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There are three native species of snake in the UK and one leg-less lizard
which looks like a snake (the slow-worm). Our native snakes, and
slow-worm, all have one or more distinguishing features that can
help you identify them and they all tend to prefer slightly
different habtiats.
Adders have a vertical pupil, red eyes (usually) and a blunt nose.
Grass snakes have a yellow and
black collar behind the head; they have a circular pupil and a
rounded nose.
Slow-worms have a bullet-shaped
head (lack a distinct neck) and are able to blink.
Smooth snakes have a butterfly-
or heart-shaped crown and a dark stripe along the side of the
head.
Adders are brown or grey with a
distinctive dark zigzag down the centre of the back; they are
'stocky' in appearance and rarely reach more than 60-80cm.
Grass snakes are usually
olive-green, grey or brown with dark bars or spots long the
sides and back; they can grow to well over a metre in length.
Slow-worms have quite a
cylindrical body shape and can drop their tails if attacked;
males are brown or coppery in colour and females are more golden
with dark flanks and a thin dark line down the back, both look
smooth and shiny.
Smooth snakes are grey-brown with
one or two rows of spots; they're a small and slender snake with
smooth, flat scales.
Adders are rarely seen in gardens as they prefer undisturbed
habitat; they bask in clearings or on south-facing banks close
to scrubby vegetation like bracken.
Grass snakes are often found in
or near freshwater, e.g. ponds, lakes, reservoirs, canals.
They're quite common in gardens and allotments (depending on
surrounding habitats), especially
those with ponds for hunting in.
Slow-worms are also common in
gardens and allotments; they prefer to warm themselves
under objects (in compost heaps or under stones / garden debris)
and are rarely seen basking out in the open (as snakes will
do).
Smooth snakes are extremely rare and are only found on the
heathlands of Dorset, Hampshire, Surrey, West Sussex and, after
recent reintroductions, Devon.
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