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Less Grass Snakes? (1 Viewer)

RockyRacoon

Well-known member
Are there less Grass snakes than there used to be? My parents were telling me about the Grass Snakes they saw when they were younger, they seemed to be fairly easy to see by most pind edges! I still (at 12 nearly 13) have not seen a Grass Snake! Where have they all gone? I have seen one female Adder she was on a grassy bank, in January! (very early)
 
Grass Snake's.

Jake Apps said:
Are there less Grass snakes than there used to be? My parents were telling me about the Grass Snakes they saw when they were younger, they seemed to be fairly easy to see by most pind edges! I still (at 12 nearly 13) have not seen a Grass Snake! Where have they all gone? I have seen one female Adder she was on a grassy bank, in January! (very early)
Hi Jake, as with most of our wild life it is getting harder & harder to find, and yes there has been a big loss of our native snake's ie. ADDER-our only venomous snake. & the GRASSSNAKE, non-venomous. you were very lucky to have seen an Adder that early, as they hibernate from October to March.

There is also the smooth snake, a very rare and even more endangered than the other 2. they are confined to dry, sandy heath's in Dorset. & Hampshire-Surrey border. Feeds on slow worms-insects-nestlings- killing prey by coil constriction. colour of body grey-brown. Hibernates from October to April.

bert.
 
Nice one Jake! Lovely beasts.

Don't handle it. For 2 reasons:

1) No reason to.

2) When handled they give off an odour not unlike garlic. A defence mechanism apparently.

So, if you have to handle a grass snake, make sure you have a lemon in your pocket.

Regards,
 
Jake, I have spent a lifetime looking - if not too seriously - and have only ever seen one; and am yet to see an adder.

I doubt if we know that their numbers are down that much - or at least, I should think it is very difficult to carry out an accurate census as they are so very difficult to find.
 
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