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| Fact File |
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- Adults are usually 60-70cm long.
- Smooth snakes tend to be grey or
brown with a paler belly.
- There are usually two rows of
dark spots down the back and a heart-shaped crown on
the head. There is a dark line that runs along the
side of the head, through the eye. Smooth snakes
have circular pupils.
- Smooth snakes are the UK's rarest
reptile.
- These snakes have
full legal
protection under UK law making it an offence to
kill, injure, capture, disturb or sell them or to
damage or destroy their habitats..
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Photos by Matt Wilson (bottom left and right); Sam
Taylor/Froglife (top left and middle) |
The smooth snake is the UK’s rarest reptile and is only found on
the heathlands of Dorset, Hampshire, Surrey and West Sussex.
Their name comes from the fact the scales are smooth and flat,
unlike the grass snake’s and adder’s scales which have a ridge
down the middle. They are a shy, secretive snake.
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Adults emerge during March/April, when males will start
competing for a female. Mating takes place in April/May. |
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Female smooth snakes incubate their eggs internally and
‘give birth’ to 4-15 live young around September.
Juvenile smooth snakes look like miniature versions of
the adults. |
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The rest of the year is spent hunting for lizards,
rodents and sometimes invertebrates; prey is subdued by
constriction. Smooth snakes tend to bask entwined in
heather, where they are well camouflaged, or under other
objects (as slow-worms do); they are quite slow moving
and will freeze if disturbed.
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Smooth snakes hibernate communally between November and
March.
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Loss and degradation of heathland habitats.
Frequently asked questions about
snakes.
Check out our
smooth snake gallery on Facebook.
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