RAUK - Archived Forum - Communal basking

Hi all,

Found these three basking together yesterday. The grass snake was originally basking in the same spot as the adder until it was shoved out of the way. you can't really see from the photo but the grassie is in blue, and very nervous. At one point the adder actually climbed on top of the grass snake, then lay parallel alongside and began furiously tongue-flicking, almost like a courtship behaviour. When the grassie moved away the adder ignored it. Has anybody else seen any sort of interaction between the two species?

The neo viv. lizard didn't hang around much longer! Apologies for the rubbish photo...

cheers, Ian

Excellent observations shame you didnt get a picture of the adder on the grass snake -

Jon

Ian,

I really like this photo !

Adders and Grass snakes basking in close proximity is very common. They share similar basking requirements, so I guess its not that surprising. On some local heaths, its so common, that when I see an Adder, I'll scan carefully for any grassies before I approach closer.

I quite often see Common lizards basking close to Adders, but they don't like the Adders geting too close ! I can't remember seeing a Common lizard under the same tin as an adult snake of any species.

I have seen plenty of lizards under tins - it is what we use to capture some of the animals in a rescue say - though most of the animals in the later part of the day would be captured off things like anthills, tussocks, fence posts, log piles etc.

Often you will find animals preferring natural habitat to felt or tin though they do use them during their day - with high numbers of ACO's you will find them under tin or felt during rain etc

Regards

Jon

Many moons ago long before I had a camera of any kind I came across a grass snake coiled perfectly on top of an adult female adder, and just to top it all off a neo adder coiled perfectly on top of the grass snake on a brash pile at Hindhead commons. I doubt if I'll ever see that again! At this site both species are relatively abundant and it is not too unusual to find them basking in close proximity or in direct contact with each other.

PS I like the picture too, you have really captured the three species together well

This is the only half-decent photo I've got of the two of them together, again not very clear. In my defence I was trying to lean over an electric fence at the time! Both snakes were basking in the same place again yesterday. The adder spent some time rubbing the sides of his head along the logs andlooking, for want of a better word, uncomfortable. Possibly also about to slough?

Suzi + Jon, I've also never found lizards under the tins here, although they're common under logs less than a metre away. On a site in north Kent I know they are regularly found under old carpet with slow worms.

cheers, Ian

Steve,

Thanks for your comments, looking back over my records for this site it's clear that adders and grassies are found in roughly the same areas and I'd not really made the coonection, so ta for that. The grass snake finally gave up trying to bask peacefully when another adder turned up and pushed him out of the way. there was also an adult viv. lizard basking about a metre away who shot off when the grassie moved.

cheers, Ian