Photography of snakes

Hierophis Gemonensis

2012-09-20T12:22:00.001+02:00

Laurenti 1768

This specimen is found in eastern europe only, from Slovenia to the very south in Greece, and also on some Islands such like Krk in Croatia were these 2 specimens have been found. There is a baby and also a juvenile one. You can notice this by the marks that are well pronounced and as with other snake specimens, the older they get, the less marks they have and become more uniform.

The blue eye indicates that it will shed soon

2nd specimen

A baby was escaping in front of me

Zamenis Longissimus

2012-09-18T22:40:00.001+02:00

Laurenti 1768

Finally, after 2 years I found this specimen on a little abandoned road, in the past its latin name was ''Elaphe Longissima''. It is a quiet snake, that can be found in threes aswel where it finds food. Babies are very well marked and with the time the patterns become more uniform like this one, from yellowish to green-olive color. It is very common in europe, but not that easy to see.

Portrait

Nice face-to-face

Hierophis Viridiflavus Carbonarius

2012-09-18T22:18:00.001+02:00

Lacépède 1789

Sub-specimen of the Hierophis Viridiflavus, the particularity of the ones found in this area is that they are completely black, but not less aggressive, many bites (even one on the nose of my friend) happened. Quite impossible to calm down, it likes sunny and hot weather were it can be found in bushes, rock piles, we had the chance to see quite a few of them from morning to evening, but quite hard to grab.

Vipera Ammodytes Ammodytes

2012-09-18T11:57:00.000+02:00

Linnaeus 1768

After a 1 week trip in eastern europe with a friend here is the first specimen I found, a baby Vipera Ammodytes Ammodytes male born this same year. We discovered it in a bush in the afternoon, it was very quiet and didn't even tried to bite. It was such a nice start of our trip as we didn't knew at all the biotope of the area, here are the pictures.

You can see it in the bush, in the middle of the picture

Pattern picture

Babies are usually always more marked than adults

''artistic'' picture

Portrait

Vipera Aspis Francisciredi/Italian Viper

2011-08-30T00:09:00.050+02:00

Laurenti 1768

Here is a sub-specie of the Viper Aspis, the Francisciredi can be found mainly in Italy, south Switzerland and is particular for the additional white of the lines on the sides of the head, irregular patterns and orange color and the head is usually wider posteriorly. You can mistake it for an Aspis or Atra but once you see closer the differences are clear, I even noticed a little yellow on the tail of the 2nd specimen I found, a little nose appears too but is not very pronounced. Melanistic specimens can be find in this sub-specie.

First specimen discovered

You can notice it is pregnant

The notable addition of white on the side

The typical orange one

Here we can see the back of the head is wider than other Aspis

Here we have the complete details of the fragmented patterns, this is very common on the Francisciredi specimens.
It was also a BIG female pregnant, approx. 60cm

The yellow colored tail is the 1st thing I noticed when I discovered it.

Vipera Ammodytes Ruffoi

2011-08-25T23:18:00.004+02:00

Bruno 1968

What an awesome day! Before going search this specimen I ask a lot around, I had many bad news, no informations, just near places like 50km around... Anyway was the good opportunity to move from my place and go see what happens! I totally understand people who don't want give any informations about this specie, too many go there and take them out of the biotopes to bring them back home, and this is intolerable! If they continue in 20 years the only way to see it will be in terrariums!

Anyway! I was searching for it with a friend, and I was really fortunate to discover it after only 10 minutes of walk in late morning very close to my feet, I can really say, this is my actual most beautiful discovery. As it was the 1st time I see this specimen, my sensation when I took it was ''trembling legs'', but so happy! We reached the goal of the day! We had a look for another one but... seriously it didn't matter have more, cause this one is a really beautiful one from a totally isolated place, you can find Redi Viper around, Berus (in a very surprising biotope) etc... There is still a debate about this specimen to determine if it is a sub-specie or not. Well the mood of this viper is quiet, surprisingly quiet, but had strange behaviors to compare with aspis species:

It is faster, strong breath, and throat getting bigger when breathing, but bites only when really annoyed. This is a young female of approx. 50cm, but can reach 80-90cm. This specimen is considered as one of the most venomous of europe. It has a horn up of the nose, we touched it and is totally soft, the utility of this is still unknown, and its tail is colored in reddish at the extremity for attract preys. This is the most evolved snake we have here due to this particularities. There are other Ammodytes specimens and species, sub-species in mainly eastern europe, that I will probably visit next spring. Well thanks to my friend S.Clerc who helped me taking the pictures.

Absolutely beautiful patterns

Portrait shot with 100mm macro

Reddish tail as mentionned

Vipera Aspis Atra im Oberwallis

2011-08-09T22:40:00.001+02:00

Today I discovered new places im Oberwallis for Vipera Aspis Atra, and was an excellent day cause I found 10 speciemens! It never happened to me to find so much in a couple of hours, the weather was stormy and this explains why they were all out, many animals have a strange behavior in case of storms. And I will be there soon again cause I took in picture the most beautiful specimens I ever found of this specie! Have a look at the pictures, they almost all have a kind of ''V'' or ''heart'' on the head! This was really an unbelievable day, and no lies, all those specimens were found in the same 500m2! I wish you the same luck if you practice this kind of ''herping''! thanks for having a look.

P.S. The exposition for the camera was really hard with all the clouds, I hope they are good enough!

Here is the first specimen, unbelievable patterns, was impossible to not see it in the grass :

Few meters after a young specimen very quiet :

Then as I was taking the picture a third one appeared at 1 meter and its eye was specially dark :

Still walking in the stones I found near the grass one who had a BIG digestion :

I losed my swiss-knife so I went back on my steps and found other specimens (yes unbelievable day) here is the 1st :

Then another one in digestion :

Finally my knife refunded and... this one by taking another path to the car :

Now is the time for the most beautiful one I ever found, there's no word to express in my opinion:

Another young one appeared 10 meters of my car :

And also this one was close to the precedent as I was putting it back in a safer place far from the road :

PLEASE! Remember that all the pictures of this blog are not free for use, this takes hours, patience and a lot of practice, please don't steal this work and feel free to send me over an email if you're interested in any of this pictures, I have for sure many others of the same species! Thanks.

Mimicry of the species

2011-08-06T21:14:00.002+02:00

I post these pictures to show how difficult it can be to observe snakes in their biotopes, specially the viper species who have a multitude of different patterns and colors, you can't find 2 the same it's impossible. Are ALL different! On the pictures the snakes can look really big, but usually not overpass 60-80 cm (80 is exceptional). Many times it happened to me to see nothing and the snake was just 30cm of my feet, I never been attacked, NEVER, I don't say this can't happen but the snake will breath strong or disappear fast to hide, the venom (in the case of vipers) is too precious to eat for them. If I can get so close is because I walk very slow without stamp the feet (like we usually do in walking) on the ground. The cases of viper bites happens when the snake is surprised and can't escape, removing stones of screes, put the hands in exposed vegetations and biotopes or by manipulating them without precautions. The viper does NOT attack, it's only defense, and fear. They will rarely appear in high frequented places (like paths etc...), I always have to find them in ''difficult'' accesses and they don't travel many meters except in husbanding periods (march-may), they are always close to a place to hide and will always choose to escape rather than take the risk to be killed.

Please do NOT KILL those specimens, still happens to discover slashed ones by ignorant people, and those persons should stay in cities rather than waste their time in nature if they can't understand it and have respect of it. Snakes a very important for the food chain and first of all are ALL protected! Don't capture them this is restricted too, isn't it better to have a walk in nature and have such a great meeting rather than make suffer an animal by putting it in a box of 1 meter (usually less) for the rest of his days and give him a shit life behind a window?

I wont apology for my words but I really don't see the ''fun'' at taking a wild specie and put it in a terrarium for the rest of its life, ok if you find one stricken and want to heal it, but otherwise I think it's pathetic and disrespectful to do it. Many abuses occurs with the Ammodytes Vipers because they are beautiful specimens, but in my case (is my opinion and not necessary the only good one) I can't appreciate have a specie getting bored in a terrarium and waiting to die. Just see on internet techniques for ''force-feeding'' is disgusting!

I wish you live the same! enough talked let's place for the pictures :)

Here is the case of the Natrix Maura, can you find it?

Here for the Vipera Aspis Atra

And another little selection here not hard to find but those pictures have been taken as the snake was, it has not been manipulated or so :

''Vipera Aspis Atra'' New species

2011-08-06T19:21:00.000+02:00

Yesterday woke up early to go in wine yards near Martigny looking to find the ''Coronella Austriaca'' and ''Zamenis Longissimus'' (That both escaped me 3 times between last months and last year GRRRR)... I stop the car, take my bag and camera, the sun is just out and 2 minutes after walking I see a Vipera Aspis Atra crossing the road (without taking care if cars were arriving :P), took it for a few shots (I discovered this specimen last year at same place so I didn't took many pictures of it). Then keep walking, I met a guy on the way who give me advices for snakes in the region, very kind from him cause exactly where he said to me to go, I discovered the second specimen curled in the vegetation. No coronella for me today, I take my car to another place not far and discovered the last specimen (no Aesculapian one), a Vipera Aspis Atra again! But was a good day anyway, is better than come back with nothing in the memory card!

This is the one who crossed the road, I put it in a safe place far from cars and walkers (btw strange head from front)

Very common color and patterns

Here is the 2nd specimen found in the day, I was close to walk on it (see on the right of the page for mimicry section), the camouflage in the vegetation was really good.

The last specimen here, I tried something new with a new lens for my camera and the result is pretty bad I agree, as I was fixing the settings the Vipera escaped and I wouldn't pull it out of the brambles, it will have hurt it and cause damage. So this is the only picture I have...

Clean energy snake :)

Hierophis viridiflavus 2

2011-08-01T11:06:00.000+02:00

I'm soon gonna visit some other countries to find other species, the sun is back here after 2 weeks of rain and as I was having a walk with my girlfriend in nature, I found this big one resting in the grass near a little river, again it was really angry and fast, hit many times the glove and the pants, and the only way to take pictures is have it in the hand... I never succeeded to make a picture of this specie quiet and complete. If anyone has the solution it's welcome (no i wont put a stone on it :) ). Soon other species to come, the next trip will be for ''Vipera Aspis Francisciredi'', ''Natrix Natrix Melanistic (hopefully) and ''Vipera Ammodytes''...

Almost the same size :)

Portrait

Looking for escape

Vipera Berus 2

2011-07-24T22:10:00.002+02:00

Today was cloudy, raining and even windy, but I decided to take my bag and go have a walk around anyway, looking for reptiles, salamanders or others... After 30 minutes of walk the sun finally appeared for 15 minutes , I made a stop to take a drink and this Viper passed between my legs, lucky again! Beautiful color, totally unified, it was so calm and quiet, didn't tried to bite me and no aggressive behavior, a real model, and very patient... Is the first time I make pictures with such clouds so it took me a while to make the good settings... I hope the result is good!

Attack?

Beautiful color, and almost unified

As you can see, in this period of the year the vegetation is very dense, so it is harder to see them in the biotopes

Vipera Aspis Atra & Berus Melanistic

2011-07-23T19:44:00.002+02:00

Here is a variety of color that can be found in some snake species but also in all nature, the melanistic ones! The black is dominant in the mixture of colors, many Vipers and also Colubridae adapt themselves in high altitudes to receive faster the effects of the sun, that is primordial in their lives. Not all places have this kind of populations in their biotopes, and actually I have found only the Vipera Aspis Atra and Berus with the melanistic aspect, but there is many others like the Natrix Natrix, Vipera Nikolskii, Vipera Seoani and more... Some are totally black, even the eye, but the first pictures above show a specimen with high concentration of black but not 100%, the colors are interesting, with some red on the sides... The second pictures show the Vipera Berus, with only a light color on the bottom and the red eye, this specimen was pregnant...

VIPERA ASPIS ATRA

We can notice the white line on the side of this one, typical in the Aspis Atra

The patterns are very hard to see with the domination of black

VIPERA BERUS

Bad frame because of the aggressiveness of the specimen, non-stop moving

We can notice here the light color above

Philodryas Chamissonis

2011-07-12T19:06:00.000+02:00

! ! ! NON-EUROPEAN SPECIE ! ! !

I recently visited Chile, and when having a walk in the countryside of the Bio-Bio (near Concepcion), this little snake was on the way... Is a venomous snake but its bite is not fatal, this one was a juvenile and don't even tried to bite me or so. It is oviparous and can reach 1,60m and is very ''popular'' in Chile. This is a juvenile one, you can see it with its size. I really like the color it has, unfortunately I haven't seen any adult form, this could be the opportunity to go back there and make a better research!

Yes, very SMALL :)

I had many problems with my camera that day, and the snake wanted to escape all time, was impossible to have it quiet, this is why the frame is so bad etc...

Vipera Ursinii

2011-07-11T20:13:00.001+02:00

This little Viper lives in 2 places in France, where we meet people who specially work at its protection, building biotopes etc... It menaced of extinction and there's probably 30 of its specie no more left in France. The venom is by far the most non dangerous one in the Vipera species, its a very small snake, this one is an adult and is 45cm long. The colors and patterns are absolutely beautiful. It was very fast, aggressive and hyperactive, ''jumping'' in front of us to attack, absolutely no fear observed in its comportment. I would like to specially thank my friend Stéphane for making those pictures possible. I never post pictures of snake i haven't find by myself otherwise but for this one is the exception! I hope he makes a blog soon, he is the one who introduced me into this fascinating world and has a picture collection of the most beautiful Vipers Aspis and more snakes you can find in Swiss.

Tongue out

Portrait

Biotope

Molt but... no snake around...

Vipera Berus 1

2011-07-11T19:00:00.001+02:00

Awesome day spent in some biotopes I've been almost... 6 times and found absolutely NOTHING, this time I went again.. a little desperate and finally I found the specie I was looking for, the ''Vipera Berus'', very present in all europe, I found this one in the last spot you can find it in the Swiss Alps. Its got venom like the other vipers, and as I read about it, pretty more dangerous than the Aspis species. I found other Berus but always the melanistic ones, that I will post later with an article about the melanistic snakes. This one is young almost 25-30cm, you can see the difference with the aspis with its size, the nose, patterns and colors that are typical of the Berus. I let you compare with my precedent article about the Aspis Atra. Here are the pictures, enjoy it ! thanks for having a look.

PURE LUCK for that angle

The patterns are very different than the Aspis

You can see the color and also the nose.

Another awesome posture

Portrait

PLEASE, remember that it is a lot of time spend to find those reptiles, many hours of work, search, this is why those pictures are reserved and copyrighted, I have no problem in the use of them, but please write other an email at : g.bovey@hotmail.com before do anything.

! ! ! THANK YOU ! ! !

Natrix Natrix simulating its own death

2011-07-06T22:05:00.000+02:00

Last saturday I went in a new biotope to look for some reptiles, frogs, and pictures to take, i was happy cause around 10am I found 2 young Natrix Natrix taking the sun near the water. And finally happened the funny defense trick they do sometimes... Simulation of death as you can see here above:

definitely looks like dead, no moves, nothing...

Closer view of the head...

10 seconds after and a little more far, it closes the mouth and looks around ;)

Awesome view of the mouth.

Natrix Natrix

2011-07-02T19:39:00.000+02:00

Here is another colubridae that can be found in all europe near water in sunny exposed places, it is totally inoffensive and even no biting risk from it. Its length is approx. 1m50 max., its defense is... pretty disgusting, it will secrete a strong smelly liquid from the anal glands, breath very strong, and even simulate its own death! Yes, dead body, mouth open, tongue out... to discourage the predator or so...

It eats frogs, fishes, lizards and little mouses. It can easily swim in water and hide in case of danger. As many snakes, if you encounter one, its first reaction will be to escape. Btw, if you catch one, good luck with the smell ! ;)

You can clearly see the ''necklace'' it has, that is typical of the specie

Natrix Maura

2011-06-27T21:21:00.000+02:00

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.

Hierophis Viridiflavus 1

2011-05-25T19:57:00.001+02:00

Hello, been a few weeks I haven't uploaded any new pictures, been busy with job but I've found some time to walk along a river searching for this snake showed above. The pictures doesn't look very good, cause this is a very aggressive snake, not venimous, but tricky, the bite hurts, but... that's ok and I was alone, so keeping it quiet and take pictures is quite.... impossible. I used the glove for no such bad surprise... it was almost 1m30cm and it's nose was hurt/cut, freshly unmolted... Nice experience.

you can realise it's size like this

Portrait

running away

A chance I had the glove...

Vipera Aspis Atra

2011-05-06T21:13:00.002+02:00

This is the Vipera Aspis Atra, a venimous snake you can find in France, Switzerland and Italy, it is a sub-specie of the Vipera Aspis, you can see many different and asymetric patterns, various colors and irregularities can vary from a valley, place to another completely. Its length is approx. 60-80 cm max. In Switzerland, the biotopes I go to find them are vineyards, old rock buildings, abandoned mountain constructions, groves, brambles. Also in plains and high in altitude such like 2800m. It is one of the rare snakes who doesn't gives birth with eggs, but finished ''baby snakes'' just like mammal does. You can see here above some difference between a specimen to another, in colors etc... but it is the same specie.

Please don't use these pictures for any private or public diffusion, copy etc... without asking me directly at : g.bovey@hotmail.com

They are all Copyright reserved, and understand that this is the result of hours of work,

search and patience. Thank you for your interest.

Malpolon Monspessulanus

2011-05-06T01:53:00.000+02:00

Here is Europe's fastest snake and biggest! it can reach 2,5m, is a colubridae that can be find in south of france, it has an excellent sight, very territorial, also has venom but is back in the mouth. I was pretty lucky to find one in the very dense vegetation, I went there with a friend and yes, we were too late in the season and we only had one... That disappeared under our eyes after a few shots... this one was young and freshly molted! I never had such an experience when I took its tail... Insanely aggressive, loads of bites, strong breath... just woaaaaah! Is by far a beautiful snake, and very common in south of france... But tricky to have due to the biotopes it hides, its sight and speed... you have to experience it to realize HOW fast it is.

Here is the Malpolon, very aggressive and fast snake, this one was young, the colors are well pronounced and its size was almost 1 meter. Adult it can reach 2,5 meters.

Portrait of the Malpolon.

Tongue out