Snake warning in Ibiza: Serpents are becoming ‘gigantic’ as numbers on the island soar

IBIZA faces a serious issue as snakes are becoming more and more dominant, according to experts.

The horseshoe snake (Hemorrhois hippocrepis), in particular, has proliferated and now Ibizan lizards face imminent extinction. 

The Pitiusa lizard (Podarcis pityusensis) has inhabited the island for more than 4,000 years.

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But the growth (both in numbers and physical size) of the horseshoe snake, which was only introduced to the territory in the early 2000s, means the lizard could be extinct by 2030. 

Biologist Jaume Estarellas has highlighted the physical growth of snakes in Ibiza, noting that, for several years, ‘gigantism’ has been detected among several species. 

The notion of gigantism means that the average size of snakes in Ibiza is larger than those in the mainland.

Although it was over a decade ago, in 2013, a horseshoe snake captured in Ibiza broke the world record for its species’ size.

It measured a whopping 183 centimetres. The average length is 89.1 centimetres according to the encyclopedia of the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales.

The giant nature of the island’s snakes is due to a lack of predators hunting them when they reach the juvenile-adult stage, and the abundance of prey available to them. 

They are allowed to freely compete for the most amount of prey, and the larger they are the more successful they will be. 

There have been campaigns to stop the invasive nature of the horseshoe snake.

In 2024, Protegim Ses Sargantanes project captured 499 species individuals in an attempt to protect lizard populations, and 280 new traps were installed. 

However, the snakes continue to prevail, with the Institut d’Estudis Eivissencs (IEE), claiming the situation to be ‘practically unsolvable’.

At the end of last year, the IEE stated that measures taken by public bodies ‘have not been sufficiently successful’ in containing the invasive species.

The IEE confirmed that the horseshoe snake has now established itself throughout the island as a dominant force.