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RAUK - Archived Forum - Smooth snake sightings 2003

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Smooth snake sightings 2003:

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


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Posted: 28 Mar 2003

 

10/03  -  Imm Male Studland NNR (recapture)

18/03  - Adult Male Furzebrook Nr Wareham (recapture)

27/03  - Imm male Matchams Nr Bournemouth

28/03  - Imm Male Hartland Moor NNR

All basking half concealed in heather


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


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Posted: 05 Apr 2003

Dead adult female(flattened) on Slepe Road Hartland (52cm)

Retained for DNA sample

Adult Male (62cm) Purbeck Nr Wareham 9th year of recapture, interestingly recently fed. Uunder tin).

Immature male (25cm) Wareham Forest - basking in open.

Adult male (55cm) Wareham Forest - baskong in open 3rd year of recapture.


Tony Phelps
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Joined: 09 Mar 2003
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Posted: 06 Apr 2003

Hartland around mid day cloudy strong breeze.

Adult male U/tin

Adult female concealed basking

(Photo ID's for you Dave - on you patch).


Tony Phelps
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Joined: 09 Mar 2003
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Posted: 10 Apr 2003

Have been working in Surrey/Hants for the last few days.

Left for Dorset this morning, in a blizzard at Guildford! On the way home decided to check on some old sites of mine near Frensham. At one site, there was still a dusting of snow on the heather, found two male smooth snakes.

Both photo ID'd   Both were basking - air temp was just 8deg but where the sun had warmed the ground - <16deg.

1st male - 55cm TL - wt 38g  2nd male 62cm  TL wt 54g

also male sand lizard (this is not a reintro site). 

No other species sighted.

Records passed on to HCT Mike P.

 

Tony


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


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Posted: 15 Jul 2003
female 62cm/gravid 18yr old lying out 0630 on railway sleeper. Purbeck area.

Tony
GemmaJF
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Joined: 25 Jan 2003
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Posted: 01 Aug 2003

Kounyara, your post was moved to a separate thread "Smooth snakes in East Sussex"

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Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant
Tony Phelps
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Joined: 09 Mar 2003
No. of posts: 575


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Posted: 13 Sep 2003
Good day today Sat 13/09/03 Study sites Wareham Area

Site 1.
ad male TL 565 wt 62.6g mosaic basking recapt
ad male TL 490 wt 38g UT recapt
ad male TL 580 wt 65g Basking recapt
ad male TL 620 wt 72g UT recapt
ad fem TL 520 wt 36.9g post-part. UT recapt
ad fem TL 550 wt 39g post-part basking recapt
neonate male TL 165 wt 2.1g basking
imm male TL 305 wt 9.2g UT recapt
Other:
V.berus male recent feed
L.agilis 18 littlies 03

Site 2.
ad male TL 490 wt 29g basking recapt
ad male TL 500 wt 55g recent feed UT recapt
imm fem. TL 280 wt 8g new record UT
Other
L.agilis 9 littlies 03

Site 3

Ad male TL 650 wt 78g basking recapt
ad male TL 560 wt 54g basking recapt
ad female TL 570 wt 42g post part. UT recapt
Other
V.berus fem TL 670 wt 67g post part. basking recapt
L.agilis 11 littlies 03

Saw only one Z.viv all day and one fem Natrix moving like the clappers so did not record, but very good size.

Tony
calumma
Senior Member
Joined: 27 Jun 2003
No. of posts: 351


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Posted: 14 Sep 2003
Tony: interesting to see you using the Z.viv nomenclature. I was debating this recently with Richard Griffiths and Leigh Gillett. The former prefers L.viv while the latter Z.viv. For my own observations I have decided to side with Richard and go with L.viv since it is what is used in the latest Collins NN. Thoughts?

Lee
Lee Brady
Kent Herpetofauna Recorder | Independent Ecological Consultant

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


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Posted: 14 Sep 2003
Hi Lee,
Yeah, L.viv is also used in the Collins Fieldguide. Tis lumping and splitting again isnt it, a national sport in the world of systematics (sorry Wolfgang). As an ecologist I am going with the flow, and most, if not all my colleagues in Europe go with Z.viv. Do you recall the moans about Podarcis? when that was fully recognised. It does mean however that the lacertids are nicely grouped in a way. The so called 'green lizards', agilis, viridis, bilineata, etc; and the now monotypic eyed lizard, b.....r can't remember the name, oh! and is there not a N.African one as well, so it may not be monotypic. If you think this is problematic you can imagine the task I have with the viper book, (just ask Wolfgang about Bothrops, oh yes and, Gloydius, Atheris, Bitis, Trimeresurus). We'll talk about Vipera when you have a few days to spare.

Cheers

Tony (just remebered I did post soemthing on the validity of Zootoca a while ago, I'll have a look).
Tony Phelps
Forum Specialist
Joined: 09 Mar 2003
No. of posts: 575


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Posted: 14 Sep 2003
Found it - the ref is on the forum April 14

Tony

- Smooth snake sightings 2003

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