Reptiles of Delta Llobregat

One of the novelties of living in a warm country is the increased biodiversity of reptiles, and Delta Llobregat has its share, with a total of 13 species (give or take) present in the reserves. You can view the official list here.

Having had a very close encounter with a 5+ foot Montpellier Snake the other day at Cal Tet, I thought it would be a good time to summarise and reflect upon my own reptile encounters in the delta  since arriving last May. Out of this 13 species I have seen at least 8, plus an additional species not on the list.

Montpellier Snake, Sabogal boardwalk, Cal Tet

A total of 7 lizards & geckos occur in the reserves, namely; 

1. Large psammodromus Psammodromus algirus (frequent)
2. Spanish psammodromus Psammodromus hispanicus (scarce)
3. Spanish Wall Lizard Podarcis hispanica (scarce)
4.  Moorish Gecko Tarentola mauretanica (frequent)
5. Mediterranean House Gecko Hemidactylus turcicus (very rare)
6. Ocellated Lizard Lacerta lepida (very rare)
7. Slow Worm Anguis fragilis (scarce)

Large psammodromus is a common sight around Cal Tet in the summer, especially in the mornings along the boardwalks leading to Sabogal & Cal Tet hides, where they scamper out of harms way as one walks past. Presumably, they use to heat from the wooden boards to warm up first thing. The most obvious feature of Large psammodromus is its comical long tail which is often the last thing you see disappearing into the undergrowth as you walk along the paths in summer. 

Large psammodromus, Sabogal boardwalk, Cal Tet

Large psammodromus (with skeletal deformity), Sabogal boardwalk, Cal Tet

Again on the same board walk, Spanish Wall Lizard is a fairly common sight. They are however, very variable and I am still having difficulties separating some individuals from Spanish psammodromus.

Spanish Wall Lizard, Sabogal boardwalk, Cal Tet

Spanish Wall Lizard, Sabogal boardwalk, Cal Tet

Moorish Geckos are quite commonly seen basking in the sun in the early hours too, more often on rocks. For this reason, the rocky boulders near Ca L'Arana & the nearby abandoned rocky buildings are my favourite areas to view the species, often in double figures at the right time. I also see them regularly on the boardwalk along the Bunyola ruins. I have yet to find a Mediterranean House Gecko anywhere in the reserve, but I'm going to try this summer. Interestingly, if you look closely in between the toes of the geckos, you can usually see some bright red dots. These are actually mites, and can bee seen in both pictures below, if you look closely.

Moorish Geckos, Ca L'Arana

Moorish Gecko, Ca L'Arana

I have also yet to see an Ocellated Lizard in the delta, and may not as the species is noted as being "very rare". I have had the fortune of seeing this species further north near Olot, and was very impressed with it, what with it's bright green colour with vivid blue spots, and its large size, reaching a maximum of 3 feet!

Ocellated Lizard, Northern Catalunya

Ocellated Lizard, Northern Catalunya

Next on the list are the turtles. There are only two species listed but I suspect there are more. Unfortunately there is a vast problem with non-native species here and I regularly see very large numbers of Pond Sliders Trachemys scripta (an american non-native), consisting of 3 subspecies:

1. Red-eared slider
2. Yellow-bellied slider
3. Cumberland slider

Red-eared Slider, Delta Llobregat

Yellow-bellied Slider, Delta Llobregat

Whilst looking for Mediterranean Pond Turtle last summer, I took the above photos of the numerous Pond Sliders, and amongst them I saw a different looking turtle, which, after a little research proved to be another American non-native species: Mississippi Map Turtle Graptemys pseudogeographica kohni, a species commonly kept in the pet trade, so presumably this is an unwanted pet that was fecklessly released into the reserve to join the hoards of non-native sliders.

Mississippi Map Turtle, Delta Llobregat

Mississippi Map Turtle, Delta Llobregat

Unfortunately the native Mediterranean Pond Turtle Mauremys leprosa is rather rare but with perseverance it can be seen. You just need to spend time scanning water-bodies where turtles are swimming or basking. Sometimes you can just get lucky, as was the case when I took the photos below, when one crossed the path in front of me at Cal Tet.

Mediterranean Pond Turtle, Cal Tet

Mediterranean Pond Turtle, Cal Tet

Finally, there are the snakes, of which four species have occurred in the delta. These are:

1. Ladder Snake Rhinechis (Elaphe) scalaris (scarce)
2. Montpellier Snake Malpolon monspessulanus (frequent)
3. Viperine Water Snake Natrix maura (frequent)
4. Grass Snake Natrix natrix (very rare)

I have seen 3 out of 4 snakes in the reserve, with the missing species being Grass Snake, which isn't a surprise, as it is listed as very rare. 

The first snake I encountered in the delta, was a rather large Ladder Snake, inside one of the semi-ruined buildings at the back of Ca L'Arana beach. It really took me by surprise, because at the time I wasn't used to seeing snakes, having recently moved from Ireland, and this was also a rather large specimen. I was able to see it very well as it really didn't seem to be bothered by my presence, or perhaps it didn't see me too well, as one eye was missing and the other had a thick white layer of dry skin over it. This species is non-venomous and preys upon, birds, small mammals and lizards and often enters ruined buildings in search of said prey items, as was the case here. 

Ladder snake, with one eye missing, Ca L'Arana

Dry skin partly clouding the other eye.

 

Ladder Snake with distinctive black stripes.

I have seen Montpellier Snake well twice in the delta, both in exactly the same location, the Sabogal boardwalk, at Cal Tet. The first individual was a juvenile sitting atop of the boardwalk last summer.

Juvenile Montpellier Snake, Sabogal boardwalk, Cal Tet

The second occurred this week when I flushed a large adult. It happened so fast; I only saw the tail disappear into the undergrowth. On my return loop I had the idea to check, as unlikely as it would be, to see if the snake had returned to the same spot, after I had passed, to continue basking in the sun. I approached very slowly this time and when I reached the area I couldn't see it and assumed it had moved on. This was until I focused a little better and realised it was right at my feet and was staring right at me, as is evident in the following first image I took:

Montpellier Snake - death stare! Sabogal boardwalk, Cal Tet

For the following 10 minutes I sat very close and really admired this snake in detail. It was really stunning, and big, at about 5-6 feet. I noticed it had some blood staining at the back of the head, and this added further to the menacing, but beautiful look of this incredible animal. I wonder did the blood come from a previous meal, or perhaps a struggle with a rodent, or even another predator? I later discovered that this snake is mildly venomous, but as far as I know it isn't really a threat to humans. 

To date I have only seen one Viperine Water Snake, and this, living up to its name was seen swimming in an area with Perez's Frog (a principle prey item), in Remolar Filipines.