Hi everybody,
here comes a little overview of our herping trip to morocco a few weeks ago.
After we spent some time in the rainforest the last years, we're all excited about herping in the desert.
The first part of our tour was along the cost from Marrakech south...
So we arrived at the airport in Marrakech, got our car and drove down, a little south of the Sous-Massa national park.
near Sous-Massa National Park by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Buthus tunetanus by markusOulehla, on Flickr
the first lizards
Acanthodactylus erythrurus by markusOulehla, on Flickr
and the reason for our stop (for those bird-lovers ), the bald ibis, pretty cool though
Geronticus eremita by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Geronticus eremita by markusOulehla, on Flickr
short stop on the way back from the ibis
in the Sous-Massa National Park by markusOulehla, on Flickr
and another nice find
Androctonus sp. by markusOulehla, on Flickr
further on near Tiznit
surroundings by markusOulehla, on Flickr
near Sidi Ifni some spiders
Latrodectus sp. by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Lycosidae by markusOulehla, on Flickr
aaaand...
near Sidi Ifni, Bitis arietans by markusOulehla, on Flickr
with a nicer background
Bitis arietans by markusOulehla, on Flickr
on the way to Fort Bou Jerif
looong road by markusOulehla, on Flickr
road to Fort Bou Jerif by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Fort Bou Jerif campsite by markusOulehla, on Flickr
at the actual Fort
Fort Bou Jerif by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Tarentula mauritanica by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Argiope lobata by markusOulehla, on Flickr
it seemed as we've been to slow to get some colubrids... so...
Fort Bou Jerif surroundings by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Bitis arietans by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Bitis arietans by markusOulehla, on Flickr
The road to Tarfaya, our next stop in the very south west of morocco...
road to Tarfaya by markusOulehla, on Flickr
mantis by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Chamaeleo chamaeleon by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Chalcides sphenopsiformis by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Chalcides sphenopsiformis by markusOulehla, on Flickr
and then...
Chamaeleo chamaeleon by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Chamaeleo chamaeleon by markusOulehla, on Flickr
night herping...
Cebrennus rechenbergi by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Tarentola chazaliae by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Stenodactylus mauritanicus by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Stenodactylus sp. by markusOulehla, on Flickr
North again and our first steps away from the coast, at Guelmim...
on the way to Guelmim by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Saurodactylus brosseti by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Saurodactylus brosseti by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Agama impalearis by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Scorpio sp. by markusOulehla, on Flickr
the only non venomous snake we got in front of our cameras...
Hemorrhois hippocrepis by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Hemorrhois hippocrepis by markusOulehla, on Flickr
and a nice donkey we've met
curious donkey by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Pictures of the second part of our trip will follow the next days, we went further inland to Assa and Tata, with some nice finds aswell!
a little preview...
near Assa by markusOulehla, on Flickr
regards
Markus
Morocco Herptrip 2014
Moderator: Scott Waters
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Re: Morocco Herptrip 2014
Great post Markus - is it easy and safe to get around by car in Morocco? Next time please take me with you!
Re: Morocco Herptrip 2014
Very interesting. Great to see some northern African herp trips posted here. Looking forward to the next one.
Love the donkey photo. Well done.
Love the donkey photo. Well done.
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Re: Morocco Herptrip 2014
@ krisbell: absolutely! most of the streets are in good conditions, the people are very friendly, just the traffic in the bigger cities is crazy! through marrakech by car, never again! (and I was just co-driver)
So Part 2:
From Gulemim we went further inland to Assa, quite a lost place, damn hot during the day, but what a beautiful landscape!
near Assa by markusOulehla, on Flickr
near Assa by markusOulehla, on Flickr
and a really really nice find
Varanus griseus by markusOulehla, on Flickr
we found him in a dried up water pit, so he was a bit thin but still quite fast when we released him...
Varanus griseus by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Varanus griseus by markusOulehla, on Flickr
After this great experience we went on to Tata....
near Tata by markusOulehla, on Flickr
night herping in a Palm plantation...
Tarentola boehmei by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Stenodactylus sp. by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Tropiocolotes sp. by markusOulehla, on Flickr
and then weird things happend
Solifugae by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Solifugae by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Solifugae by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Solifugae by markusOulehla, on Flickr
the next day....
near Tata by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Ptyodactylus oudrii by markusOulehla, on Flickr
gecko foot by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Cerastes cerastes by markusOulehla, on Flickr
jackpot
Cerastes cerastes by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Cerastes cerastes by markusOulehla, on Flickr
damn fast...
Cerastes cerastes by markusOulehla, on Flickr
and one last picture and one of my favourites of our trip
Cerastes cerastes by markusOulehla, on Flickr
but if you think that was it, nooo, I have a little more
Next time some pictures from the oasis Fint and a short stop in the atlas mountains on our way back to Marrakech...
regards
Markus
So Part 2:
From Gulemim we went further inland to Assa, quite a lost place, damn hot during the day, but what a beautiful landscape!
near Assa by markusOulehla, on Flickr
near Assa by markusOulehla, on Flickr
and a really really nice find
Varanus griseus by markusOulehla, on Flickr
we found him in a dried up water pit, so he was a bit thin but still quite fast when we released him...
Varanus griseus by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Varanus griseus by markusOulehla, on Flickr
After this great experience we went on to Tata....
near Tata by markusOulehla, on Flickr
night herping in a Palm plantation...
Tarentola boehmei by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Stenodactylus sp. by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Tropiocolotes sp. by markusOulehla, on Flickr
and then weird things happend
Solifugae by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Solifugae by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Solifugae by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Solifugae by markusOulehla, on Flickr
the next day....
near Tata by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Ptyodactylus oudrii by markusOulehla, on Flickr
gecko foot by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Cerastes cerastes by markusOulehla, on Flickr
jackpot
Cerastes cerastes by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Cerastes cerastes by markusOulehla, on Flickr
damn fast...
Cerastes cerastes by markusOulehla, on Flickr
and one last picture and one of my favourites of our trip
Cerastes cerastes by markusOulehla, on Flickr
but if you think that was it, nooo, I have a little more
Next time some pictures from the oasis Fint and a short stop in the atlas mountains on our way back to Marrakech...
regards
Markus
- Fieldnotes
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Re: Morocco Herptrip 2014
Incredible, that's the best post I've every seen from north Africa!! Awesome animals and great pictures too!!
Re: Morocco Herptrip 2014
Great post. Interesting diversity of critters from an interesting spot.
Love the defensive posture of the V. griseus, the gecko toe shot and the great diversity of arachnids!
I can understand why that Cerastes shot is your favorite. That is a real wallhanger of a photo! That would be my computer desktop shot if I had taken it.
______________________________
On a related note....
Any chance you might be interested in entering those records into the HERPMAPPER.ORG database? There is only a single record for Morocco in the database and we would love to see better coverage from around the world.
It is a simple process and the program can even read the time/date and GPS data from the EXIF if it is in there.
Chris
Love the defensive posture of the V. griseus, the gecko toe shot and the great diversity of arachnids!
I can understand why that Cerastes shot is your favorite. That is a real wallhanger of a photo! That would be my computer desktop shot if I had taken it.
______________________________
On a related note....
Any chance you might be interested in entering those records into the HERPMAPPER.ORG database? There is only a single record for Morocco in the database and we would love to see better coverage from around the world.
It is a simple process and the program can even read the time/date and GPS data from the EXIF if it is in there.
Chris
Re: Morocco Herptrip 2014
Brilliant post!
- mtratcliffe
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Re: Morocco Herptrip 2014
Nice photos! It's great to see a post from an underrepresented region on this forum.
- mrichardson
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Re: Morocco Herptrip 2014
Fantastic post! I visited Morocco and Western Sahara earlier in the year and really enjoyed the experience. I was mainly targeting mammals (Fennec Fox, Sand Cat etc) but I also came across some nice herps. It's definitely an area to which I would like to return soon.
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Re: Morocco Herptrip 2014
Thank you!
At night we have seen a golden jackal and a hedgehog north of Guelmim...
Part 3: From Tata north to Marrakech, via Ouarzazate
on the road to Ouarzarzate by markusOulehla, on Flickr
thorny bush by markusOulehla, on Flickr
near Ouarzarzate by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Pelophylax saharicus by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Mauremys leprosa by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Mauremys leprosa by markusOulehla, on Flickr
then we went to this beautiful place
oasis Fint by markusOulehla, on Flickr
oasis Fint by markusOulehla, on Flickr
On our way back to the car, we've met this guy. He asked the usual things, where we come from and what we're doing and he was extremely suprised when we told him that we are looking for cobras. He turned out to be the local snake catcher/charmer, to proof that he showed us the cobra he caught that day and he agreed to meet us again the next day to look for snakes together...
At his place, he proudly presented us the fangs of "his" snakes and refused to show a snake because he fed it the day before and didn't want to stress it (before we were able to tell him to leave the snake in its bag for the same reason). He also cursed on the marrkech snakecharmers and their cruel methods, so it seems that he likes his snakes and care about them...
We spent the day walking through the area, a really great place...
oasis Fint by markusOulehla, on Flickr
oasis Fint by markusOulehla, on Flickr
oasis Fint by markusOulehla, on Flickr
oasis Fint by markusOulehla, on Flickr
We saw some lizards, turtles and a damn fast colubrid, but no cobra...
Finally he posed "his" cobra so we could to take some pictures.
Naja haje "legionis" by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Naja haje "legionis" by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Naja haje "legionis" by markusOulehla, on Flickr
It was a great experience to be in the field with a professional and to see a (almost wild) cobra was a highlight too
Further on the way to Marrakech we came through the atlas mountains...
atlas mountains by markusOulehla, on Flickr
atlas mountains by markusOulehla, on Flickr
no time for Vipera monticola, but a short stop with some cool and surprising finds
atlas mountains by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Testudo graeca by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Hyalosaurus koellikeri by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Tetudo graeca by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Myriapoda by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Tetudo graeca by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Tetudo graeca by markusOulehla, on Flickr
It was an awesome trip and herping in the desert was a really great experience!
Enjoy the pictures, I still have a little more
regards
Markus
At night we have seen a golden jackal and a hedgehog north of Guelmim...
Part 3: From Tata north to Marrakech, via Ouarzazate
on the road to Ouarzarzate by markusOulehla, on Flickr
thorny bush by markusOulehla, on Flickr
near Ouarzarzate by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Pelophylax saharicus by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Mauremys leprosa by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Mauremys leprosa by markusOulehla, on Flickr
then we went to this beautiful place
oasis Fint by markusOulehla, on Flickr
oasis Fint by markusOulehla, on Flickr
On our way back to the car, we've met this guy. He asked the usual things, where we come from and what we're doing and he was extremely suprised when we told him that we are looking for cobras. He turned out to be the local snake catcher/charmer, to proof that he showed us the cobra he caught that day and he agreed to meet us again the next day to look for snakes together...
At his place, he proudly presented us the fangs of "his" snakes and refused to show a snake because he fed it the day before and didn't want to stress it (before we were able to tell him to leave the snake in its bag for the same reason). He also cursed on the marrkech snakecharmers and their cruel methods, so it seems that he likes his snakes and care about them...
We spent the day walking through the area, a really great place...
oasis Fint by markusOulehla, on Flickr
oasis Fint by markusOulehla, on Flickr
oasis Fint by markusOulehla, on Flickr
oasis Fint by markusOulehla, on Flickr
We saw some lizards, turtles and a damn fast colubrid, but no cobra...
Finally he posed "his" cobra so we could to take some pictures.
Naja haje "legionis" by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Naja haje "legionis" by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Naja haje "legionis" by markusOulehla, on Flickr
It was a great experience to be in the field with a professional and to see a (almost wild) cobra was a highlight too
Further on the way to Marrakech we came through the atlas mountains...
atlas mountains by markusOulehla, on Flickr
atlas mountains by markusOulehla, on Flickr
no time for Vipera monticola, but a short stop with some cool and surprising finds
atlas mountains by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Testudo graeca by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Hyalosaurus koellikeri by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Tetudo graeca by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Myriapoda by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Tetudo graeca by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Tetudo graeca by markusOulehla, on Flickr
It was an awesome trip and herping in the desert was a really great experience!
Enjoy the pictures, I still have a little more
regards
Markus
- Jeroen Speybroeck
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Re: Morocco Herptrip 2014
Enjoyed!
- Chris Smith
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Re: Morocco Herptrip 2014
Fantastic photos! Please report your herp finds to http://www.herpmapper.org. It is a relatively new global herp mapping and data hub project that could use more observations from this part of the world.
Cheers,
Chris
Cheers,
Chris
- Mike Pingleton
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Re: Morocco Herptrip 2014
Awesome trip report!
-Mike
-Mike
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Re: Morocco Herptrip 2014
Mr. Markus Oulehla - RE: Your post... that right there is 86 reasons why FHF is BETTER than National Geographic...!
I have to tell you, the Cerastes cerastes did it for me... you should'a seen me... you'da think I seen God.
Thank you... X1,000,000 - zj
I have to tell you, the Cerastes cerastes did it for me... you should'a seen me... you'da think I seen God.
Thank you... X1,000,000 - zj
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Re: Morocco Herptrip 2014
Thank you very very much! All of you
@Chris Smith, I am on herpmappers, just for about one week now, but I'm already working on my uploads from some "underrepresented" regions there
Here are some additional pictures...
one more in situ picture of the first puff adder
someone gives a shit on puff adders!? by markusOulehla, on Flickr
and the second puff adder
Bitis arietans by markusOulehla, on Flickr
as you all like the Cerastes, here's a little more of this beauty
Cerastes cerastes by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Cerastes cerastes by markusOulehla, on Flickr
The desert monitor was really cool! After he wasn't succesfull with his defensive position and tailwhipping, he tried the evil eye...
evil eye by markusOulehla, on Flickr
check out his scales
scales by markusOulehla, on Flickr
aaaand one last picture of the cobra, of course
Naja haje "legionis" by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Cheers,
Markus
PS.: Dear Contributing Editor of the Reptile Report, we've found a lot in morocco, but nooo rattlesnakes
@Chris Smith, I am on herpmappers, just for about one week now, but I'm already working on my uploads from some "underrepresented" regions there
Here are some additional pictures...
one more in situ picture of the first puff adder
someone gives a shit on puff adders!? by markusOulehla, on Flickr
and the second puff adder
Bitis arietans by markusOulehla, on Flickr
as you all like the Cerastes, here's a little more of this beauty
Cerastes cerastes by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Cerastes cerastes by markusOulehla, on Flickr
The desert monitor was really cool! After he wasn't succesfull with his defensive position and tailwhipping, he tried the evil eye...
evil eye by markusOulehla, on Flickr
check out his scales
scales by markusOulehla, on Flickr
aaaand one last picture of the cobra, of course
Naja haje "legionis" by markusOulehla, on Flickr
Cheers,
Markus
PS.: Dear Contributing Editor of the Reptile Report, we've found a lot in morocco, but nooo rattlesnakes
Re: Morocco Herptrip 2014
Wow Markus, your photography is incredibly appealing. What a treat to see, thanks for posting! I can't pick favorites because so many of the photos are just stunning.
My sister was in Jordan a couple of years ago and got some photos of some strange little rock-mimic bug that I eventually realized was an Eremiaphila mantis, like yours is I think. Those are bizarre little beasties.
John
My sister was in Jordan a couple of years ago and got some photos of some strange little rock-mimic bug that I eventually realized was an Eremiaphila mantis, like yours is I think. Those are bizarre little beasties.
John
Re: Morocco Herptrip 2014
What an incredible trip! Nicely done!
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing.
- FloridaSerpent
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Re: Morocco Herptrip 2014
Really like the palm tree forest in the middle of the dessert. Very pretty