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Saharan Sand Snake

Psammophis aegyptius

Description:

I was so excited to see this snake on my hike yesterday. Despite being one of the fastest snakes in the Middle East, it was so cooperative and sat still for several minutes while I took photos. And then it decided to move. It slowly turned only a couple of inches before it slid right off the cliff. (A good reminder that it could be me if I don't watch my steps!) He landed in the wadi below and slithered off behind a plant and into the rocks. The last photo shows me looking at the snake and the cliff he slid off.

Habitat:

rocky desert wadi

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20 Comments

triggsturner
triggsturner 5 years ago

Congratulations Bernadette, great spotting.

Bernadette S
Bernadette S 5 years ago

Wow, that was fun news to wake up to, Daniele! Thank you. :-)

Brian38
Brian38 5 years ago

Congratulations Bernadette!

DanielePralong
DanielePralong 5 years ago

Congratulations Bernadette, this spotting came second in our 2018 Best Wildlife Photo Competition, Reptiles category!

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Bernadette S
Bernadette S 5 years ago

Thanks, Leuba. :-)

Leuba Ridgway
Leuba Ridgway 5 years ago

Congratulations Bernadette !

Bernadette S
Bernadette S 5 years ago

Thanks, António!

Bernadette S
Bernadette S 5 years ago

Oh, wow! Thanks, Daniele. Happy to share this beautiful snake with our community! :-)

Awesome series Bernadette,is incredible how she fit in the rocks,great spotting,congrats and thanks for sharing

DanielePralong
DanielePralong 5 years ago

This beautiful snake was much liked during our last Spotting of the Week vote Bernadette! Today it is our Spotting of the Day. I do love how it perfectly fits itself along the rock crevice! Great series of shots.

"There's a good reason our Spotting of the Day is called a sand racer: it can reach speeds of up to 16 kph when chasing preys! The Schokari sand racer (Psammophis schokari), one of the fastest snakes in the Middle East, is a colubrid species found in well-vegetated as well as sandy areas. Here Project Noah member Bernadette Simpson takes us for a hike in one of her local rocky desert wadis: "I was so excited to see this snake on my hike yesterday. Despite being one of the fastest snakes in the Middle East, it was so cooperative and sat still for several minutes while I took photos. And then it decided to move. It slowly turned only a couple of inches before it slid right off the cliff. (A good reminder that it could be me if I don't watch my steps!) He landed in the wadi below and slithered off behind a plant and into the rocks". Check out the spotting for more images!"

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Bernadette S
Bernadette S 5 years ago

Thanks, Leuba.

Leuba Ridgway
Leuba Ridgway 5 years ago

Interesting shots Bernadette. He looks like rolled out Play-Doh, especially in pic3. The 6th shot gives us some understanding of the terrain. Great spotting !

Bernadette S
Bernadette S 5 years ago

He is beautiful, isn't he, Maria? And not dangerous to humans, so I didn't mind when he was in my path. :-)

Bernadette S
Bernadette S 5 years ago

Thank you, Daniele. It's always an honor when a spotting is nominated. :-)

Maria dB
Maria dB 5 years ago

Beautiful snake! And it seems to be only the fifth spotting of it on Project Noah - congratulations!

DanielePralong
DanielePralong 5 years ago

Your spotting has been nominated for the Spotting of the Week. The winner will be chosen by the Project Noah Rangers based on a combination of factors including: uniqueness of the shot, status of the organism (for example, rare or endangered), quality of the information provided in the habitat and description sections. There is a subjective element, of course; the spotting with the highest number of Ranger votes is chosen. Congratulations on being nominated Bernadette!

Bernadette S
Bernadette S 5 years ago

Thanks, Life Is Like a Lime!

Bernadette S
Bernadette S 5 years ago

I was quite surprised about the fall, too, Lauren. But I've been thinking it must happen a lot. So many of the rock faces/cliffs are slippery.

Beautiful shot! Such a gorgeous snake!

LaurenZarate
LaurenZarate 5 years ago

Wow! Amazing it could fall like that and not be hurt! Great pictures!

Bernadette S
Spotted by
Bernadette S

South Sinai Governorate, Egypt

Spotted on Oct 28, 2018
Submitted on Oct 29, 2018

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