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As a herpetologist I was fascinated by this story.
I’d love something like that in my garden.
a) Grass snakes always have yellow blotches at the side of the head/neck (they can be whitish, orangish - but are always there.)
They are ‘famous’ for playing dead - usually upside down, with the tongue lolling out of it’s mouth.
They very rarely bite (harmless if they do). After catching (& releasing) thousands of them years ago I have never heard of anyone being bitten.
They are commonly called ‘water’ snakes, & tend to live near water & mainly feed on ‘water’ type prey.
That precludes them from my present garden.
b) Slow worms (lizards) can be lots of colours, mainly bronzy with stripes,,,, I’ve seen them from black to a very pale beige colour. Never bite.
Eat slugs etc. A couple of these could live happily in my garden !
c) Adders (viper) almost always has zigzag pattern along it’s body. These are venomous and can bite readily if handled.
Quiet rare in the snake world, the male/female patterns differ slightly.
Frequently seen in black as well as white and all colour in between.
Their eyes have a slit like pupil.
d) Smooth snake. similar in appearance to the grass snake, but no blotches on head/neck. Very rare & protected
None of these creatures are slimy or wet. They all need heat to keep their metabolism going - hence compost heaps.
TWOSHEDS: They wouldn't hear a bell.
I’d love something like that in my garden.
a) Grass snakes always have yellow blotches at the side of the head/neck (they can be whitish, orangish - but are always there.)
They are ‘famous’ for playing dead - usually upside down, with the tongue lolling out of it’s mouth.
They very rarely bite (harmless if they do). After catching (& releasing) thousands of them years ago I have never heard of anyone being bitten.
They are commonly called ‘water’ snakes, & tend to live near water & mainly feed on ‘water’ type prey.
That precludes them from my present garden.
b) Slow worms (lizards) can be lots of colours, mainly bronzy with stripes,,,, I’ve seen them from black to a very pale beige colour. Never bite.
Eat slugs etc. A couple of these could live happily in my garden !
c) Adders (viper) almost always has zigzag pattern along it’s body. These are venomous and can bite readily if handled.
Quiet rare in the snake world, the male/female patterns differ slightly.
Frequently seen in black as well as white and all colour in between.
Their eyes have a slit like pupil.
d) Smooth snake. similar in appearance to the grass snake, but no blotches on head/neck. Very rare & protected
None of these creatures are slimy or wet. They all need heat to keep their metabolism going - hence compost heaps.
TWOSHEDS: They wouldn't hear a bell.
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