Lizards, snakes, tortoises and turtles
Corfu has a rich variety of reptiles. Reptiles include snakes, lizards and turtles and are different from amphibians (frogs, toads and salamanders which we will present in a separate section later).
First of all let's have a look at the common water snake of Corfu. It's completely harmless and lives in rivers and lakes.
A very fun creature, especially for children, is the tortoise. You can find them almost anywhere on Corfu, although their numbers have decreased in the last 30 years. They can be as small as 3-4 cm and grow to more than 25 cm. Sex is not so easy if both partners carry a heavy and bulky shell, as you can see on the photo...!
There are also turtles living in the waters of Corfu. Here are some beautiful photographs of a sweet water turtle:
And the most beautiful variety of colours can be found on the lizards of Corfu. They live everywhere and you are sure to see some of them lazing in the sun. Most of them are not bigger than 15 cm, with the exception of the Laudacia stelio (in Corfiot "Skoutzikas") which can be longer and bigger. Notice the almost perfect camouflage of the Skoutzikas! If they stay still it's almost impossible to spot them on a tree. The two photos resmbling a snake are really lizards without legs. Most photos by Stamatis Ghinis.
Lizards of Corfu
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