Date Published: 21/03/2024

VIDEO: Snake discovered slithering around central Mazarron square

ARCHIVED ARTICLE -

The non-venomous specimen was returned to the wild by Local Police

A Horseshoe whip snake was recently found in the Plaza del Convento in the centre of Mazarrón (Murcia).

The snake, of a species that is native to southwestern Europe and northern Africa, was spotted in the Mazarrón square and witnesses quickly called the police, who were able to capture it without too much trouble and put it in a container.

Horseshoe whip snakes (Hemorrhois hippocrepis) are not venomous and tend to shy away from humans.

Following instructions from the El Valle Wildlife Recovery Centre, the animal was returned to its natural habitat.

At first, it was feared the animal might be a young Montpellier snake (Malpolon monspessulanu), known in Spanish as the ‘culebra bastarda’, a mildly venomous species of rear-fanged snake.

This is not the first time that a Horseshoe whip snake has turned up where it’s not welcome in Murcia. In 2021, one such specimen was found slinking around a family home in Totana, while in 2023 one was discovered in a children’s kindergarten in Los Dolores.

The venomous Montpellier snake has also been found in Murcia, with one discovered in a Totana aviary in 2022 and another in central Murcia just last year.

See more news about animals in Spain:

Sign up for the Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin to get a comprehensive email with all the week’s news for Spain, Murcia, Alicante and Andalucía.

Get a sneak peek – here are a few of our recent Subscription Bulletins: