Cyprus 80 million years ago was part of the sea bed of a deep sea called Tethys. Tectonic movements of the earth's crust resulted in the collision of the African with the Eurasian plates, pushing up what was to be Cyprus. [INLINE] The island rose above the surface of the sea about 20 million years ago. At first came Troodos and Pentadactylos, continuing lo rise spasmodically until, about one to two million years ago, they reached their present height. At about that time Mesaoria plain was' also partly formed. As a result of the way the island was formed it is obvious that it was never connected to any of the nearby land masses. The only period during which there was, apparently, a land connection was between 6.4 and 5.3 million years ago when the Mediterranean more or less dried up. The African plate, moving northwards at that time, closed the gap between what is now Spain and Africa. Evaporation was, as it still is, higher than the input of fresh water into this sea and as a result the Mediterranean generally dried up. The exposed sea bed at that time must have been a very hostile, salty terrain with little or no vegetation or fresh water.

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From the above it can be inferred that the colonisation of the island by animals was mainly via the sea, either by animals swimming or drifting on logs during the periods when Cyprus was an island, or through the exposed sea bed when the Mediterranean was more or less dry. Many animals, mainly mammals, have been introduced into Cyprus by man since his arrival here 10,000 years or so ago. The isolation of the island and its fauna from nearby land masses has resulted in the evolution of several endemic species, sub-species and varieties of animals-and, of course, of reptiles Several more may emerge as endemic upon careful study of the species found on the island. Just over ten years ago an entirely new species of endemic snake was identified by Beal Schatti, a Swiss herpetologist, who noted that this snake, Hierophis cypriensis,though superficially similar to the common black Whip Snake, was much smaller, while the Whip Snake only turns black later in its lifecycle. After more detailed scientific work he published his results. Hierophis cypriensis is a small snake that is found in the middle reaches of Troodos. It is not poisonous. [INLINE] to: Frogs Snakes Lizards Turtles Snakes Of Cyprus By Antonis L. Antoniou