Polish mountains

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Polish mountains

Postby Michal Szkudlarek » Sun Jul 29, 2018 8:24 pm

(Please let me know should I have commited misidentification)
So I have recently came back from trip devoted to find H. orientalis, A. colchica, L. montandoni and V. berus but let me start with my previous finding in Polish mountains, namely when I was going to Prague in May I stoped in Jakuszyce and found subadult alpine newt under a wood on land. I went there to find adders but found a newt, not too bad though.
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Its habitat.
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Now the recent trip to mountains- to be exact to Gorce mountains.
On the day of our arrival we went to the national park and found several human-made ponds. Some of them hosted larvas of alpine newts
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larvas of Bombina variegata variegata
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and common frogs during metamorphosis.
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The pond with species mentioned above.
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Later that day we reached another pond
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this time we found adult male alpine newt
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female alpine newt
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and probably females of Lissotriton montandoni
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but also with common frogs during metamorphosis
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and larvas of newts.

We proceeded uphill, along streams and found in one of them
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larvas of Salamandra salamandra salamandra.
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Nearby
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I found adult common frog
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When it was becoming dark we visited yet another pond
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The next day we intended to reach Turbacz (about 1300m over sea level) and in our way we found Anguis colchica.
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It seemed not to have earhole but the pileus was typical of eastern slow worm
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so I assumed it was A. colchica, all the more it was found east of Vistula river (area of that species).
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Its habitat
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In our way to Turbacz we found many viviparous lizards but no single adder :(
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spot the lizard
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this is a gravid female I suppose
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untypically spotted specimen with regrowing tail
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habitat of a viviparous lizard, moor frog was found nearby
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Having reached the Turbacz peak and descending from the top I found larvas of alpine newts in a wheelrut
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some of them were in early stage of larval development
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The following day we visited Niedzica castle and Czorsztyn castle in Pieniny mountains. In the surroundings of the former there were notifications warning people about adders but I found no single specimen unfortunately.
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Maybe the notifications were put there to keep people off lawn :?

Then we set off to reach Gorc peak and found common toads there both in daylight when we were climbing the mountain and by night when we were descending. This specimes was found at night in Koninki as well.
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Habitat of a common toad.
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When descending we found a moor frog
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and a beautiful adult Salamandra salamandra salamandra
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place where it was found
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The following day we set off to reach Tobołczyk mountain (969m over sea level). When descending from the top I found big spotted Rana temporaria temporaria.
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Later I encountered nice ponds
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with Bombina variegata variegata, we found adults, tadpoles and freshly metamorphosed specimens
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and specimens during metamorphosis
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In that place we found also alpine newts during metamorphosis
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and Montandon's newts during metamorphosis as well
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It was raining but we found no salamander. When it stopped I went to place where adders were allegedly observed in spring but found only viviparous lizards and grass snakes.

Specimen of viviparous lizard which was born this year.
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Juvenile grass snakes.
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Adult viviparous lizard which has problems with molting.
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Their habitat
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In the day of our return I found young moor frog
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in property of museum
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Michal Szkudlarek
 
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Joined: Sat Oct 22, 2011 12:09 pm
Location: Poland
Hometown: ...
country: Poland

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