New grass snake discovered in the UK.

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Chippy_Tea

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I live in the lakes and have seen a couple adders but neither type of grass snake.





A new type of snake has been discovered in the UK, bringing the total number of species to four.

Scientists say the barred grass snake, Natrix helvetica, is actually a different species to the common or eastern grass snake, Natrix natrix.

_97239500_hi040974202.jpg


Before, it was thought the grass snake was one species with several subspecies that looked slightly different.

The others native to the UK are the smooth snake and the adder, which is venomous.

Grass snakes are a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act so it is a criminal offence to injure or kill them.

Both types of grass snake are normally found in lowland regions in the south of England. The snakes can be more than a metre (3ft) long, are found near water and eat mainly amphibians like frogs and newts.

The newly distinguished barred grass snake is grey, not olive green like the N. natrix and does not have the same bright yellow collar.

The snake is also found in Switzerland, Italy and France and also has been seen in western Germany.

_97239505_hi040974198.jpg




Along its entire length the N. helvetica has black stripes, which on the common grass snake are barely noticeable.

The Senckenberg Research Institute in Germany led the study into the genetics of more than 1,600 grass snakes.

Professor Uwe Fritz said: "We discovered that the barred grass snake, previously considered a subspecies, is in fact a distinct species.

"We now have to pay close attention to which species of grass snake is involved in each case, in order to be able to assess whether one of them may be more threatened than previously thought."

BBC.
 
I saw my first wild, adult, and still alive, grass snake a few days ago (RSPB's Ynys Hir reserve). If I came across one of those "Helvetica" ones I'd probably think I've seen an adder (which I miss in Wales, They were pretty common about England and Scotland).
 
I remember going to Saturday morning pictures with a mate who had his pet grass snake in his pocket (about two feet long), it wasn't there when we came out. I still wonder if the cleaner found it:nono:
 
I saw my first wild, adult, and still alive, grass snake a few days ago (RSPB's Ynys Hir reserve). If I came across one of those "Helvetica" ones I'd probably think I've seen an adder (which I miss in Wales, They were pretty common about England and Scotland).

That's not far from me.
 
I now know why i haven't seen them. :doh:
I wouldn't read too much into that distribution quote - that would make my sighting at Ynys Hir, Ceredigion (mid-Wales) a rarity, and I believe it is quite usual to catch a sighting of one there.

And Ynys Mon is supposedly crawling with adders, but I've not seen one there.
 
An alien species, ie imported as pets and dumped as has a lot of the non native species of various animals !possibly i guess.I see they are native in Europe .
Never seen one of those ,seen plenty of grass snakes,mostly swimming along in lakes and rivers whilst i have been fishing.
 
That's not far from me.
I like Ynys Hir. And not just because it was on telly (Spring Watch). But getting there is a bit tricky since the authorities deprived me of my driving license (NOT alcohol related - okay, so I surrendered it, but they are not about to give it me back soon).

But the authorities did give me a bus pass. The T3 goes past my house, and then I could get the T2 to Ynys Hir? About 2 hours on a bus. Hum. There was a grass snake dead on the road outside my house a while back. I think I should look a bit more closely in the garden.
 
Only time I ever saw a wild snake in England was at a friends farm right by Gatwick and it was being chewed by his dog.
 
If you ever find a snake and you want a photograph, it helps if it nicely curled up rather than heading for the hills!

The first thing to do is to whip off your hat and drop it over the snake. Very few snakes will force its way under the rim of a hat to escape whist you set up your camera.

When you are ready, lift the hat up and the snake will almost immediately rear up a little to try and see its surroundings. It is the perfect time for a photograph as the position of the snake gives a great perspective from an angle of about 45 degrees; and it will almost certainly be looking at you!

Somewhere in my archives (I expect my inheritors to find it!) I have a great photograph of a Black Adder that I disturbed on Mount Keen in Scotland.

Enjoy! :thumb:

BTW I would have walked right past the snake if Jake (an English Springer Spaniel) hadn't jumped about a metre into the air and backwards at the same time when he came across it alongside the footpath! :lol:
 
I'd be interested to know what led them to declare it a separate species. I first came across "the species problem" at Uni, and it's a fascinating little debate (to me, at least; some people think it's boring).

I've only ever seen one adder, in a little wooded area when on a Scout camp. I was about 12, on my own, and utterly lost. I took one look at the diamonds and legged it.
 

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