During 4 days In september a small team of 5 scientists and local fishermen has been left on Branco, a desert Island belonging to Cabo Verde archipelago.

Branco is known for its inhospitality (no shelter, wind, difficult slope, very rocky, jagged and mountainous) and its endemic reptiles (lizard and Gecko).

Since 10 years, Raquel Vasconcelos, from Porto University (Portugal) is one of the world specialist of this specific animals. She is  tracking them gently under stone or with cameras.

Measurements, GPS’ tag and observation are helping to understand their live and interactions with sea birds.

She is also looking for the giant skink, a big lizard that nobody has seen since decades.

Photos © Monaco Explorations / Olivier Borde