As early as April temperatures already hit 35C and drought is a serious problem all year round. In addition to studying at the university of Murcia I spent alot of my free time in the wilderness, especially the beautiful but dry sierras of the region in search of reptiles and amphibians.
Needless to say I have some great memories and experiences to share so I have selected a few of my favorite photographs along with a table showing some of my results from various search areas.
A coastal hillside range that is rapidly being destroyed by plans for golf club construction and additional tourism expansion, but nevertheless holds a diverse flora and fauna. The sierra also has the biggest Spanish population of Spur-thighed tortoise Testudo graeca which is suffering from human expansion in Murcia like elsewhere in its range that includes coastal Andalusia and Majorca, however a number of conservation projects are helping protect the species.
Spur-thighed or Moorish tortoise Testudo graeca. Large and fierce: Montpellier snake Malpolon monspessulanus. Sub-adult Ocellated lizard Timon lepidus nevadensis. Female Montpellier snake Malpolon monspessulanus. A pair of Iberian worm lizards Blanus cinereus. The coastal area of Murcia consists of the second biggest town Cartagena and hillsides which are now home to tourist resorts and villages.
Me holding the skin of a giant Montpellier snake Malpolon monspessulanus , the skin measured cm! Big Montpellier snake Malpolon monspessulanus of nearly two metres. I leave it up to my Spanish colleagues to don the silly water clothes and get to the net with the terrapins! North of the city of Murcia are two sierras: la sierra de Ricote and la sierra de la pila, furthermore the town of Archena is surrounded by cultivated land with fruit trees that I found to be nice for reptiles.
