Herps of Jordan, Part 8 (The Petra Periphery)

Petra reveals a fascinating, fallen civilization that used to once thrive in Jordan, tucked away and hidden by the steep cliff faces and narrow gulleys. It was inhabited anciently by the Nabateans, who erected monumental architecture chiseled into the stone canyons, and they laid out an ingenious hydrological network to provide water year round to the thousands of inhabitants. Now, though, all that remains are the weathered ruins, some curious tourists, and a few hardy reptiles. I came as a tourist with my study abroad group, but I also looked for a few herps along the way.
Starred agamas (sometimes called roughtail rock agamas) seem to exist throughout the country, but the species in the southern deserts of Jordan are recognized as a separate subspecie. This one is basking on the cliff wall beside the trail.
A good variety of small- to medium-sized lizards (including a few Lebanon lizards) scurry around the trails and desert gorges. These speedy ground dwellers remind me of the whiptails (Cnemidophorus sp.) found in the US; and like the whiptails, there are several species that often have overlapping ranges and are difficult to distinguish in the wild without the use of research and fieldguides.
This specie appears distinct from the one shown below, and I've only tentatively identified it as a snake-tailed fringe-toed lizard (Acanthodactylus opheodurus).
The scaling, coloring, and patterning make me think that this one is a Bosk's fringe-toed lizard (Acanthodactylus boskianus). Some were a bit larger than these, but these sizes were rather usual.
I enlisted the help of a couple local children (and a donkey), who loved showing me the best places for finding lizards and were always excited after we caught one. (Except the donkey didn't really seem to care too much).
This juvenile (with still blue tail) was the smallest capture of the day. Either a little fringe-toed lizard (Acanthodactylus specie) or a sand racer (Mesalina specie), which also inhabits the area. Unfortunately I'm not as educated as I'd like to be on differentiating all these species, who in my mind look very similar, and for now this is the best I can do.
While clambering over ledges and looking in crevices I glimpsed a female southern fan-footed gecko with her clutch of eggs glued to the ceiling of the rock. The gecko can be seen to the right of her eggs, sitting motionless. The broken shell fragments in the back must be leftovers from previous clutches.

Traveler blogs and tourist pamphlets for Petra love to show blue lizards sitting on red rock. This specie being displayed is the Sinai agama, which I had caught previously, but not with the blue coloration. At Petra, it's easy to see both the blue color form, as well as with normal earth tones. Sorry, the photo isn't the greatest quality but it gets the point across.
Petra is an amazing place to hike around and admire ancient craftsmanship; and if alert, there are also several herps that can be seen in the process. My trip to Petra only lasted a few hours, and I didn't find any new mind-blowing species, but it was still nice to keep my herping skills sharp and keep an eye out for any herps along the way.

Herps of Jordan, Part 7 (The Arid East)

As one drives east from Amman, the rolling Mediterranean hills merge into a monotonous brown wasteland. Dust devils form and patrol the landscape, admiring the hardiness of any trees and shrubs that still stand.
A little further down the road (as if driving toward Iraq) you reach the city of Azraq, which means "blue" in Arabic, since it used to possess a huge, vast wetland with migrating birds, monstrous catfish, and croaking amphibians--a veritable oasis to quench the otherwise parched earth. After over a decade of pumping out the water to feed the growing demand out west, the wetlands slowly disappeared in the early 90s, leaving only remnant evidences of what once was. It was here at this ecological disaster in the city "Blue" where I decided to voyage for a day's herping.
Volcanic rocks crop out of the earth here. The mid-day heat radiates off the dark boulders, and I didn't imagine finding much in the soaring temperatures.
I was both surprised and excited to see a specie that I had seen pictured in many tourist pamphlets, a lone Sinai agama (Pseudotrapelus sinaitus) on guard duty. Often, these spindly, spidery agamas turn a brilliant blue color during breeding. They hold themselves high off the hot rock, keeping a watch for any insect that might fly or crawl by.
My friends were not always the most considerate or cooperative as I attempted to capture the agama in the uncomfortable heat.
Rather than an impressive blue (which would have been a fitting find in the city whose name indicates the same), this healthy Sinai agama specimen was a dark brown to match the igneous wasteland it inhabits.
We trekked down the hillside onto the flat, sandy ground to see what other species existed here. Keeping a close watch on us from a nearby embankment of earth sat a Persian agama (Trapelus persicus). This specie in Jordan is only found in the Azraq region, so I was pleased to find the one specimen to examine and photograph. Its appearance and demeanor struck with a ring of familiarity, making me think that this is the same specie I used to catch as a young boy in Saudi Arabia, and which I called a "scorpion lizard".
The lizard was fast to get away after being released, but surprisingly unwary of my presence when I approached it and pinned it with a stick.
While handling it, the tail began turning orange, and the sides and neck turned blue. The color change was rather fast and unexpected.
The exploration of more barren desert was on my mind, so we went to a different area. While my friends looked inside an old castle, I took the opportunity to see if I could locate a new specie or two.
I turned over many stones, but only found a large scorpion. Finally I spotted an old piece of carpet in the distance, so I jogged on over. Although the habitat isn't much to look at, the advantage that it does have for herping is that there aren't a ton of places for things to hide. Sitting under the carpet was an attractive little Baluch ground gecko (Bunopus tuberculatus), another new specie for me to stick on my list.
No toepads for this guy...just claws. Turning my eyes to the horizon, I saw a small pile of rocks and concrete that I suspected a reptile might enjoy. Sure enough, another agama specie.
A Pale agama, or Desert agama (Trapelus pallidus), found it to be a fine basking spot. Again, the capture wasn't extremely difficult.
Lizards were not super abundant out here; I imagine because little vegetation means little insect life, and hence few predators. Regardless, the few I did find I was also able to catch and photograph. I would love to see some snakes and more lizard species, but the day would have to end with this last individual. With three new agamas and one new gecko, we got back on the road and watched the scenery change back into hills and trees and green.

Herps of Jordan, Part 6 (Intermission of Non-Herps)

Ok, so the title is a bit of a misnomer. This post isn't really about the herps, but rather about the other animals I encounter while herping. Looking for snakes and lizards and the like includes a lot of walking through macrohabitats (deserts, forests, mountains, etc.) and pausing to examine microhabitats (a shady crevice, a fallen tree, or the shallow water at river's edge). So, naturally, herps are not the only species I stumble upon in my quest for reptiles and amphibians. Here is a sample of the other things I get to see as I explore Jordan...
Flipping objects over inevitably reveals arachnids and insects of every shape and size. Itching to photograph anything, I got a quick shot with this spider.
Definitely the scariest arachnid I've see is the camel spider. This one was huge! (It would have filled the palm of my hand.) I had to agitate it with a stick to make it stand still, but it certainly wasn't pleased, and it even made hissing sounds.
Large, black millipedes are common in the hills around Amman.
There is no animal here. It's a fox den I found after I walked over a hill and saw a red fox running away from me. I figured it must have emerged from here, and I wouldn't be surprised if it had offspring deep within.
I glimpsed something large move into the water when I overturned a rock at a stream's edge. After some investigating, I came out with a big freshwater crab.
A nearly stepped on a large bird that was lying motionless on the ground, hoping to be undetected. I didn't see it until it took off (literally, right at my feet, scaring me to death) flying low to the ground, then running awkwardly with one wing outstretched as if it were injured. It was a fine demonstration indeed, but I knew the game. Turning my attention away from the mother, I assumed its young were nearby. Sure enough, about 6-8 tiny hatchlings scattered with their panicked chirping. I singled out one and easily bent down and picked it up. It looks like it would be something like a quail or partridge. Then, I put it back in the orignial location and walked off, knowing the mother would surely return to count how many had been lost to the "predator."
Scorpions are also often encountered in the dry habitats. There are 13 species of scorpions in Jordan (of which I've found several), but only one is deadly to humans. It's called the "death stalker" and is light brown in color. The black one above was the biggest scorpion I've seen in Jordan, reaching 2-3 inches in lenghth.
Sometimes we'll see bats in caves or old buildings in the desert.

I usually find rodents, too, but here I've only found one large rat that quickly dove into a hole. Also, not pictured, I sometimes see hedgehogs dead on the roads, but I still haven't found a live one. I always keep those in the back of my mind while herping, and I hope to one day uncover a live one to hold and photograph. My mission lies with the reptiles and amphibians of the area, of course, but sometimes its enjoyable and refreshing to see the other forms of life which inhabit this country.

Well I moved out of Tucson, and I am now living in Alburquerque, New Mexico. So this will be my last post on the Tucson herps. I know it has been awhile since I have posted. I apologize, I havent had internet until today. So this will be a short post about the last few things I caught while still in the A.Z. I went hiking in a state park in the tucson area and didnt find much, other than the common things. I did find this Regal Horned Lizard. Horned lizards are always a welcome find. It was good sized adult. Same lizard.

Road cruising was not my friend in Tucson. I dont know what it was but I did not have hardly any luck road cruising. I guess I just didnt really find any good roads to cruise, and its not as much fun looking by your self. I actually found a really nice Lyre Snake dead on the road which was a bummer. It was a beautiful specimen, it had a greenish tone to it. Where as the one that we caught in So Cal was your typical browns and tans. I also found a couple of DOR mojaves, western diamond backs, and gopher snakes. The only live snake I did find was this Western Diamond back, which was nice to finally find a live one. I have seen 3 or 4 dead ones so finding this one alive helped me to check it off my list, as well as save the little guy. He was around 3 ft long. I went a realeased him in the state park at a later date.

He is a close up. Wish I had a better camera.

Here it is before I released him.

And one more that I think is a pretty cool picture, to bad its in a cage in my house before I let him go. But still a good shot, atleast I think so. Well that is it for Tucson herping for this year, hopefully I can find some cool stuff here in Albuquerque. I will keep ya updated.

Devin

Herps of Jordan, Part 5 (The Fertile Desert)

In Jordan, most of the desert regions are vast, hot, treeless expanses. There is a place, though, called Dana Nature Preserve where cliffs rise up off the desert floor. In the winter/spring season clouds rise rapidly to pass over the cliffs, and they dump more moisture than is typical of surrounding desert regions. Unlike the wadis, the moisture comes seasonally and provides enough water for agriculture and other vegetation to grow in the area; whereas wadis, as described in the previous post, are simply fertile due to a flowing stream or river most, if not all, of the year. This post is dedicated specifically to this unique, fertile desert area, and later posts will reflect reptile life found in the more extreme desert habitats.
It is said that the oldest village in Jordan (and if I remember correctly, the oldest in the Middle East) lies next to this reserve. Here, I spent the night with my colleagues in tents on the roof of a booked hotel. We arrived at dusk, and with not much time to herp before dark, I set out to see what I could find before retiring for the evening.
A small Juniper skink, or Snake-eyed skink (Ablepharus ruepellii).
Other than a fan-footed gecko on the wall of a nearby building, I only ran into a few of these guys scurrying through the brush and leaf litter. They were surprisingly fast, and they would hold their limbs to the side and slither rapidly through underbrush like a snake.

The next morning, we set out for the reserve. We only had a couple hours there, so I made a mad effort to catch as many herps as possible before needing to leave with the group back to Amman in the North.
Of course, starred agamas were present. I tried finding other agama species, but was unsuccessful.
Another Eurasian blind snake (Typhlops vermicularis), like those found around Amman, was discovered under a stone.
It seems to be a "vermicularis", although I know it isn't the only blind snake specie in Jordan. I hope to one day discover a different specie for comparison.
Although oddly uniform in color and patternless, this gecko found in a crevice is thought to also be a Sinai fan-fingered gecko (Ptyodactylus guttatus). I welcome a second opinion.

So far from what I can gather, the only specie I had found new to me was the Juniper skink. I doubled my efforts, knowing that time here was precious, and in my desperation I ran across a few more interesting species.
A Lebanon lizard (Phoenicolacerta laevis) nervously watched me from beneath a bush.
I kept going, flipping over stones in hopes of unearthing something different. Finally, I discovered a Sinai dwarf racer (Eirenis coronelloides).
This little snake did not like being held and did not like holding still. He bit me several times on the hand, putting forth great effort to harm me, but without producing the slightest discomfort.

Then, I stumbled upon a lizard that I've seen in pet stores in the states, and I knew lived out here in Jordan, yet I had not found.
Happy to have found and caught a Schneider's skink(Eumeces schneideri) that tried to slink across the earth without being seen.
Some close-ups. A decent-sized specimen, but they grow to be even larger.
Such an attractive lizard, possessing strong jaws, a hefty build, and its tell-tale silver with orange and yellow coloration.
It just needed something to bite to release its aggression. I put it back down, and it let go and sped away. There were still so many species I wanted to encounter, but being in a group and bound by a schedule, I boarded the bus and left the reserve. More herping would have to wait until future opportunities could be found.

Herps of Jordan, Part 4 (The Wadis)

The word "wadi" in Arabic means valley or canyon. Much of Jordan is a vast desert (except in the north where the land is more arable), but there are places in the desert where small rivers and streams flow through valleys, or wadis. The landscape here is much different, like hidden oases.
You can see the expansive desert on top the stretches for miles. A small river flows through the canyon, allowing palms, acacias, and flowering plants of all kinds to survive.
Slot canyons like this one are refreshing places to hike through, and they provide cover and habitat for many species of plants and animals. Although, I didn't find any new reptile species here (in spite of my intensive searching), I did get to sample Jordan's amphibians.
I am unsure as to whether there are three or four amphibian species in Jordan. Some sources tell me three, while others say four. I can't find a list of them, and information appears scarce, so I'm going to assume there are only three until it is positively confirmed otherwise. I have found all three species within the habitat described.
This is one of them, the Levantine frog (Rana bedriagae), and a large tadpole of this specie is pictured above. This specie can be heard calling within the wadis, and though this one is rather small, they can grow to be pretty large. Also, their colors are variable; some are light while others are dark green. They remind me of leopard frogs or bullfrogs in the states.
The second specie is called Savigny's treefrog (Hyla savignyi). I found some newly metamorphosed ones clinging to rocks just above the water's surface in shady pools and others perched on overhanging vegetation.
Large ones remained elusive, probably sheltering deep within crevices or hidden among dense vegetation.
The last of Jordan's amphibian species is the European green toad (Bufo viridis). This is the specie that I thought I saw as tadpoles in Egypt. It has a wide range, and tiny toadlets could be seen bouncing along the rocks near the rivers edge at around dusk. With all of the amphibians found and documented, I'll resume my searching for Jordan's vast array of reptiles.