Ocellated lizard (Timon lepidus)
This lizard, what a lizard! It is simply the largest in Europe: it can exceed 90 cm in length. His name comes from the blue eye patches edged in black that we see on his bright green fur. Its sides are studded with black scales. These bright contrasting colors make it look great, but this large reptile is rarely seen. Not only is its species in clear decline, a victim of the fragmentation of its natural environment among other things, but it is also a discreet animal that likes to hide in the rocks and bushes of the Mediterranean region. It is found in the Iberian Peninsula (except the Pyrenees), in the south of France and on the coast of the Ligurian Sea in Italy.
The ocellated lizard feeds mainly on insects, but also on earthworms and snails. In certain areas it also happens to consume fruit and other plants. It hibernates from October to March; the peak of its activity is in May to June.
Vipera seoanei (Vipera seoanei)
The Séoane viper is found only in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula and in the extreme south-west of France. Diurnal most of the year – but nocturnal in high summer heat – it measures 40 to 50 cm in diameter and has the triangular head characteristic of vipers, as well as eyes with vertically slit pupils. It occurs from sea level up to an altitude of 1900 m in forests, heaths and clearings on the northern coast of the Iberian Peninsula, where it feeds on small mammals. It is not very aggressive, it generally does not bite a person; and even if he accidentally bites, he often does not inject his venom, which he saves for hunting. The species as a whole is not considered endangered, but the French population is classified as vulnerable due to its destruction by humans and the disappearance of its natural habitat, which is ravaged by forest fires every year.
Bonnal lizard (Iberolacerta bonnali)
Also called the Pyrenean lizard – it is endemic to this mountain range – the Bonnal lizard has a very limited range. It lives only in subalpine and alpine levels, between 1700 and 2700 m above sea level, in the south of three departments in France and in the north of two provinces in Spain. Like other mountain lizards, it likes rocky, well-exposed environments that allow it to sunbathe.
Its high altitude habitat requires it to hibernate during the coldest months, generally from October to May; during the rest of the year it is mainly active in the morning and warms up before foraging. Its food consists exclusively of arthropods. Due to the fragility of the environment threatened by global warming and human activities and hyperlocality, this lizard is protected in France, but also at the European level.
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