Olympus is located between Thessaly and Macedonia and has an elevation of 2918m, making it the highest mountain of Greece, known for its mythology and great biodiversity. The mountain and the areas surrounding it are home to 34 herpetofauna species, particularly 10 species of amphibians and 24 species of reptiles. This year, like every year, I was able to do a few herpetological observations in numerous locations around Olympus during a short trip in July 2021, and despite the bad season I came up with a nice list of species.
Pieria plain
The plains located at the foothills of Olympus are a relatively dry area with only a handful of water sources. They are home to a few typical mediterranean reptile and amphibian species, with the most common being Balkan green lizards (Lacerta trilineata), Balkan frogs (Pelophylax kurtmuelleri), Green toads (Bufotes viridis), Kotschy's geckos (Mediodactylus kotschyi), Herman's tortoises (Testudo hermanni) and Green toads (Bufotes viridis).
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| Herman's tortoise (Testudo hermanni) |
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| Balkan green lizard (Lacerta trilineata) |
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| Male Green toad (Bufotes viridis) found in a watering trough |
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| Male Green toad (Bufotes viridis) |
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| Female Green toad (Bufotes viridis) |
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| Female Green toad (Bufotes viridis). Green toads show interesting sexual dimorphism, with females having way more contrasting and attractive pattern than males. |
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| Green toad (Bufotes viridis) eggs in a watering trough |
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| Habitat |
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| Kotschy's gecko (Mediodactylus kotschyi) |
Olympus Mt
Next stop is the stream of Orlias, which I visit every year. At first a few Balkan frogs (Pelophylax kurtmuelleri) were found, with Greek stream frogs (Rana graeca) and some Erhard's wall lizards (Podarcis erhardii) following. Finally, I caught a large female Dice snake (Natrix tessellata) at the same habitat.
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| Habitat |
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| Dice snake (Natrix tessellata) |
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| Juvenile Erhard's wall lizard (Podarcis erhardii) |
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| Greek stream frog (Rana graeca) |
Another of my favorite destinations is Prionia, a mountain resort accesible by car, located at an elevation of about 1000m. Just at the side of Prionia resort there is a small stream which was not very rich with water this year. This, however, didn't affect the herpetofauna of the stream much, although no Greek stream frogs (Rana graeca) were seen. Nevertheless, I was able to find Yellow-belied toads (Bombina variegata), Grass snakes (Natrix natrix), Fire salamanders (Salamandra salamandra), Greek smooth newts (Lissotriton graecus) and numerous Common wall lizards (Podarcis muralis) which coexist with European green lizards (Lacerta viridis) at some nearby locations.
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| View from Prionia |
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| Common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis) |
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| Yellow-bellied toad (Bombina variegata) |
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| Yellow-bellied toad (Bombina variegata) |
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| Greek smooth newt (Lissotriton graecus) |
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| Fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra) |
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| Woodland grayling (Hipparchia fagi). Olympus is also known for its rich butterfly diversity. |
Species list:
Erhard's wall lizard (Podarcis erhardii)
Balkan green lizard (Lacerta trilineata)
European green lizard (Lacerta viridis)
Kotschy's gecko (Mediodactylus kotschyi)
Snake-eyed skink (Ablepharus kitaibelii)
Grass snake (Natrix natrix)
Dice snake (Natrix tessellata)
Herman's tortoise (Testudo hermanni)
Yellow-bellied toad (Bombina variegata)
Greek stream frog (Rana graeca)
Balkan frog (Pelophylax kurtmuelleri)
Green toad (Bufotes viridis)
Fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra)
Greek smooth newt (Lissotriton graecus)