Monday, June 27, 2011

Natrix Maura

What a lucky day!!!
Yes I'm very happy I have found this specie by ''accident'' when I was having a walk in a nice place full of frogs, green lizards, dragonflies and more... I was looking for a ''Zamenis longissimus'' wich is the snake you can find on the pharmaceutics labels etc... unfortunately I didn't find anyone (I'm still looking for it) but as I was walking, this little ''Viper'' (i thought at first sight) passed under between my feet very fast, i ''jumped'' and took it.. and is not a Viper, it looks very close to one because of its color and the patterns and colors... but if you look close at the eye here under in the pictures you can see it's totally different, it has a round pupil. Is very not dangerous, totally inoffensive, it even didn't tried to bite me, it lives on ground and also hides itself in water if necessary (what vipers don't do), smells very bad :S, yes because of the water and what it eats in it, little frogs, little fishes etc... Its size is approx... 50 cm. And if you find one, take the glove, it could be a Viper if you don't see close to it! Otherwise you have NO risk! 

and here are the pictures :

Without fear in the hand

From above it looks really like a Viper

You can now see the difference with the eye

Eye photographied closer

Scales and patterns.