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Found 13 February 2005: |
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wynkin Member Joined: 11 Sep 2004 No. of posts: 10  View other posts by wynkin |
Posted: 13 Feb 2005 Found this young snake today it's quite lively even though it's overcast wet and 9c. It was on some gravel 3 metres from any cover. What is it and do snakes normally give birth at this time of year? My wife is petrified of snakes even this little one, so it has gone to live in the woods. Location: Perigueux SW France. |
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David Bird Forum Specialist Joined: 17 Feb 2003 No. of posts: 515 View other posts by David Bird |
Posted: 13 Feb 2005 Is there a picture ? Snakes give birth or they are born from eggs in the late summer or early autumn but as they may not feed or perhaps only once or twice before they go into hibernation, where they do not grow significantly, the juvenile will not be much larger than at birth. British Herpetological Society Librarian and member of B.H.S Conservation Committee. Self employed Herpetological Consultant and Field Worker. |
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GemmaJF Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 No. of posts: 2090  View other posts by GemmaJF |
Posted: 13 Feb 2005 Here is the picture, sorry for any delay putting it up..
I think I can fairly confidently ID this one as a grass snake Natrix natrix The distinctive yellow collar with black cresent marking on the neck is the give away for this species as are the dark vertical bars along the flanks. The same markings are usually present on adults also. It always amazes me just how tiny grass snakes are when they start out in life, and as David has said this little chap would have hatched last year and then very soon begun to hibernate.
Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant |
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wynkin Member Joined: 11 Sep 2004 No. of posts: 10 View other posts by wynkin |
Posted: 13 Feb 2005 Just to cap off our reptile day, in swimming pool we found the fattest black and yellow salamanda I have yet seen. How many young does a grass snake have and do they travel far? Thanks for all your help I am learning lots about our reptile neigbours. |
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GemmaJF Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 No. of posts: 2090 View other posts by GemmaJF |
Posted: 13 Feb 2005 Fully mature females can lay in the region of 30 eggs and it is not unusual for more than one female to choose the same place to lay. The young soon disperse widely either after hatching or after emergence from hibernation. N. Natrix is usually thought of as a very mobile species, females traveling considerable distances to favoured egg laying sites each year. Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant |
- Found 13 February 2005 |
