Morocco Trip
For the past two years Morocco has been one of my favourite destinations when it comes to reptiles due to its large diversity of species, many being quite iconic. I’ve been a few times now, and this post is a collection of all the finds from these past few trips. Many were difficult, and often it didn’t go as planned since reptiles weren’t exactly as easy to find as you might imagine given there are many herping posts from Morocco that gave an impression that it would. Anyway, below I’ll give present my experience of searching for reptiles in Morocco.
When it comes to snakes that I found, by far the most plentiful one was the Schokari Sand Racer Psammophis schokari. It’s an average sized snake, but quite slender, often appearing sandy coloured, or with brown stripes. Its distribution covers most of southern Morocco, and it’s relatively easy to find in those areas, specifically trapped in wells. Almost all reptiles found were found trapped, though most frequently it was this species, likely both because it’s common and less favoured by other herpers. Being in the Psammophiidae family, it is mildly venomous, but not dangerous due to three factors: It’s rear fanged (difficult venom delivery), it’s venom is quite weak, and it’s very rarely agressive and bites are even more uncommon.
The individuals presented above and below were also saved from wells, in which they are very commonly found, especially the smaller ones. I find them to be pleasant and generally fun snakes, but you end up seeing a lot of them.
A species which I’ve also found frequently is the Western False Smooth Snake Macroprotodon brevis. It is also a mildly venomous species, which is quite small, much smaller than the schokari racer and majority of other snakes in the area. I’d describe it as a strange little colubrid which I get excited over seeing despite being common. I was very happy finding my first one, which was a difficult catch as it was stuck in a deep well which I had to descend into on a portable ladder. However, later I found many more individuals in easier places, giving me the opportunities for many photos.
