Slow-worm / Licranço

In Cabreira Mountains (North of Portugal), some trails remain forgotten by time and man. The autochthonous forest darkens a valley and creates and old habitat. Both flora and fauna invades the path, allowing its true inhabitants to enjoy a peaceful and rare form of peace. Here, a slow-worm enjoys some sunrays in a bed of moss. From men, an ancient myth hunts these animals: that they have a poisonous tale. In truth, their only defense is their capability of autotomy, losing their tale to distract their predators from their runaway.

Na Serra da Cabreira, alguns trilhos permanecem esquecidos pelo homem e pelo tempo. A floresta autóctone encobre um vale e cria um habitat antigo. Fauna e a flora invadem o caminho e permitem aos seus verdadeiros habitantes disfrutar de uma paz escassa e rara. Aqui, um licranço disfruta de alguns raios de Sol sob uma cama de musgo. Dos homens, um mito antigo persegue estes animais: que a sua cauda possui um espigão venenoso. Na realidade, a sua única defesa é a capacidade de autotomia, a de perder a cauda para que o seu predador se distraia da sua fuga.

 

Slow-worm / licranço – Anguis fragilis

Vieira do Minho, Portugal

2014, Agosto

Cobra Bordalesa

Under heavy rainstorm, I’ve found this harmless and actually quite friendly snake near the cliffs of Adraga beach. It was a very young coronella girondica, with barely 30cm. I manage to take a couple of pictures, until I was (gear included) awfully wet. The snake didn’t seem to mind all the wetness of the moment.

Debaixo de chuva intensa, encontrei esta simpática cobra bordalesa nos precipícios da praia da Adraga. Era um exemplar bastante juvenil com apenas 30cm. Conseguei tirar umas quantas fotos até estar insuportavelmente molhado, câmara incluída. Só a cobra não se parecia importar com a tormenta.

Southern smooth snake / cobra bordalesa (PT) – Coronella Girondica

Adraga, Sintra, Portugal

2013, February

Iberian Rock Lizard

While trekking on Ermida’s waterfall, I spotted a couple of rock-lizards, jumping in an out of the rocks, with their movements more managed by sunshine / rain conditions than affected by my presence. This one was sneaking out of the rock and allowed me to get closer enough for some macro shots.

After these, I went back to landscape photos and exchanged lens. I’m very careful with my equipment but I made a costly mistake due to this carefulness. Being away from my backpack, I didn’t want to place the lens on the rocky ground, thus I wrapped it in a t-shirt. An hour later, I totally forgot about the lens and, when picking up the clothing, I heard a rolling sound, river down… I looked and my macro lens was now a rolling black barrel in super-slow motion. I ran and jumped after it, while it was heading to the river stream at the same speed. No win there. It fell into the river and now was more like a submarine than a boat, heading with the stream. A glimpse of hope surged when the lens was caught in a whirlpool of a small water fall. I stretched my hand for it… It jumped again, at a distance of a hand. This time, caught into the main stream of Ermida’s waterfall. It disappeared into a deep hole, beneath a massive amount of water flow. It now belongs there, as this long, slow motion chase in my memory. I'm ellecting this photo as the tomb for a cheap macro lens that has done its job well. Now, time to add a new lens to my wish list (and money to the wallet).

Back to the rock-lizard, I also found out that distinguishing these exemplar between two species is quite difficult. Beyond typical databases, a net-search turns out lots of papers regarding comparison between Podarcis bocagei and Podarcis hispanica. Both common in North part of Portugal, though hispanica is considered and endangered species. From some descriptions, regarding the shape of the head and eyes, I’m forwarding this as hispanica.

 Iberian rock lizard / Largatixa-ibérica (PT) – Podarcis hispanica

Ermida, Gerês, Portugal

2012, May

Briteiro's inhabitants

Citânia de Briteiros was populated throughout the Iron Age, influenced by Romans in the first century AD and definitely abandoned in the third century. Since then, nature is reclaiming ground and inhuman habitants give life to the rocks. This curious guy was simply warming up or waiting for some bug like meal, while I was peaking over some walls.

  Ocellated Lizard, Sardão / Largato-ocelado (PT) – Timon lepidus

Briteiros, Guimarães, Portugal

2012, April

Weird populace - Rio Homem

Shifting to fauna and getting close to some of those that populate and give life to a natural spot, I leave the first series of photos taken on the same day. Gerês is very rich, indeed.

  Bocage’s Wall Lizard / Lagartixa de Bocage - Podarcis bocagei

 

 Ant / Formiga - Camponotus lateralis (might be Crematogaster scutellaris but by their behavior, I guess the first one). 

Well… the next one is a bee / abelha! Which species, I don’t know and the photo hasn’t enough detail to accurately identify it. But it was sunset and the colors where truly intense on this lavender. Out of DOF where yellow lirium (from a nearby residential garden).

 

Bee on lavander

North shoreline of River Homem

Terras de Bouro, Portugal

2011, June

P.S.: I am not and do not pretend to personate a biologist. I’m just curious about the weird beings I photograph and attempt the exercise of identifying them.