Sunday, September 15, 2013

# 38

  Added a new species in my life list this weekend. For a long time I've been searching for a Large Whip-snake. This beautiful snake is fast, agile and aggressive. In the past I've had only two encounters with this snake. Once something slithered in the hay in an extremely fast speed, climbed up a tree and was gone. 90 % sure it was a Large Whip-snake. The second time was two weeks ago. 20 to 30 meters from the Nose-horned Viper ( see pic of the wee # 37) something slithered just in front of my friend. When he noticed me about the snake, it was already climbing up in the tree next to us and next it was gone. We tried to look for it, but nothing. 98 % sure it was a Large Whip-snake. This weekend I went to Vraca, a town about one and a half an hour drive from Sofia. We headed a bit out of the town to a place called Божия мост, the gods bridge. Interesting natural monument just outside of the town. Already on our way there I noticed that the surroundings look just like perfect habitat for this robust snake. So when returning I decided we'll stop for a few minutes and I'll take a look under a few stones. After twenty minutes of searching I struck gold. Under a pile of rubble, there it was, a tiny juvenile whip snake. It is amazing how fast these critters are. This tiny snake was moving among the rocks with a speed that made it almost impossible to keep your focus on it. Finally it slithered under a rock and I managed to grab its tail, just to feel its tiny sharp teeth in my skin. After a while it calmed down a bit and I managed to make a few images.
  A tiny small juvenile Large Whip-snake (Dolichopis caspius). Cute and aggressive.

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