Glacial relics. Pindos Mts, June 2019

It was only in 1988 that Nilson and Andren described a new subspecies of the Vipera ursinii complex, that later became the full species now known as the Greek Meadow Viper, Vipera graeca.

Its habitat is very fragmented, as it lives only on the top of the mountains of Pindos range, only in Greece and Albania, from 1600 to 2000 metres altitude.

With friends Elias, Kyriakos, Mike and Manolis, off we went to find this rare snake, at a spot were some years ago with other friends we had found 4 of them. Full of confidence, we started for two days of herping on the high mountains. In the first five minutes we found our first viper for the trip!!

A small Vipera graeca, the star of the day

Spirits were high, that we would find many little jewels like this (it is a dwarf viper, very small and delicate). But it was not to be. We didn't find any other viper for the rest of the day, so we just photographed this one, which was about to shed the skin, so not very bright colours. Never mind!

Head detail. You can see the eye being a little opaque from shedding

This species is a glacial relic. It was more widespread when the glaciers were covering Europe, but when they retreated, it just climbed up the mountains to find its optimum climate. So now it is found only on the alpine and subalpine grasslands of Pindos range.

Beautiful pattern on the back

searching for the snake in a beautiful landscape

Personally, I could spend the whole day photographing the flowers

A pair of Podarcis muralis, the male on the left. Sharing the habitat with our little viper

Icthyosaura alpestris, terrestrial phase, also found on the habitat of the viper

Molly, Manolis' dog, watching a session of viper photography

Vipera graeca habitat

After a long search and when the heat was intense, we decided to go to lower altitudes for more herping, and may be some shade. We tried some spots at clearings of fir forests and riversides. The fir forests are always somehow disappointing, but the riverside yielded some good critters.

Some shade, food and a nap

Herping is exhausting

After spending the hottest part of the day in the shadows, time was to move to the river

Thousands of tadpoles of Pelophylax kurtmuelleri at a small pool by a river

A very fresh Hierophis gemonensis, found just beside its shed skin

A large (possibly pregnant) Anguis graeca, also found on the same spot with plane trees, beside a river

A large Bufo bufo at the afternoon light, also by the river

we also found some Testudo hermanni there, from this baby to large ones, mating

Next day we continued herping at various localities on the road back

Podarcis muralis on a plane tree bark

Bombina variegata singing their soft musical calls on a pond

Coexisting with Pelophylax kurtmuelleri

Bombina variegata showing it yellow-black belly and heart-shaped pupils

Probably Lissotriton vulgaris larva from the same pond. No adults were observed

Adult Rana graeca near the brook feeding the pond

Bombina variegata defence posture showing yellow under parts of legs and belly

Last reptile of the day was Lacerta viridis crossing a road at a fir forest, but this Algyroides nigropunctatus was the last photographed. Basking near a river, blending in the shadows and light