Research
Research
Research of amphibians and reptiles has been conducted by our researchers very early, even before
they decided to establish HAS. These studies, using the necessary methods, covering the entire country
and every month of the year, resulted on new information about the species of amphibians and reptiles
living in Albania, their distribution, ecology, biology and behaviour.
Studies conducted by our team found out the presence of 15 specimens of amphibians in Albania, from
which 5 belongs to urodelia (amphibians with a tail) and 10 to anura (amphibians without a tail). Bio-
acoustic studies conducted in collaboration with the University of Bonn (Germany) resulted into
discovering two new species of amphibian P. shqipericus and P. epeiroticus, both sub-endemic species.
Studies our team has been conducting on reptiles over the years found out the presence of 7 specimens
of turtles (2 terrapins, 2 tortoises and 3 sea turtles), 14 specimens of lizards, and 16 specimens of
snakes. One of the most interesting studies conducted with reptiles was the one with vipers (V.
ammodytes) . The venom collected from 25 vipers during a time lapse of 6 years was later on used to
produce the Albanian anti-viperin, the first antidote for Albania.
The major scientific research interest of HAS during the last decade is the study of the populations of
loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) along the Albanian coastline.
This study which first was located only at Drini bay was later on spread out to the entire Albanian
coastline and with the introduction of the presence of two other species the green turtle (Chelonia
mydas) and the leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) expanded the scope of its research to include these
two species, too.
HAS is using a wide spectrum of research methods to increase scientific knowledge on the ecology of the
sea turtles, as well as the anthropogenic impact on sea turtle health. The main methods used over the
years are:
- Mark-capture-recapture
- Genetics
- Photo-identification
- Satellite tracking
- Diet
Amphibians of Albania
Reptiles of Albania
