![]() ![]() They’re shorter but stockier than a grass snake and are usually grey-brown with a distinctive zig-zag pattern along the back. They prefer wilder habitats than grass snakes, like heaths, woodland rides, and coastal dunes and are rarely found in gardens. Whilst there are occasional reports from Hertfordshire and Middlesex, they're not commonly found in our area. Most bites happen when a snake is handled or stood on.Īdders are our most northerly snake, found across England, Wales and right to the top of Scotland. Bites can occasionally be serious (and should always be immediately checked at a hospital), but they aren’t an aggressive species and rarely bite people. ![]() Our only venomous native snake, the adder has picked up a bad reputation and often inspires fear. As a last resort, if they’re handled, they can also release a foul-smelling liquid from their vent. If they don’t have an escape route, they may play dead and roll onto their back with their tongue hanging out. They’re very shy creatures and will quickly slither away if they are disturbed. The young snakes are pencil-sized and hatch in August and September. They lay 30-40 eggs in warm, sheltered places like piles of rotting vegetation and compost heaps. Grass snakes are our only egg-laying native snake. They’re excellent swimmers and regularly feed on fish, frogs, toads and newts. Grass snakes can be found across England and Wales, in areas with long grass often near water, including garden ponds. They have dark eyes with round pupils, whereas adders have elliptical pupils in their bright red eyes. They're usually a grey-green colour and most easily recognised by the black and yellow collar behind the head. If you think you’ve been bitten by a snake – even if you don’t reckon it’s a venomous one – the official advice is to call 999 or go to A&E immediately.The grass snake is our longest snake, growing to well over a metre. In short, snake bites are on the rise, but the likelihood of it happening to your average joe is extremely low. Of the 321 snake bite cases registered over the last decade or so, 13 of the victims were under five years of age and one person – a reptile conservationist bitten by a king cobra – actually died. This is the part that is actually worrying – so worrisome, in fact, that the British Medical Journal has called for the law to be tightened on owning dangerous pets. In 2020 there were 508 venomous snakes registered in the country. Yep, so long as you’ve a licence, it’s actually perfectly legal in the UK to keep exotic venomous snakes like king cobras, rattlesnakes and pit vipers. So where has this recent rise in snake bites come from? Well, that’d be pets. In other words, wild snakes in the UK aren’t a big problem. While you should always get an adder bite checked out by a doctor, serious illness is exceedingly rare and no one in the UK has died since 1975. ![]() It’s estimated that there are around 50 adder bites in the UK every year, with very few of those requiring any medical treatment. When it comes to wild snakes, only three species are native to the UK – the adder, the grass snake and the smooth snake – and only one of those, the adder, is venomous and likely to bite anyone. So should you be worried? Well, it depends. According to The Guardian, snake bites in the UK are on the rise, with medics having treated 321 snake bites over the past 11 years. If you’d always thought that living in the UK would keep you safe from snake bites, well, think again. From being strangled by a boa constrictor to being paralysed by the fangs of a diamondback rattlesnake, death by snake is a very, very rough way to go. And, to be honest, that’s perfectly understandable. Thanks to their freaky, slithery appearance, snakes are one of the most feared animals in the UK. ![]()
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