Grass snake or baby adder...??

[Yvonne]

[8-)]

Hi,

 

Can anybody tell me how to recognise a grass snake or a young adder? My cat brought home a 'snake' today. It is about 12 - 14 inches long and is light brown with a feckle brown effect on its back and a copper under belly..?

Thanks for any advise.

Abi.

 

[Tresco]

I don't think it was an adder, Abi

This is a baby adder (found it by googling baby adder images).

[IMG]http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i76/twinm/9ba65631.jpg[/IMG]

If I'm wrong at least this reply will have bumped the topic. Someone else may know for sure. The one we found swimming in the water butt was only about 6 inches and it had the diamond on its head, at least. I didn't hang around to make a closer inspection[:$]

 

[chris pp]

Identifying snakes,  start with the eyes, round pupils or vertical slit pupils. Vertical slit pupils = Vipére.

Then, shape, markings and colouration of head and neck.

Then, body markings and colouration.

Then always habitat and region.

Length can help but only if it is a mature snake, thick body or thin body is probably more useful.

Your snake could be 3 or 4 types, can you give any more details using the above as a guide?

Chris

 

[Yvonne]

Hi chris,

The pupils were round.

The head was snake shaped (??) brown with spekcles and possibly a V at the back (not entirely sure)

Habitat - we live in the Auvergne at 1000metres. spring has just arrived, the snow has just melted. Don't know if she found it near the stream or in the long grass.

The snake was thin, whih is why we thought it may be young? My  husband looked for fangs and believes that there were definately none.

Any more thouhgts? we looked at your web site and thought that maybe it was a smooth snake or grass snake?  

Thanks,

Abi

[chris pp]

It sounds very much like a smooth snake by the lack of pronounced markings. Although grass snakes occasionally have no collar it's a fairly good guide as a rule. Snake heads, snake shaped? well not exactly, they all have quite different shapes and markings, have a look at some more pictures some time.

Good luck, Chris

 

[Yvonne]

Chris,

 

Thanks for your help. Can I take as a general rule then that round pupils are non venomous? My cat is a persistent hunter and has brought 2 more home today! One as before and the other is a bronze/brown colour with silver underbelly. No obvious markings on its back. They are all between 30 and 40cm long and thin - with round pupils. Obviously my biggest concern is that she's going to take on an adder and come off worse one day!

Thanks,

Abi

 

 

[chris pp]

Hi Abi,    You can take it as a definite rule in France that round pupils means not venomous. Your description of the other "snakes" sounds as though they may be slow worms, Orvet in French. Not a snake but a legless, as in no legs - not pissed,  lizard and also not harmful.

Cheers, Chris

[markkp]

Grass snakes are green with well-spaced, vertical black lines on the sides of the body along its the entire length.  The most striking feature is a yellow stripe across the top of the body, immediately behind the head, which is made even more noticeable by the broad black border immediately behind it.  Unlike the adder, the grass snake has a round black pupil that stands out against the bronze or copper-coloured iris.

Slow-worms have red-brown eyes, with round black pupils.

About half the entire length of a slow-worm is its tail and, like other lizards, they can shed their tail if they feel threatened.  It takes some time for a new one to grow and, given the circumstances in which they do shed their tails, it is probably quite stressful for them.  Please do not, therefore, try to pick one up.

[chris pp]

Useful info Mark, but it may help to realize that grass snakes can be extremely variable,

The grass snake gets its name in French from its characteristic collar which is formed by two half moon bands at the rear of its head, these can be yellow, white, red or orange in colour, although in some individuals this can be absent.  There is also a wide variation in body colouration, shades of grey/green with darker splashes or bands being most common, but some individuals can be all dark grey or black.

Perhaps I should add that in pale grey snakes the collar is often the same grey as the head and body. The collar though, as you have written, is the best general guide but with exceptions.

Thanks, Chris

[Elaine]

Hello,

perhaps you might be able to help? We have seen a couple of very small snakes, thin, about 30cms long and living in a river close to a hot spring, at about 650mts altitude in the Pyrenees..

They pop up and look around and then spend most of their time underwater. They appear to be orange and yellow, apologies havent got close enough to see if they are slit or round eyes yet!!

What do you think they are?

Thanks a lot

Elaine

[chris pp]

Try this, Elaine.

http://planetepassion.com/SPECIES%20FACT%20SHEETS/SNAKES/couleuvre_vipérine_natrix_maura.htm

Chris

[Kitty]

Chris - I have been away for a year because I only had dial-up.  Back on broadband, I am back and it's like putting on a comfy cardigan that you have just rediscovered in the wardrobe.

Anyway, back to the topic, a year ago, I printed out your info on your website about snakes and have it in a folder in my house (The Medoc - 33), just in case one of the millions of snakes here feels hungry and bites one of my four children.  So thank you for still being here and thank you for your continued advice about our slithery friends (meaning snakes, not the folk in this Forum).

Readers:  Chris' advice is hot stuff and worth noting.

[Sharkster]

Saw this thread and it brought back a memory from our first year in Languedoc.  It was late summer and there had been heavy rain and I was asleep and my wife awake.  She came in and woke me as there was a snake in our living room.  It was a small black snake but as I was half asleep I just walked over to it and picked it up by the tail and threw it out of the door.  Only the next morning did I realise what I had done and the dangers.  To the point, from our research we thought it was a small black viper, as I remember it was jet black with no other markings but it was late.  Looking at the pictures it could have been a black grass snake.  It was definately a snake and took offence to me walking near it and started hissing at me quite aggressively but it was gone in a flash.  Do grass snakes and vipers have similar aggressive behaviour or was our first judgement likely to be correct?  Since then we invested in a snake kit and have only seen grass snakes when we are out walking and never had another snake in the house (plenty of black scorpions and crickets though)

[chris pp]

All snakes can be aggressive or appear to be in certain situations, so a small grass snake could be very aggressive and repeatedly strike you with it's mouth or let you manipulate it all over the place.

Chris

[gaz1975]

can anyone tell me what type of snakes these are? they were photographed in the pyrenees.

[img]http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/1427/30072007pp5.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img76.imageshack.us/img76/5167/31072007nv3.jpg[/img]

[chris pp]

They are slow worms, Orvet in French, so not snakes but lizards.

Nice photos, Chris