Zakázanka
Menu- Welcome to Zakázanka
- In search of bygone eons
- An example of a reverse fault and a crush zone
- Folds
- A fault separating two geological periods
- Iron ore
- Exposed boundary
- What is growing here (1)
- What is growing here (2)
- Little warm lovers
- Sun lovers
- Bedrock
- Fluvial sandy gravels of the vineyard terrace
- Local denizens of the air
- A window into Prague's geological past
- Iron ore on the zoo grounds
- The rock face bears silent witness
- Regeneration of the rocky steppe
Sun lovers
Reptiles are exothermic animals. In the morning they quickly warm up to their "operating" temperature and they can find enough insects here. Frequent crevices and a cover of vegetation provide them with a possibility to hide – from predators as well as from unfavourable weather conditions.
Dice snake
Natrix tesselata
Although this snake spends its summers on the banks of the Vltava River, where it hunts small fish, these dry slopes, full of rifts and crevices, provide it with an ideal wintering site. It is one of Europe's rarest snakes.
Grass snake
Natrix natrix
Our most common and best known colubrid, the grass snake has characteristic yellowish crescents right behind its head. It likes to bask on warm rocks and logs, but when it hunts, it ventures below the dry slope to search for frogs, its principal prey.
Smooth snake
Coronella austriaca
This slender snake, which sports a dark "coronet"-shaped marking on its head, is often mistaken for a viper. The difference is that this colubrid snake does not have a continuous zigzag line on its back, but only dark spots. It is a rather infrequent visitor to the zoo (vipers are not found on the zoo grounds at all).
European green lizard
Lacerta viridis
Occurring mainly in southern Europe, this species is found in the Czech Republic only in isolated populations. It prefers dry, warm slopes with low-growing vegetation. From April to September, you might spot the bright-green male or the more modestly colored brownish female as they bask on warm stones or logs.
