Turkey

Snake-eyed lizard (Ophisops elegans). There were loads of these around the beach. They were active in pretty hot weather and very quick!

Saw a few of these including this one that kindly came to visit us right by the hotel pool! I had assumed they were snake-eyed lizards at first but closer inspection they appear to be baby green lizards ?Lacerta trilineata?

Adult green lizard ?Lacerta trilineata? These were a bugger to photograph. Very cautious - never seen in the same spot twice and once disturbed would not come out into the open again for over an hour!!! 

My son found these. Female Praying Mantis (Ameles heldreichi). He's into ants and spotted a harvester ant eating what he thought was a stick. He then realised it was actually the ant being eaten by the stick which turned out to be a little mantis. 

Everywhere there were rocks these guys were present. Star Agama (Laudakia stelio).

A baby.

A species I really wanted to find so was absolutely delighted to get one on the very first day. It was just plodding along on the beach. The kids kept it for a day and called him Mike Wozowski. He was awesome!!!

Finally a coin marked snake (Hemorhois nummifer). I hadn't found any snakes all holiday until this one on the penultimate day. I couldn't identify it at the time but knew it wash't a viper so thought i'd be ok handling it. I was careful though and handled it as though it was a venomous snake just in case. anyway I couldn't get a good pic because it didn't want to pose for me so thought I'd take it back to the hotel and get my son to help me. I put it in a butterfly barn thing i had taken with me for collecting anything of interest I caught and trundled off. unfortunately, the barn was transparent and I was getting a few funny looks from passers by so I decided to make a makeshift bag out of my t-shirt for it instead. while I was doing this the snake regurgitated the live green lizard above. I was just congratulating myself on being the luckiest bloke alive when I lost concentration and the snake bit me on the left hand. I had a brief moment of doubt thinking "sh*t! I hope I'm right and it isn't venomous" but was reassured when no effect were felt. It was a snapping bite and the snake didn't get to chew me at all. So about half an hour later I was back at the hotel room with the snake in the bath and the kids admiring it when I started to feel a bit faint. I then noticed that I was absolutely pouring with sweat and my mouth was very dry. I drank a bottle of water and sat on the bed. I continued to feel faint and then my vision became very blurred and I started 'seeing stars'. I then confessed to the missus that I'd been bitten. She bollocked me and sent me to the doctor. I continued feeling the same until the doc gave me a cortisone injection and put me on a drip. they then sent me in an ambulance to hospital where the doc insisted on putting me in intensive care. by then I was feeling better but stayed for about five hours. They gave me european viper anti-venom although I told them it wasn't a viper and more steroids and anti-histamines. the doc wanted to keep me in for five days but i declined. he then tried to convince me to stay overnight but I was feeling better and knew I'd be ok so discharged myself. I still don't really know what happened. It was only 9:30am and under 20c so i doubt it was anything to do with heat or dehydration. i wasn't really concerned about the bite either so shock wouldn't be a factor. I have since read that some people have had adverse reactions to hemorhois bites but usually to chewing bites and they are local to the bite area. I told wolfgang about it and he isn't convinced that the symptoms were bite related. Weired!!! anyway this is literally the only pic I got of the little monkey!

also caught a bright green tree frog which wasn't striped so I thought Hyla meridionalis. I put it in my pocket to take back to show the kids thinking it would just sit there obligingly for me but it escaped after about two seconds D'oh!!! I was gutted lol!!!

Hope you enjoyed the pics.

Tim

tom/tim

tim