Smooth Snake
Identification: A moderately small, cylindrical snake. Total length 50-80 cm. Head small with a poorly defined neck, small eyes with a round pupil. Back scales smooth, which gives the snake a shiny appearance. Colour and pattern variable. Back and flanks grey to brown, sometimes yellowish or reddish, with a pattern of paired dark spots. These spots are often merged into transverse bars, sometimes into two lines. On the posterior of the head there is a dark brown to black spot, a kind of crown. A brownish black stripe on each side of the head runs from the neck through the eye to the nostril. The colour of the belly varies from reddish brown to grey or black, generally with fine dark spotting. Females bigger than males. Newborn young are 12-20 cm long. They are darker than adult animals and usually have a brick-red belly.
Range: Occurs over most of continental Europe, but with a very restricted distribution in southern England. Now thought to be confined to small areas in the south-east of Dorset, south-west Hampshire and a small area of east Hampshire and west Surrey. In other places, it is now extinct.
Habitat: This species is found on dry, sandy heath slopes with mature heather and Dwarf Gorse, usually south facing, but some locations near Poole are north slopes, with damp heath at the bottom of the slope. In the south of Europe, it is found mainly in the mountains up to altitudes of 2000 metres.
Habits: Active from the end of March until October, depending on weather conditions. But most animals don't emerge from hibernation before May. Between mid-April and the end of May, they migrate from their winter quarters to their summer habitat. This is a diurnal snake, but it avoids extreme heat and is mostly active in the cooler parts of the day, or in warm cloudy conditions or even at night during warm weather. Mating takes place in April, but also in autumn. Sometimes several gravid females are found together on good basking spots, especially in July and August, to stimulate the development of the eggs. They are ovoviviparous. In August and September, many males are seen. Most young are born between mid-August and mid-September. This varies, depending on the average summer temperatures. In England, the females breed only every two years. The home range in England may be around 0.5-3 hectares. For orientation and hunting, scent is more important than sight. They feed on small vertebrates, mainly lizards. The rest of the diet consists of small mammals, small snakes and nestling birds. Young snakes may eat insects as well. Moves rather slowly. They bite readily, but are non-venomous and totally harmless. They hibernate in holes under ground, from October until April, depending on weather conditions.
How to find: These animals can be found from April until October. They can be seen most easily in spring or after the hot summer months. They avoid heat, and are active on cooler days or with misty rain. On hot days, they retreat underground.