Horseshoe Whip Snake Filmed Swimming to Ibiza Islet, Dooming Lizards
Get the Energy newsletter
Daily energy & climate — solar, EVs, oil, the policy fights and tech bets shaping the transition. Free.
- A horseshoe whip snake was filmed swimming 450 meters from Ibiza's east coast to the islet of Santa Eulària in April 2024 by a local wildlife ranger — the first definitive evidence of the reptile colonizing the islet, confirming long-held suspicions from fishermen's sightings.
Why it matters: The 450-meter swim by one snake marks a geographic tipping point: an invasive species that arrived via ornamental olive trees has now bridged to offshore islets, wiping out at least 10 evolutionarily distinct lizard populations — including Santa Eulària's, which fell from 72 lizards in 2016 to 3 in 2023. A Barcelona zoo breeding program exists precisely because the wild populations on these islets cannot be saved in place.
Ask SkimNews
