Prefered localities by Vipera ammodytes

[Vipersgarden Profil Website]

Vipera ammodytes tries to prefer localities, exposed to the afternoon-sun.
Why ??
I have found this in the Bolzano area, Alto Adige, Italy as well as at the Velebit slopes. The latter area seems to be exposed to the cold and dry Bora very strong. No vegetation could be found within about 200 meter diameter around the locality, I have found Vipera ammodytes.
mario

[Berus Profil]

As regards the Eastern Adriatic coast and islands, an obvious reason
comes to my mind - the STRONG, COLD and DRY north-easterly
wind BORA. The west-oriented slopes are the LEE side as regards
this MOST UNPLEASANT of all local winds, and they have
substantially more vegetation for this same reason.
As regards Velebit, the western side is less favourable as regards
wind and vegetation (bora speeds up downhill), but is also much
warmer than the eastern, continental side. Anyhow, Velebit is a huge
mountain RANGE, with many "sides" and local peculiarities, much
too complicated to be "reduced" to just "two sides".
I have also seen a viper on the top of Butišnica on the island of Krk,
where bora is the strongest on the whole island and you have stone
and nothing else...

[Vipersgarden Profil Website]

Yes,

but maybe the western slopes have a warmer temperature regime than the eastern sides.
Most of the hill-sides, on which Vipera ammodytes occur are not so steep, sun will reach these places mostly between 9 or 10 a.m. and will be in the sunlight till late afternoon.
For shure, you don´t have to take a look to the Velebit mountains complete. You have to look to "small" areas, where the micro-climate will be complete different to other localities nearby.
The Velebit mountains separate the climate: mediterrane at western (coastal) side and continental at the eastern side. So these mountains are not a good example, why ammodytes prefers (south)western slopes.
You will find this in the area of Bolzano (Italy) also - or better you have found it.
Nowadays Vipera ammodytes (ruffoi) ist mostly found at the eastern slope of Sasso Mezzoni (Mitterberg). These, for men useless rocky slopes are the best place, where they may survive. Most other places of the former distribution are heavy cultivated today.
But nearly nothing is written about this (habitat use).

regardes

Mario

[Berus Profil]

A METHODOLOGICAL question:

The relative abundance of a species at a certain (type of) locality is estimated from what one finds,
and what one finds does not necessarily reflect the true abundance, for quite a lot of reasons.

One mostly finds reptiles when they leave their shelters, for any of their reasons, so one should
take into account quite a lot of their reasons.

For example, on a relatively cool day in spring or autumn most of V. ammodytes might remain hidden in their shelters till about noon, so in the morning one might find very few of them, if any, on both east- and west-oriented hillsides. In the afternoon the situation is somewhat better (for the snakes) on the eastern hillside, and much better on the western, so one would expect to find many more snakes on the western hillside than on the eastern one. The daily sum is that at that time of the year and on a day like that many more specimens are found on the western hillside, but that does not yet warrant a conclusion on their true relative abundance on east- and west-oriented hillsides. One should search the same locality for many times, at different times of the year and on days with various meteorological situations, in order to make a statistics. Also, one should take into account the possible reasons for the appearance or nonappearance of snakes out of their shelters in particular circumstances…
Quite a lot of job to reach a relatively reliable conclusion...

[Manuelito Profil]

Where exactly in Velebit you had seen Vipera ammodytes?

Manuelito

[Berus Profil]

As regards Velebit, it is totally irrelevant, as on Velebit V. ammodytes can be found
practically anywhere, and at any height - from the sea level up to the highest peaks.
As I said, Velebit is a huge mountain range, with many "sides" and local peculiarities,
much too complicated to be "reduced" to just "two sides". Wherever there is some
stone plus some sunshine available, Vammo is at home there, which on Velebit means
everywhere except amidst a dense dark forest.

[Manuelito Profil]

Dear Berislav Horvatic',

thank you very much for your answer. I like Vammo and will visit the Velebit in a few weeks - which I like too. Maybe I have the big luck to can meet one ... and to see her then ...

Funny that on the island Cres there are no Vipera ... as I have read ... but on Krk ...

Best regards

Manuelito