Herps, in case you aren't in with the hip naturalists, are reptiles and amphibians.
Here in the Touraine Val de Loire we get a small but delightful range of reptiles and amphibians that might, if you are lucky, be encountered along one of our many forest walking trails. Here are photos of the species you have the best chance of seeing. I've chosen photos from our archive that, if we have such photos, depict the animals as you most often see them, usually crossing the trail and trying to hide. None of these animals can or will harm you. We do have one venomous snake in the Touraine Val de Loire, but I have never seen one in the forest, only in warmer and more open habitats.
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Juvenile newt, possibly Smooth Newt Lissotriton vulgaris (Fr. Triton ponctué) in a puddle formed by heavy machinery wheel ruts.
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Fire Salamander Salamandra salamandra (Fr. Salamandre tachetée).
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Agile Frog Rana dalmatina (Fr. Grenouille agile).
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Spiny Toad Bufo spinosus (Fr. Crapaud épineux).
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Slow Worm Anguis fragilis (Fr. Orvet fragile), a legless lizard, not a snake.
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Western Green Lizard Lacerta bilineata (Fr. Lézard vert occidental).
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Adult Western Whip Snake Hierophis viridiflavus (Fr. Couleuvre verte et jaune, also known locally as a cinglard).
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Juvenile Western Whip Snake.
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Barred Grass Snake Natrix helvetica (Fr. Couleuvre helvétique).
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4 comments:
Very beautiful photos. I’m wondering how you were able to photograph these creatures. Did you just say, Don’t move?
chm: LOL. Luck mostly.
You have quite nice herps! Here in the Vaucluse we also have the green lizards (the ones with the blue stripe on the side), coulevres, wall lizards, geckos, tiny green frogs and toads. I see them in the garden, but not the green lizards, and only one coulevre. One evening I saw a hedgehog attempt to capture a large toad, and he failed.
bonnie near carpentras
Bonnie: I think your green lizards have been found to be a different species to ours. We have wall lizards and tree frogs too, but I was concentrating on forest species. We don't get geckoes. You have ambitious hedgehogs!
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