These handsome little lizards proved to be quite tricksome to find, owing to their fairly specific habitat requirements. Once we'd actually found a couple of the elusive areas that ticked all of the microhabitat boxes, they were pretty abundant. The species is notoriously skittish (apparently even more so when you have a camera), so the … Continue reading Dalmatian Algyroides (Algyroides nigropunctatus)
For hardcore biologists this species will need little introduction, but I'm sure many will probably think I have just taken some pictures of sentient candle wax. The olm is, in fact, an aquatic, blind, neotenic cave salamander. It is endemic to the karstic limestone cave systems of the Dinaric Alps which run from the tip … Continue reading Olm (Proteus anguinus)
The Galápagos Islands, a place I have regularly found myself drifting away to in between bouts of lying on the floor in existential dread. Social distancing is old news over there - there's been a 2m limit between you and the animals ever since sailors became overly fond of the taste of tortoise soup. It's … Continue reading Santa Cruz lava lizard (Microlophus indefatigabilis)
It's about time I got round to doing another tale about some native UK herps. Especially considering that's all I'm likely to encounter for the forseeable future. The UK is unsurprisngly low on most herpetologists' herping trip bucket list (I imagine slotting in somewhere between Antarctica and the Moon) as we have few species of … Continue reading European Adder (Vipera berus)
With the possible exception of the ubiquitous rocket frog (Allobates insperatus) by far the most common thing I find on the trails in Ecuador is this species. Despite their abundance, they are a species I rarely get tired of seeing because each individual you come across is unique. Some can be really well camouflaged, looking … Continue reading Crested forest toad (Rhinella margaritifera)
Whenever someone asks me about my coolest wildlife encounters, I usually refer to one of the many events that occurred while I was radio tracking King cobras in Agumbe, India. It’s usually a toss up between two moments. Either while we had just followed the male into the forest as night was falling and searched … Continue reading King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah)
Hampi is a UNESCO World heritage site in Karnataka, India. It was once the centre of the Hindu Vijayanagara empire but today exits as a collection of thousands of temple ruins, interspersed amongst granite outcrops and boulders - some of the oldest rock on Earth! I was there to sample the area's bouldering and between … Continue reading Indian rock agama (Psammophilus dorsalis)
I knew that North America is the salamander capital of the world, but nothing could prepare me for quite how true that is. Over a week in Ontario, Canada, I spent a few days in a suburb of Hamilton and canoe camping in Algonquin provincial park and must have encountered more than 30 salamanders. You … Continue reading Red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus)
Forget your favourite nightclub, Friday night in the Amazon is the place to be. It’s the weekly ‘Caiman Cruise’, where I take my student groups out in the canoe to search for caiman by torchlight. My favourite part is looking up in the trees overhanging the river and seeing the golden eye shine of one … Continue reading Amazon tree boa (Corallus hortulanus)
On my flight to the Galápagos I threw up five times (dry retching after no. 3) which was enough for the passengers on my row to justifiably move away. The next morning, I dragged my frail body across Puerto Ayora to Tortuga Bay, driven by the raw excitement of seeing marine iguanas for the first … Continue reading Marine Iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus)
Tales of Scales 