidi Ifni<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

I was sick at the beginning of our trip, so we ended up keeping the nights short. This first evening was cold and foggy, but still, we decided to drive around to see what we would find. Despite the weather, we found a 71 cm long Dasypeltis sahelensis <\/em>on the road (quite a large size for this species!), Tarentola chazaliae<\/em> and Bufotes boulengeri<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Sahel Egg Eater – Dasypeltis sahelensis, close-up<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Sahel Egg Eater – Dasypeltis sahelensis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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African Green Toad – Bufotes boulengeri<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Helmethead Gecko – Tarentola chazaliae, close-up<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Helmethead Gecko – Tarentola chazaliae<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Helmethead Gecko – Tarentola chazaliae<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

DAY 3 (11.05) \u2013 Sidi Ifni and Plage Blanche<\/strong><\/p>\n

We left the hotel to go check both aljibes and habitat during the day. Just as we were leaving Sidi Ifni we saw a Macroprotodon brevis<\/em> DOR. The aljibes did not produce a lot of results besides Agama bibronii<\/em>, Chalcides polylepis<\/em> and Barbarophryne brongersmai<\/em>. Searching habitats, however, we saw Agama bibronii, Tarentola mauritanica<\/em>, Saurodactylus harrisii, <\/em>a North African Elephant Shrew (Petrosaltator rozeti<\/em>), <\/em>lots of Little Owls (Athene noctua<\/em>), <\/em>and a large (156 cm long) beautiful Hemorrhois hippocrepis<\/em> on a stone wall, at the hottest time of the day. Shortly after that we saw our only Mesalina simoni<\/em> of the trip. We spent some time in the early evening searching for animals on a river bed, particularly Daboia mauritanica <\/em>and Naja haje<\/em>, but were not successful: we only found Tarentola mauritanica<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Many-scaled Skink – Chalcides polylepis, close-up<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Many-scaled Skink – Chalcides polylepis, habitat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Brongersma\u2019s Toad – Barbarophryne brongersmai, rescued from aljibe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Horseshoe Whip Snake – Hemorrhois hippocrepis, largest individual of this species we had ever seen, at 156 cm long<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Horseshoe Whip Snake – Hemorrhois hippocrepis, close-up<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Horseshoe Whip Snake – Hemorrhois hippocrepis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Simon\u2019s Small Lizard – Mesalina simoni<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Habitat with great potential for many species<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

In the late afternoon it rained a little and there were thunderstorms around us. Besides, the winds were quickly changing direction and the temperature had oddly started to rise after sunset. At around midnight it was over 30 degrees celcius. We think all of this helped with the activity levels of some of the species we found next. That night we searched for herps around Plage Blanche and Sidi Ifni, looking mostly for Bitis airetans<\/em>. We found three more large Dasypeltis sahelensis<\/em>: the first one was 68 cm long, the second 69 cm, and the last one – recently run over by a car – was 74 cm long! We also saw Tarentola chazaliae <\/em>and Tarentola mauritanica<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Sahel Egg Eater – Dasypeltis sahelensis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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We were very lucky to see a few large Sahel Egg Eaters. Maybe staying at Suerte Loca did contribute to our crazy luck! \ud83d\ude09
<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

As we were ready to call it a night, we were presented with our first (and only one alive) Bitis arietans<\/em>! This beautiful individual was lying on the road as we drove past, and could see what it was from afar. We took it out of the road, and took some (really, really poor) photos. The viper was not aggressive at all and cooperated throughout the whole process. After seeing this beauty, we could sleep a lot better!<\/p>\n

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Puff Adder – Bitis arietans. Amazing specimen and one of our top targets for the trip!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Puff Adder – Bitis arietans, scales detail<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Puff Adder – Bitis arietans<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Puff Adder – Bitis arietans, close-up<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Plage Blanche<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

At night, before we found the snakes above, we were looking for snake tracks on the sand dunes that were engulfing the small houses by the beach. At some point, we heard someone shouting and coming our way. It was a very dark night and that person was not carrying any lights. As the person approached, we could see a somewhat confused man staggering our way. He was carrying a box of dates that he accidentally dropped as he reached us. He seemed to speak only Arabic – or some berber language – and some French, and we assumed he was trying to sell the dates. We politely tried to explain that we were not interested in buying anything. He seemed a bit agitated by that and started shouting as if to call someone (that never showed!). He then threw himself onto the ground, filled his hand with sand and then let the sand fall slowly through his fingers. As he did this, he was speaking, and we could only make out the French words \u2018sable noir\u2019 (black sand). The situation got a little bit uncomfortable as he was seemingly becoming aggressive (and kept on calling someone else), so we tried to politely say goodnight, turned our backs, and slowly (but steadily) started moving towards the car. As we walked, we could hear him coming shortly behind, following us (in the darkness!). We sped up (and so did he!), finally got to the car, went inside, and locked the car doors quickly. When I started the car and switched on the lights, I looked to my left and saw his face a few centimeters away from mine on the other side of the window. We hurriedly drove away\u2026 Was he dangerous? We do not know, but we left the place that had a great potential for herps without seeing any snake (nor snake track), and with this weird story to tell.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

DAY 4 (12.05) \u2013 Sidi Ifni-Guelmin<\/strong><\/p>\n

On this day, we decided to drive towards Guelmim and to check aljibes and habitat on the way. Shortly after leaving, we saw a Trogonophis wiegmanni<\/em> DOR. It was one of the goals of the trip, and sadly the only specimen we found. We also stopped on a small aljibe right by the road from which we rescued a shrew (Crocidura <\/em>sp.).<\/p>\n

Since most aljibes had a lot of water, we had not climbed down on so many until we saw an inviting one by the road, and decided to check it out. As we stopped the car and reached for our large bucket that had the rope ladder and helmet (safety first!) inside, we realized it was not there \u2013 WE HAD FORGOTTEN THE FU**ING BUCKET <\/em>(who does that?!) at some aljibe on the previous day. We spent most of the day checking the places we went to the day before, but could not find the bucket. We decided it was time to face the truth: we were never going to see the nice Decathlon climbing rope ladder that Marco had kindly built ever again! We drove back to Sidi Ifni \u2013 and barely got there, as we were running out of gas \u2013 and started looking for a new bucket, helmet, and a 60m long rope (that would be thick enough to build a ladder). Luckily, it was very easy to find everything; the worst part was building the ladder again.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Excited Francisco building a new rope ladder on the streets of Sidi Ifni<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Early in the evening we drove to Guelmim. On the way we saw a dead Eumeces algeriensis<\/em> and Quedenfeldtia moerens<\/em>, and Agama bibronii<\/em><\/p>\n

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Moroccan Day Gecko – Quedenfeldtia moerens<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Beautiful landscape on the drive to Guelmim<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Sahel Egg Eater\u2019s (Dasypeltis sahelensis) food<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Bibron\u2019s Agama – Agama bibronii, in situ<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Once in Guelmim, we accidentally managed to drive right to the middle of a street market. Luckily, the vendors were kind enough to move their stalls so we could drive through. Later at night, we looked for Cerastes cerastes <\/em>only to find one recently roadkilled individual and no tracks on the sand dunes. Instead, we saw the first Stenodactylus mauritanicus <\/em>of the trip.<\/p>\n

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Market in Guelmim \u2013 somehow we managed to drive through this<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Northern Elegant Gecko – Stenodactylus mauritanicus, close-up<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Northern Elegant Gecko – Stenodactylus mauritanicus, close-up<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Northern Elegant Gecko – Stenodactylus mauritanicus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

DAY 5 (13.05) \u2013 Guelmim and Tan-Tan<\/strong><\/p>\n

We started the day looking for snakes on sand dunes. We found a juvenile Malpolon monspessulanus <\/em>and a few individuals of Acanthodactylus boskianus<\/em> – still no Cerastes cerastes <\/em>tracks.<\/p>\n

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Northern Elegant Gecko – Stenodactylus mauritanicus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Our first Forskal\u2019s Sand Snake – Psammophis schokari, close-up<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Forskal\u2019s Sand Snake – Psammophis schokari<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Forskal\u2019s Sand Snake – Psammophis schokari<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Francisco, a guy and food<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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We like eating<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Marco and food<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As we drove south and the aljibes were getting drier, we started seeing more animals in them, and we found our first Psammophis schokari <\/em>\u2013 a beautiful juvenile that posed nicely for the photos. During the day, we rescued some more animals from aljibes \u2013 Agama bibronii<\/em>, Stenodactylus mauritanicus<\/em>, Bufotes boulengeri<\/em>, Sclerophrys mauritanica<\/em> and Barbarophryne brongersmai<\/em>. At night we found Tropiocolotes algericus<\/em> and a few Stenodactylus mauritanicus<\/em>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

DAY 6 (14.05) \u2013 Tan-Tan<\/strong><\/p>\n

We spent this day searching around Tan-Tan and the Dra River. We saw surprisingly very few animals \u2013 mostly Acanthodactylus boskianus<\/em> and Bufotes boulengeri<\/em>. We also searched around a nice oasis, but only found Pelophylax saharicus<\/em>. In the early evening, we found our first Uromastyx nigriventris<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Oasis near Tan-tan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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North African Water Frog – Pelophylax saharicus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Moroccan Spiny-tailed Lizard – Uromastyx nigriventris<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

At night, searching in habitat we found one more Stenodactylus mauritanicus<\/em>. While road cruising, at around 22h00, we found a Boaedon fuliginosus <\/em>on an old road. It was a beautiful specimen! On the way back to the hotel we found a dead Lytorhynchus diadema<\/em>. We decided to search a bit longer around that same area and found an alive specimen too.<\/p>\n

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Northern Elegant Gecko – Stenodactylus mauritanicus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Northern Elegant Gecko – Stenodactylus mauritanicus, close-up<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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One of the most unexpected findings of the trip: Common African House Snake – Boaedon fuliginosus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Common African House Snake – Boaedon fuliginosus, close-up<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Common African House Snake – Boaedon fuliginosus, top view<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Diadem Sand Snake – Lytorhynchus diadema<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Diadem Sand Snake – Lytorhynchus diadema<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Diadem Sand Snake – Lytorhynchus diadema<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Diadem Sand Snake – Lytorhynchus diadema<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Diadem Sand Snake – Lytorhynchus diadema, close-up<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

The dropped snake tong saga (part I)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

As I was trying to rescue a <\/em>Bufotes boulengeri from an aljibe, I accidentally dropped Marco\u2019s snake tong inside and saw it slowly fading into the very, very deep, turbid water, never to be seen again\u2026 <\/em>(to be continued\u2026)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

DAY 7 (15.05) \u2013 Tan-Tan – Smara<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

This day we saw the greatest change in landscape as we headed south: we had reached true desert! We also started finding more animals in aljibes: Macroprotodon brevis<\/em>, Chalcides sphenopsiformis<\/em>, Chalcides polylepis<\/em>, Malpolon moilensis<\/em>, Cerastes vipera <\/em>and other common species we had already seen before.<\/em> We also found many animals dead on the road: a few Malpolon moilensis<\/em>, Varanus griseus <\/em>(run over by a car while eating a Malpolon moilensis<\/em>) and Spalerosohis diadema.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Iberian False Smooth Snake – Macroprotodon brevis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Many-scaled Skink – Chalcides polylepis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Many-scaled Skink – Chalcides polylepis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Senegal Sand Skink – Chalcides sphenopsiformis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Senegal Sand Skink – Chalcides sphenopsiformis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Senegal Sand Skink – Chalcides sphenopsiformis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Dromedary filling up its tank at a gas station in the Sahara<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Busack\u2019s Leopard Fringe-toed Lizard – Acanthodactylus busacki, top view<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Busack\u2019s Leopard Fringe-toed Lizard – Acanthodactylus busacki, close-up<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Dead Desert Monitor – Varanus griseus, on a road. Probably run over while eating a Moila Snake – Malpolon moilensis on the road<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Sahara Sand Viper – Cerastes vipera, a classic of the Sahara Desert<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Sahara Sand Viper – Cerastes vipera, defensive behavior<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Sahara Sand Viper – Cerastes vipera<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Sahara Sand Viper – Cerastes vipera<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Sahara Sand Viper – Cerastes vipera<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Sahara Sand Viper – Cerastes vipera<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Moila Snake – Malpolon moilensis, close-up<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

DAY 8 (16.05) \u2013 Smara – Laayoune<\/strong><\/p>\n

We started off the day with a bunch of Tarentola annularis<\/em>, some of which truly large! On the road to Laayoune we did some searching in the hostile desert habitat and found Uromastyx dispar<\/em>, Trapelus boehmei<\/em>, three Cerastes cerastes <\/em>DOR (still no alive specimen at this point) and a few Tropiocolotes algericus<\/em>. At night we looked for the Cerastes vipera <\/em>around Laayoune, but with no success.<\/p>\n

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White-spotted Wall Gecko – Tarentola annularis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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A wild Francisco appears<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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View of the Sahara<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Absolutely stunning Sudan Spiny-tailed Lizard – Uromastyx dispar!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Sudan Spiny-tailed Lizard – Uromastyx dispar, scales detail<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Sudan Spiny-tailed Lizard – Uromastyx dispar, close-up<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Marco on duty photographing a beautiful Sudan Spiny-tailed Lizard – Uromastyx dispar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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And the result of Marco\u2019s effort: Sudan Spiny-tailed Lizard – Uromastyx dispar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Sudan Spiny-tailed Lizard – Uromastyx dispar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Dead Desert Horned Viper – Cerastes cerastes, another one of our top targets of the trip. Still, at this point we kept on finding roadkilled individuals, but no tracks nor live specimen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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B\u00f6hme\u2019s Agama – Trapelus boehmei, amazing camouflage!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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B\u00f6hme\u2019s Agama – Trapelus boehmei, amazing camouflage!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

DAY 9 (17.05) \u2013 Laayoune – Tan-tan<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>We started our way back north, wanting to explore more of the areas around Tan-tan and Guelmim, but also Assa. It was a very mediocre day, in which we only saw two alive snakes: a Psammophis schokari<\/em> and a Macroprotodon brevis <\/em>found both in the same aljibe, besides a bunch of Tropiocolotes algericus<\/em>, and some other animals DOR and in aljibes.<\/p>\n

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A herper\u2019s life in Morocco – Marco holding a Forskal\u2019s Sand Snake and an Iberian False Smooth Snake while Francisco is going\u00a0 down the aljibe for more<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Forskal\u2019s Sand Snake – Psammophis schokari, close-up<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Iberian False Smooth Snake – Macroprotodon brevis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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We still like eating<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Landscape near Tarfaya<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

The dropped snake tong saga (part II)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

(continuing\u2026) When we got back to Tan-Tan, I felt I should make an attempt to rescue Marco’s snake tong that I had dropped down an aljibe days earlier. I asked around the hotel if anybody had a magnet I could borrow, maybe one from an old loudspeaker. A young man said he did have an old loudspeaker from which I could get the magnet. I drove him to his place and the boy did have a magnet indeed. We then drove back to the alibe where I had dropped the snake tong and, by attaching a rope to the magnet, I managed to fish the tong back!<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"
Night fishing near Tan-Tan \u2013 Francisco catching a snake tong with a magnet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

DAY 10 (18.05) \u2013 Tan-Tan – Guelmim<\/strong><\/p>\n

With Assa in mind, we headed back towards Guelmim. On the way, we found Bufotes boulengeri<\/em>, Barbarophryne brongersmai<\/em>, Sclerophrys mauritanica<\/em>, Saurodactylus brosseti<\/em>, Chalcides polylepis<\/em>, Uromastyx nigriventris<\/em>, Psammophis schokari<\/em>, \u00a0Hemorrhois <\/em>sp. (possible hybrid H. hippocrepis <\/em>x H. algirus<\/em>), Malpolon monspessulanus<\/em> alive; and Malpolon moilensis<\/em> DOR. The Malpolon monspessulanus<\/em> was an enormous male. Neither Marco nor I had ever seen such a big snake in the wild \u2013 it was likely well over 2 m long. It was lying next to a dirt road, in a very isolated area, far from any settlements. We tried to take photos of it, and almost did, but it swiftly dissapeared between my feet (Ol\u00e9!<\/em>) and went into some rodent burrow. This snake was one of the highlights of the trip, but unfortunately we have no photos.<\/p>\n

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Forskal\u2019s Sand Snake – Psammophis schokari and habitat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Argan Tree – Sideroxylon spinosum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Hemorrhois sp. (possible hybrid H. hippocrepis x H. algirus) and habitat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Hemorrhois sp. (possible hybrid H. hippocrepis x H. algirus). Head detail. It had one supralabial scale in contact with the eye (in Morocco even some Hemorrhois hippocrepis can have this). There were also 25 rows of dorsal scales at mid body.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

DAY 11 (19.05) \u2013 Guelmim – Assa<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the morning, as we were leaving Guelmim, we were surprised by an African Golden Wolf (Canis lupaster<\/em>) that we managed to follow for a long time. On the drive to and around Assa we saw Sparesophis dolichospilus<\/em>, Psammophis schokari<\/em>, Cerastes cerastes <\/em>and Uromastyx nigriventris <\/em>DOR; and alive Acathodactylus boskianus<\/em>, Uromastyx nigriventris<\/em> and Tarentola boehmei<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Guelmim<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Good habitat for many of the species we wanted to find, and place where we saw the African Golden Wolf – Canis lupaster<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Bosc\u00b4s Fringe-toed Lizard – Acanthodactylus boskianus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Moroccan Spiny-tailed Lizard – Uromastyx nigriventris<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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B\u00f6hme\u2019s Gecko – Tarentola boehmei<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Shockingly, and after having seen quite a few dead ones, at this point we still had not seen a live Cerastes cerastes <\/em>specimen (nor even tracks!!). With this in mind, at night we were determined to see them, and possibly Echis leucogaster <\/em>and Telescopus tripolitanus<\/em>. No luck for the latter, but we did find our first Cerastes cerastes <\/em>alive crossing a road. We took a few photos and then let it go. Shortly before, we had just seen another African Golden Wolf (Canis lupaster<\/em>)<\/p>\n

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Desert Horned Viper – Cerastes cerastes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Desert Horned Viper – Cerastes cerastes, close-up<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Desert Horned Viper – Cerastes cerastes, close-up<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Desert Horned Viper – Cerastes cerastes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Desert Horned Viper – Cerastes cerastes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Desert Horned Viper – Cerastes cerastes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Desert Horned Viper – Cerastes cerastes, scales detail<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Desert Horned Viper – Cerastes cerastes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Francisco photographing the Desert Horned Viper<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

DAY 12 (20.05) \u2013 Assa – Guelmim<\/strong><\/p>\n

At this point, we were missing Sidi Ifni and decided we would like to spend the last days there. So we slowly started heading in that direction. On the way we saw Psammophis schokari<\/em>, Hemorrhois sp. <\/em>(possible hybrid H. hippocrepis <\/em>x H. algirus<\/em>), (a very large!) Malpolon monspessulanus<\/em>, Trapelus boehmei<\/em>, (MANY!) Uromastyx nigriventris<\/em>, Agama impalearis<\/em>, Chalcides ocellatus<\/em>, Chalcides polylepis<\/em>, Tropiocolotes algericus<\/em>, Mesalina guttulata<\/em>, Acanthodactylus boskianus<\/em>, Stenodactylus mauritanicus<\/em>, Spalerosophis dolischopilus <\/em>(DOR), Pelophylax saharicus<\/em>, and Barbarophryne brongersmai<\/em>. The M. monspessulanus <\/em>was a very large and thick adult male with 185 cm. It was in the middle of the road when we first saw it and it cooperated nicely throughout the photo session. Even though this is a species we are accustomed to seeing in Portugal, this was one of the highlights of the trip, because of its size and thickness<\/p>\n

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Moroccan Spiny-tailed Lizard – Uromastyx nigriventris, in situ<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Francisco, searching for herps on a very promising oases; Forsk\u00e5l\u2019s Sand Snake – Psammophis schokari habitat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Francisco and large Western Montpellier Snake – Malpolon monspessulanus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Francisco photographing the Western Montpellier Snake – Malpolon monspessulanus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Western Montpellier Snake – Malpolon monspessulanus saharatlanticus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Mograbin Diadem Snake – Spalerosophis dolichospilus, DOR<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

DAY 13 (21.05) \u2013 Guelmim – Sidi Ifni<\/strong><\/p>\n

Exploring the hills in between cities was paying off, and so we decided to focus on that. Between Guelmim and Sidi Ifni we found Malpolon monspessulanus <\/em>(dead and alive), Psammophis schokari<\/em>, Dasypeltis sahelensis<\/em>, Bitis arietans <\/em>(DOR), Agama bibronii,<\/em> Chalcides polylepis<\/em>, Eumeces algeriensis <\/em>(dead), Saurodactylus brosseti<\/em>, Tarentola chazaliae<\/em>, Bufotes boulengeri<\/em> and Pelophylax saharicus<\/em>. The M. monspessulanus <\/em>was, again, a very large male with 190cm, but a lot thinner than the one we had seen the day before. As we were driving, Marco said \u2018There is a stick in the distance that looks like a snake\u2026 oh wait, it IS<\/em> a snake!\u2019. We managed to take a few nice photos before it returned to its refuge.<\/p>\n

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Huge (1,90m!!!) male Western Montpellier Snake – Malpolon monspessulanus saharatlanticus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Western Montpellier Snake – Malpolon monspessulanus saharatlanticus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Western Montpellier Snake – Malpolon monspessulanus saharatlanticus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Western Montpellier Snake – Malpolon monspessulanus saharatlanticus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Marco, photographing the Western Montpellier Snake<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Dromedaries<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Western Montpellier Snake – Malpolon monspessulanus saharatlanticus (1,60m long), DOR<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Puff Adder – Bitis arietans, DOR<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

DAY 14 (22.05) \u2013 Sidi Ifni<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>This was our last full day in Morocco, and we took it rather easy, looking for Chamaeleo chamaeleon<\/em> by the beach, but without luck. At night we saw Hemorrhois hippocrepis<\/em> and our last Dasypeltis sahelensis<\/em> \u2013 this was the last one we saw, which amounted to a total of six individuals on our trip. These guys were also a\u00a0 highlight of the trip, as we were not hoping to find so many. We guess the season was just right for them! That night we also saw two Bitis arietans<\/em> DOR, a few more Tarentola chazaliae<\/em>, a Bufotes boulengeri <\/em>and an Algerian Hedgehog (Atelerix algirus<\/em>).<\/p>\n

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Good food at Suerte Loca Hotel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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And more good food!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Sidi Ifni<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Algerian Skink – Eumeces algeriensis, dead<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Beautiful landscape near Sidi Ifni<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Algerian Hedgehog – Atelerix algirus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Puff Adder – Bitis arietans, one more DOR<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

DAY 15 (23.05) \u2013 Sidi Ifni – Agadir <\/strong><\/p>\n

We had our flight back in the afternoon, and so we did not have time to do a lot more besides driving back to Agadir. Still, on the way we were presented with two Testudo graeca<\/em>. One of them had just been hit by a car and had the shell cracked. Hopefully it made it through.<\/p>\n

Just before reaching the airport, we decided to stop at a large aljibe next to the road, the last one of the trip and\u2026 we found nothing!<\/p>\n

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Spur-thighed Tortoise – Testudo graeca<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

This ends our first trip to southwest Morocco. Some of the goals for this trip that we missed were Naja haje<\/em>, Echis leucogaster<\/em>, Daboia mauritanica, Telescopus tripolitanus<\/em>, live Spalerosophis <\/em>spp., Varanus griseus<\/em>, Trogonophis wiegmanni<\/em> and Eumeces algeriensis<\/em>. Hopefully we\u2019ll see them in September 2023 when we come back!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

Video of our trip: <\/strong>https:\/\/youtu.be\/qkiM8yTcm5Y<\/strong><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Francisco Silva & Marco Caetano   (Link for trip video at the end of the trip report) Marco and I have known each other since 2007 \u2013 he has taught me most of what I know about snakes today! We have made a few herping trips in Portugal, but this was our first international … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “South Morocco Herpetological Trip 09-23.05.2022”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7475","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.moroccoherps.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7475","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.moroccoherps.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.moroccoherps.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moroccoherps.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moroccoherps.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7475"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.moroccoherps.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7475\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7618,"href":"https:\/\/www.moroccoherps.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7475\/revisions\/7618"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.moroccoherps.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}