Here we are, for the fourth year in a row, visiting Morocco. This country is a paradise for reptile fans! As every year, our friend Abdou has joined us. We are accompanied by Dylan, Miguel, Marion and Jean, four members of the association, who we hope will not be disappointed with the trip! Our goal is to contribute to the improvement of knowledge in progress in this country (study of the distribution of species, genetic samples, etc). We spent a week exploring different types of habitats to produce presence data and rise our photo and video database. The research is also done in tanks, many in these arid areas, and where animals often fall. This is an opportunity to save these animals while making some unpublished observations.

We are greeted by unexpected weather conditions: rain, wind, cold … We have trouble believing that we are at the door of the desert! The observations will begin slowly … but will rise quickly, allowing us many new discoveries!

In total, about 40 species of Amphibians and Reptiles have been observed, including 15 species of snakes … with some of the rarest species in Morocco, such as Telescopus tripolitanus, or Dasypeltis sahelensis! During this intense week, more than forty animals (snakes, lizards, amphibians, scorpions, etc.), trapped in wells, were also saved.
Our only regret will be not to have found, this time, no cobra or puff adder (more surprising but quite logical given rain and cold!).

Seven days of madness … thank you to the whole team, and especially to Abdou whom we have pleasure to find every year!

Amphibians (5)

• Bufotes boulengeri (Lataste, 1879)
• Barbarophryne brongersmai (Hoogmoed, 1972)
• Hyla meridionalis Boettger, 1874
• Pelophylax saharicus (Boulenger, 1913)
• Sclerophrys mauritanica (Schlegel, 1841)

Lizards (21)

• Acanthodactylus aureus Günter, 1803
• Acanthodactylus boskianus (Daudin, 1802)
• Acanthodactylus pardalis (Lichtenstein, 1823)
• Agama impalearis Boettger, 1874
• Chalcides manueli (Hediger, 1935)
• Chalcides ocellatus (Forsskål, 1775)
• Chalcides polylepis Boulenger, 1890
• Chalcides sphenopsiformis (Duméril, 1856)
• Chamaeleo chamaeleon (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Eumeces algeriensis Peters, 1864
• Mesalina guttulata (Lichtenstein, 1823)
• Ptyodactylus oudrii Lataste, 1880
• Quedenfeldtia moerens (Chabanaud, 1916)
• Saurodactylus brosseti Bons & Pasteur, 1957
• Stenodactylus mauritanicus Guichenot, 1850
• Tropiocolotes algericus Loveridge, 1940
• Uromastyx nigriventris Rothschild & Hartert, 1912
• Tarentola boehmei Joger, 1984
• Tarentola chazaliae (Mocquard, 1895)
• Tarentola mauritanica (Linnaeus, 1758)

Snakes (15)

• Boaedon fuliginosus (Boie, 1827) – Mort
• Cerastes cerastes (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Cerastes vipera (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Daboia mauritanica (Gray, 1849)
• Dasypeltis sahelensis Trape & Mané, 2006
• Hemorrhois algirus (Jan, 1863)
• Hemorrhois hippocrepis (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Lytorhynchus diadema (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854)
• Macroprotodon brevis (Günther, 1862)
• Malpolon monspessulanus (Hermann, 1804)
• Natrix maura (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Psammophis schokari (Forsskål, 1775)
• Rhagerhis moilensis (Reuss, 1834)
• Spalerosophis dolichospilus (Werner, 1923)
• Telescopus tripolitanus (Werner, 1909)

Turtles (2)

• Mauremys leprosa (Schweigger, 1812)
• Testudo graeca Linnaeus, 1758 – Mort

Cerastes vipera under the milkyway… Good representation of our night atmosphere!

Pictures made by the team.