In the Algarve there are different lizards and snakes.
Gecko (crocodile gecko)
Geckos can be found almost in or on each building. The animals often adapt their color to the ground. On her menu are spiders, beetles, cicadas and insects in general.
Vertical, smooth walls, glass panes or mirrors (even overhead) are no problem for the harmless and useful lizards. If you try to catch the animals, they throw the back part of their tail (remains moving) to confuse the attackers. The tail then slowly grows back.
Chameleon
The Mediterranean Chameleon (also called common chameleon) lives in regularly watered gardens, in forests near the coast and in dunes with rich vegetation. The species is threatened by heavy traffic on the roads and illegal catches. The animals change their color and adapt to their environment. At night they are gray-brown colored. The picture shows a chameleon crossing a street with a color that is caused by stress. This results in a strange movement that resembles mincing.
(Wall) Lizard
Lizards (10 to 20 centimeters long) are often found lying on stones in the sun. The animals are harmless and eat mainly insects and “creepy-crawlies”.
Snakes
Despite more than 20 years of stay and thousands of kilometers of hiking, we have not been able to see or photograph a snake up close. The shy animals flee from people and encounters are unintentional. All snakes are called “Cobra” in Portugal.
- The carpet snake is 1 to 1.6 meters long and it is completely non-toxic. The snake is quite aggressive and attacks enemies by violent bite attacks. You can recognize them well by the dark vertical stripe.
- Grass snakes exist in many parts of Europe. Most animals are less than 1 meter long. But 2 meters long females were found. The snake is shy; encounters happen seldom and even less often bites. The poison has a very weak effect.
- The Montpellier snake is very shy. It is 1.7 meters long on average and is poisonous. Due to their far back teeth, poison is rarely injected. The poison acts on the nervous system, and every bite should be taken seriously.
- Viperine snakes grow up to 80 centimeters long and are non-toxic. This snake species also hunts in the waters of rivers and lakes.
Attention:
All information is provided without guarantee!
Every snake bite should be examined by a doctor. Non-toxic snakes can also bite, and it can lead to blood poisoning. It is helpful if you can describe the snake to the doctor.