Herpetologists Alive!

Jan, Gijs, Jeroen, John (I'm always here), Anniek and Peter

Aquaworld seems to have become a stopping off point for passing field herpetologists (those who spend much of their time turning stones over and paddling around pools looking for snakes, lizards etc etc) and we are, of course, very happy to receive them.

The group above seem a typical, friendly bunch - but they're all infected with the same mad desire to spend a large portion of their free time searching for and reporting on any and all reptiles they come across...

Naturally, I am totally in sympathy!

Although all these visitors were new to me, Jeroen and I have had previous email correspondence and I was really pleased to be able to meet him face to face. When not chasing reptilians around, Jeroen (who holds a PhD) is currently working on estuarine benthic invertebrates of the river Scheldt at the Flemish 'Research Institute for Nature and Forest' in Brussels.

The group's report is now available online and we look forward to seeing any other passing reptile lovers in the years to come.

Spring 2009 News

This spring has, as usual, been a case of getting everything ready for the high season and trying to help out a few people and critters along the way...

Matt Wilson, Suzanne and Kevin Byrnes (right to left) were the first serious herpetologists of the year and it was a pleasure to meet with them and trade information. Matt has set up a great web site on herping in Europe - http://www.euroherp.com/ - well worth a look!

In May the big surprise was a call from one of the local hotels saying that they had a fish which had grown too big for their 1.50m aquarium - would we please give it a home? If our tentative identification is correct, we now possess an alligator gar - the largest purely freshwater fish in North America - and at a maximum of about 3.0m, it would certainly have outgrown its welcome in its old home...

So, the season is now well and truely under way and, if you're coming to see us at Aquaworld, we've got more than ever for you to get up close and personal to.

By the way, we now have a FaceBook page at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=59402679869&ref=mf where you can upload photos/videos etc - or just drop in to say hello to the other 150 or so members.

If you've visited Aquaworld and would like to write a review for everyone else to read, you can do so at http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g503710-d668754-Reviews-Aquaworld_Aquarium-Hersonissos_Crete.html

We look forward to seeing you all soon,

Judith & John

Ready for 2009!

Gosh, another year has slipped by and 2009 is well and truly on us...

It hardly seems any time at all since I last wrote here - but it was, in fact, far too long ago!

Since then we have seen the arrival of several new inhabitants at Aquaworld; Naga, Raja, Yin and Yang - the four Burmese pythons, Mookie - a well-loved green iguana who needed a new home and Georgos - a rather battered little loggerhead turtle found upside down on the beach road here in Hersonissos just yesterday by two local children.

Raja and John

Mookie eyes up his breakfast

Hopefully, Georgos will recover and, after a little tender loving care, can be relaeased back into the wild as was his predecessor, the ever-hungry Dimitris, last year.

Although looking after reptiles like Sobek the crocodile, the pythons and the iguanas is great fun - getting the chance to help wild animals along the way and to eventually return them to their natural habitat is by far the most rewarding part of what we do here at Aquaworld.

Dimitris heading back to sea...