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RAUK - Archived Forum - Sighting of a smooth snake

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Sighting of a smooth snake:

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jpwoodward
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Joined: 19 May 2003
No. of posts: 2


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Posted: 19 May 2003

I believe I recently found a smooth snake on the Gower Peninsular. It was lying on the side of the cliff path û not moving (but alive).

Is it unusual to find this sort of snake in this area?

If so is there anyone who should be informed?


David Bird
Forum Specialist
Joined: 17 Feb 2003
No. of posts: 515


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Posted: 19 May 2003
It is very unusual to find the Smooth Snake outside the area of Dorset Hampshire and Surrey where they are rare anyway. One does hear occassionally of specimens turning up elsewhere but none have been subtantiated with specimens or photographs. I have been told of one possibly being seen at a site west of Swansea but without a photograph or detailed description.
I would be grateful if you could let me know if you did photograph it and if it was identical to the smooth snake photographs on the ID pages or different in any way. What was the surrounding habitat like ?
British Herpetological Society Librarian and member of B.H.S Conservation Committee. Self employed Herpetological Consultant and Field Worker.
Tony Phelps
Forum Specialist
Joined: 09 Mar 2003
No. of posts: 575


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Posted: 19 May 2003

Hi,

It is unlikely that your snake is a smooth snake; but who knows could be an escaped captive (I know of several people who have such from continent).

Check the ID pages, and if you still think this was Coronella then can you provide more info - size, scalation, colour/pattern/ eye type, etc. and what sort of habitat.

 

Cheers

Tony Phelps


Tony Phelps
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Joined: 09 Mar 2003
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Posted: 19 May 2003

Just beat me to it Dave, yes a photo would be good.

I heard of a record years ago near Chepstow, forgot about that.

Tony


Caleb
Forum Coordinator
Joined: 17 Feb 2003
No. of posts: 448


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Posted: 20 May 2003

It's far more likely to be a slow worm- I occasionally get people sending me photos of slow worms, asking if they are smooth snakes.

Lying motionless in full view is also a typical slow worm behaviour in my experience!


GemmaJF
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Joined: 25 Jan 2003
No. of posts: 2090


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Posted: 20 May 2003

My thoughts also Caleb,

JP, the relevent ID pages are:

http://www.gjscenics.co.uk/rauk/Smooth%20Snake.htm

http://www.gjscenics.co.uk/rauk/Slow%20worm.htm

I've also heard of juvenille adders being mistaken as Smooth Snakes on occasion.


Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant
David Bird
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Joined: 17 Feb 2003
No. of posts: 515


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Posted: 20 May 2003
The area where I was told a specimen was found is Pembrey. This was by an amateur herpetologist when I was giving a talk on British reptiles & amphibians & their conservation where i showed slides of all the species to the South Wales ASRA group. Would be nice to hear if you have checked the photo ID's and have come to any conclusion. Coming from Dorset I do see all the snake species from peoples gardens some correctly identified others wrongly but one should not really dismiss reports. From my experience I found that most people report all snakes and slow-worms in their gardens as Adders and even continue after they have looked up web pictures but are often incorrect.
British Herpetological Society Librarian and member of B.H.S Conservation Committee. Self employed Herpetological Consultant and Field Worker.
jpwoodward
Member
Joined: 19 May 2003
No. of posts: 2


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Posted: 23 May 2003

Sorry. I didn't get a photo of it.

I didn't resemble a slow worm in any way (markings/shape was all wrong).

The snake was about 35-40cm long with round black eyes, light beige coloured body with brown patterning. There was a marking resembling an M on its head. It didn't have a particularly well defined head. The surface of its body appeared quite smooth (no clearly defined scales). The snake was lying beside a path along a cliff top covered with a lot of small bushes/ferns/small trees.

One of the people who saw the snake did think it might have been a juvenille adder, but wasn't sure.


Tony Phelps
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Joined: 09 Mar 2003
No. of posts: 575


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Posted: 23 May 2003

Adders are potentially mature at the size that you mention. My guess, and that is all it is, that this is an escaped captive, maybe not a smooth snake but could be anything. Or, it is an adder and the person figures that adders are babies at that size. The 'M' marking suggests that.

 

Tony


Martin
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Feb 2003
No. of posts: 87


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Posted: 23 May 2003

I've got 2 young corn snakes here at the minute that were both wild caught in Hampshire this year and ended up being picked up by the RSPCA. I reckon that there's a few foreign species that will cope with our wilds.

Martin.


GemmaJF
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Joined: 25 Jan 2003
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Posted: 23 May 2003

JP the light biege with brown patterning and M shape on head all suggest that it might have been an adder to me, did the pattern resemble the zigzag or indented stripe of the adders on the ID page? I also recall, but I'm afraid I do not have the reference now, that it is or was a common species of the Gower peninsular.

The dark round eye, and smooth scales and indistinct head, suggest otherwise from the general description of the species I've given on this website. However, to see the red iris and vertically slit pupil, distinct head scalation and ridging to the scales takes fairly close examination, some would argue far too close for the casual observer.

The first thing that always strikes me about adders is that they appear quite thickset, where as the other 2 native species are slender.


Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant
j gaughan
Senior Member
Joined: 04 May 2003
No. of posts: 57


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Posted: 27 May 2003
JP's snake does point to VB, but you never know. Of the numerous CA reports that i've received over the years, only a handfull lay within it's known range eg. Hants & the Dorest coast. Intriguing 'heath' reports have come from Berks & Cornwall, but most are probably mis-ID's eg. the one crossing the river at Boxhill & even on the central rough at Ascot Racecourse. When a sea-wall outside Portsmouth can turn up the real thing, we're reminded that all our herps can, on occaision, be found almost anywhere in the UK _like the healthy animal picked up, 30 yrs ago, crossing a road in Essex.
Tony Phelps
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Joined: 09 Mar 2003
No. of posts: 575


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Posted: 11 Jun 2003

Smooth snake behaviour.

One of my males at main study site today.

Under tin post moult this morning.

150m away with nice 'bulge' early afternoon

back under tin this evening 'digesting'.

Always forages in same bit of wet heath first recorded this male in 1978 when 40cm, now 65cm.

 

Tony


David Bird
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Joined: 17 Feb 2003
No. of posts: 515


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Posted: 26 Jun 2003
Had a look under a few tins whilst walking to a part of a site I am surveying yesterday and found a couple of very large female smooth snakes

50cm s-v       10 cm tail        60 cm total length
55 cm s-v      10.2 cm tail     65 cm total length

both very plump and gravid

also found a male and an immature specimen Grass Snakes also around
British Herpetological Society Librarian and member of B.H.S Conservation Committee. Self employed Herpetological Consultant and Field Worker.
Tony Phelps
Forum Specialist
Joined: 09 Mar 2003
No. of posts: 575


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Posted: 26 Jun 2003

I went out early this morning and found one of my adult male smooth snakes lying out soaking wet but very active when picked up. This was 0730 and I suspect that he had been out all night probably just lying there, I have often found them in early morning covered in dew.

This sort of relates to Alan's query about dawn adders; but I have never seen adder or grass snake out really early. After a night of rain is good though because they haul up on bracken thatch or junctus or climb to the top of heather and bask full stretch, had a few this morning just like that, but this was about 0930. Its as well to remember that snakes all over the world probably have a very similar optimum temp. (around 30degC) its the tolerance either end of the scale thats important. Snakes and other reptiles can obviously operate well below their preferred tempereture otherwise they would never leave their dens.

Tony


Alan Hyde
Senior Member
Joined: 17 Apr 2003
No. of posts: 1416


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Posted: 26 Jun 2003

Thanks Tony , very interesting. I must get to see a smooth snake in the wild someday .

Cheers,

Alan


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