25-5-2022 ADOR CAMPO, VALENCIA - WESTERN MONTPELLIER SNAKE (Malpolon monspessulanus)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/29449-Malpolon-monspessulanus

24-4-2018 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - WESTERN MONTPELLIER SNAKE (Malpolon monspessulanus)

It is very common in Spain, Portugal and Northwest Africa, being also present in the southern Mediterranean coast of France. The snake's specific name, monspessulanus, is a Latinized form of Montpellier, a city in southern France.

Although it is venomous, only a few cases of envenomation of humans are known, one of which occurred when a finger was inserted into the snake's mouth. The Montpellier snake is not a dangerous snake for humans. The rear fangs reduce the possibility of venom injection, and the venom is of low toxicity. Venom injections are possible in bites of big individuals. The venom is not very dangerous; symptomatic treatment suffices to treat an envenomation. The unthreatening nature of the snake, along with its relatively mild persecution by man, has made it one of the most common species throughout its range, even in areas occupied by humans.

This is a large but not very strong snake. It is the biggest snake that we can find in the province, as it can be nearly 2 meters long (normally 150 cm). Its head and its tail are narrow and long. The scales around its eyes are prominent on its head, forming a protrusion resembling an eyebrow, giving it a special profile.  Pupils are round and the frontal scale (located on the upper part of the head, just in the middle) is twice as long as it is wide. The scales are smooth (without any long and prominent midway line), they are not shiny and are a bit depressed in the middle. Adult males are uniformly green, with an ashen black spot in the first third of the body (called "riding saddle"); whereas females and young snakes are a russet brown, with a regular spotted brown, white and black pattern. Male and female's abdomen is white or smooth dirty-yellowish coloured.

A typical specimen of the Mediterranean mountains. It lives in nearly every type of hills with natural vegetation and warm and sunny environment. It can easily adapt to places altered by people and it is very common in agricultural areas, as well as in urban centres, suburbs and small villages.

It is a snake with terrestrial and daytime habits. It likes having long sun baths in stony places, cairns and rock walls, where it can actively hunt.  It has a very diverse diet: from insects (especially young ones) to chicken and bird eggs, little mammals and other reptiles. Sometimes it ingests decaying flesh. It can be aggressive if someone tries to catch it and it could even bite. It is an opisthoglyphous snake: that means it has special teeth at the back of its mandible to release venom. These teeth are ribbed and connected to venom glands, but its position makes it complicated to release venom to humans if bitten. The bite is not dangerous; it can cause a small reaction, but it usually does not represent a real danger for people who endure it.

The mating period lasts from May to June. Some 20-30 days after mating, a female lays between 3 and 15 eggs in a humid and sunny place (under leaves, in holes between rocks, dumps, under trunks, rabbit holes or abandoned beehives...). Pups are born from August to September and are very small (20-30 cm) compared to  adults.

It is a common species. It is one of the most common snakes; it is very easy to observe, because of its population density and ubiquity. Its size and day-time habits helps to detect it. It is very common in the province of Málaga. Although we can find it all over the province, it is more common in protected areas (the west half part of the province and mountain ranges), and sparser in modified areas (northern farming lands, Costa del Sol...). We can find it on every stage of the Great Path (Gran Senda).