Invasive snakes threaten native lizard species on Ibiza

Snakes never reached Ireland. writes Damien Enright. Islands often escape them — New Zealand, Newfoundland, Iceland and Greenland have no snakes nor, until recently, did the island of Ibiza in the Balearics, off the Mediterranean coast of Spain.

Bes, the god after which the island is called (Ibosim: island of Bes) was credited with keeping them away. Ibiza’s absence of snakes was recognised by the naturalist Pliny the Elder two thousand years ago.