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Tom Omlette
Senior Member Joined: 07 Nov 2013 Location: Stoke on Trent Status: Offline Points: 449 |
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Posted: 16 Nov 2013 at 8:11pm |
Just spent two weeks in Turkey. Didn't get to explore anywhere but the areas around the hotel but found a few species. I have attempted id myself and am happy to be corrected:
Baby Spur-thighed tortoise (Testudo graeca). We found three. One each for the kids who kept them as pets for two days before returning them. 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!!! I was determined to get a close up and finally on the last day I thought I was lucky enough to get the opportunity. One was regurgitated alive by a snake I caught while in the bag. Unfortunately I had to go to hospital just afterwards and by the time i got back to the hotel the kids had released it. My daughter took this though in my absence: 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
Edited by Tom Omlette - 16 Nov 2013 at 8:37pm |
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GemmaJF
Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Location: Essex Status: Offline Points: 4359 |
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I've just approved your post Tom/Tim - lol feels weird approving one of your posts
Thanks for this ray of sunshine on a cold damp November Sunday |
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Tom Omlette
Senior Member Joined: 07 Nov 2013 Location: Stoke on Trent Status: Offline Points: 449 |
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thanks gemma
tom/tim |
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will
Senior Member Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1830 |
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not a bad selection there, Tim glad the bite wasn't too bad. I know how painful it can be to confess to a spouse that you've been nailed!!
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Tom Omlette
Senior Member Joined: 07 Nov 2013 Location: Stoke on Trent Status: Offline Points: 449 |
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yes much worse than the actual bite lol!
tim |
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will
Senior Member Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1830 |
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true, although after the third bite I found she just didn't care any longer...
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AGILIS
Senior Member Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1689 |
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SUPER shots Tim I am getting a real envy on and glad you survived the tagging and a bollocking from the memsahib perhaps a spell on get me out of here I am celeb would boost their ratings if you went on it keith
Edited by AGILIS - 22 Nov 2013 at 12:11pm |
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LOCAL ICYNICAL CELTIC ECO WARRIOR AND FAILED DRUID
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