In 2008 as part of my degree course I spent six months living in Murcia, S-E Spain. This region, along with neighbouring Almeria in Andalusia are the most barren areas of Spain (probably Europe too) and most of the province is extremely arid in general with some of the highest temperatures on the continent. As early as April temperatures already hit 35C and drought is a serious problem all year round. In addition to studying at the university of Murcia I spent alot of my free time in the wilderness, especially the beautiful but dry sierras of the region in search of reptiles and amphibians. Needless to say I have some great memories and experiences to share so I have selected a few of my favorite photographs along with a table showing some of my results from various search areas.
All photographs (C) Matt Wilson
La sierra de Almenara
A coastal hillside range that is rapidly being destroyed by plans for golf club construction and additional tourism expansion, but nevertheless holds a diverse flora and fauna. The sierra also has the biggest Spanish population of Spur-thighed tortoise (Testudo graeca) which is suffering from human expansion in Murcia like elsewhere in its range that includes coastal Andalusia and Majorca, however a number of conservation projects are helping protect the species.
Cartagena-Las Moreras
The coastal area of Murcia consists of the second biggest town (Cartagena) and hillsides which are now home to tourist resorts and villages. Las Moreras is one of few natural water courses present in the region, close to a sand dune system with salt pans.
Table 2: My findings from separate visits to the coastal areas of Murcia
| Latin name | Common name | 03/08 | 05/08 |
| Mauremys leprosa | Spanish terrapin | – | 1 |
| Chameleo chameleon | Mediterranean chameleon | 1 | – |
| Tarentola mauritanica | Moorish gecko | 5 | 8 |
| Timon lepidus | Ocellated lizard | – | 2 |
| Psammodromus algirus | Large psammodromus | few | few |
| Podarcis hispanicus | Iberian wall lizard | few | few |
| Acanthodactylus erythurus | Spiny-footed lizard | – | 2 |
| Hemorrhois hippocrepis | Horseshoe whipsnake | 2 | – |
| Malpolon monspessulanus | Montpellier snake | 1 | 1 slough |
| Rhinechis scalaris | Ladder snake | 1 dead | – |
| Natrix maura | Viperine snake | 1 | – |
La sierra de Ricote- Archena- La sierra de la pila
North of the city of Murcia are two sierras: la sierra de Ricote and la sierra de la pila, furthermore the town of Archena is surrounded by cultivated land with fruit trees that I found to be nice for reptiles. This is one of the driest areas in the whole of Spain.
Table 3: My findings on some trips to the area north of Murcia
| Latin name | Common name | 04/08 | 05/08 |
| Bufo calamita | Natterjack toad | 2 | 12 |
| Pelodytes ibericus | Iberian parsley frog | – | 1 |
| Pelobates cultripes | Western spadefoot toad | – | tadpoles |
| Tarentola mauritanica | Moorish gecko | 6 | – |
| Hemidactylus turcicus | Turkish gecko | 3 | – |
| Timon lepidus | Ocellated lizard | 12 | 1 |
| Psammodromus algirus | Large psammodromus | few | 1 |
| Podarcis hispanicus | Iberian wall lizard | 2 | – |
| Hemorrhois hippocrepis | Horseshoe whipsnake | 3 | 1 dead |
| Malpolon monspessulanus | Montpellier snake | 3 | 2 dead |
| Coronella girondica | Southern smooth snake | 1 | 1 slough |
La sierra de Espuña- la sierra de Carrascoy y El Valle
Next to the city of Murcia is the Sierra de Carrascoy y El Valle which are mostly forested areas with an area of rock pools that form at the forest border. La sierra de Espuña lies to the west of Murcia and is the highest point in the region, it is also a nature reserve home to the only isolated population of Lataste’s viper (Vipera latastei) which I found near to Sevilla in Andalusia, but I could not find it in Murcia.
Table 4: My findings on my visit to the sierra de Espuña and El Valle
| Common name | Latin name | 3/09 | 06/09 |
| Perez’s frog | Rana perezi | few | 20+ |
| Mediterranean Common Toad | Bufo bufo spinosus | 2 | 1 |
| Ocellated lizard | Timon lepidus | – | 1 |
| Large psammodromus | Psammodromus algirus | – | 10 |
| Spanish psammodromus | Psammodromus hispanicus | 5 | 2 |
| Spiny-footed lizard | Acanthodactylus erythrurus | 10 | – |
| Iberian worm lizard | Blanus cinereus | – | 2 |
| Viperine snake | Natrix maura | 2 | 5 |
| Horseshoe whip snake | Hemorrhois hippocrepis | 1 dead | – |
