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Environment
May 31, 2026
Analyzed by GPT OSS 120B

Swimming Snakes Threaten Ibiza's Iconic Wall Lizards

AI Summary
A grainy video captured in April 2024 shows a horseshoe whip snake swimming from Ibiza to the islet of Santa Eulària, confirming fears that the invasive reptile is opening a new front in its assault on the island’s endemic wall lizards. With more than 3,500 snakes captured in the past year and projections of island‑wide colonisation by 2027, the lizards – already listed as endangered – face a rapid decline.

In April 2024, a local wildlife ranger recorded a pale horseshoe whip snake gliding through the turquoise waters between Ibiza and the tiny islet of Santa Eulària, providing the first indisputable visual proof that the invasive snake can swim and expand its range across the Balearics.

The First Video Confirms Snakes Swimming Between Ibiza and Santa Eulària

The footage, shot on a minuscule island 450 metres off Ibiza’s east coast, validates long‑standing anecdotal reports from fishermen and tourists. Biologist Oriol Lapiedra of the Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (Creaf) noted that while snake sightings were common, this was “the first proper evidence” of a snake making the crossing.

Captures and Projections Reveal a Rapidly Expanding Snake Population

  • More than 3,500 horseshoe whip snakes were captured on Ibiza in 2025 alone.
  • Since 2016, over 16,000 individuals have been culled.
  • Scientists forecast that the species will occupy 100 % of the island by the end of 2027.
  • On the mainland, snakes rarely exceed 1.8 m in length, but Ibiza specimens have been recorded at over 2 m and weighing 2.5 times as much.

Ecological Fallout: Endangered Wall Lizards Face Near‑Extinction

The Ibiza wall lizard (Podarcis pityusensis) was upgraded by the IUCN in October 2022 from “near threatened” to “endangered”, reflecting the mounting pressure from the snake. On Santa Eulària, researchers counted 72 lizards in 2016 but only three in 2023. Across the ten islets that once hosted unique lizard populations, many have now lost their native reptiles entirely, erasing thousands of years of isolated evolution.

Future Outlook: Management Strategies and the Likelihood of Island‑Wide Infestation

Regional authorities, in partnership with Creaf and conservation NGOs, are intensifying capture programmes and exploring “Noah’s ark” captive‑breeding projects to preserve genetic stock. However, the sheer scale of the snake invasion—driven by imported olive trees that provide hidden refuges—means that without sustained effort, the horseshoe whip snake could dominate the Balearic archipelago, reshaping its ecosystems for decades to come.