Wall lizards persist on small Greek islet after four decades
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Researchers CA and EL confirmed a population of Erhard’s wall lizards still lives on Spanopoula, a small islet off the coast of Kea Island in Greece, during a survey on June 13, 2024.
The team had aimed to verify the lizards’ presence after the last documented sighting in 1980. Spanopoula, less than 0.02 square kilometers in area, presents difficult access due to its rocky terrain, requiring visitors to swim and climb ashore.
The researchers also identified a breeding colony of yellow-legged gulls, one ocellated skink, and one Kotschy’s gecko on the islet, marking the first report of the gecko species there. Erhard’s wall lizards were concentrated on the upper, northeast portion of the islet, where caper bushes provide shelter and food. The team captured six lizards, measuring their snout-vent length and collecting tail tissue for genetic analysis before releasing them.
Genetic analysis revealed the Spanopoula lizards possess two new haplotypes that link them to mainland populations in western Attica, northeastern Peloponnese, and Evvoia Island, suggesting humans transported them to the islet. Despite the availability of resources, the lizards remain medium-sized, unlike other island lizards that often grow larger, likely because the population recently arrived from the mainland and hasn’t had time to adapt. Researchers estimate approximately 200 lizards currently inhabit the islet.
