If you are a dedicated snake spotter, Britain is unlikely to be a top destination for your hobby. It is home to just three (possibly four) snake species, and they all tend to hide away from humans. Now and again, however, one of them is captured in a rare video clip. This Instagram post is an amazing example. It features a common European adder and was taken in Scotland. But what makes this clip even more extraordinary is that the adder is swimming! You can read on to find out more about UK snakes, especially the adder.
Snakes in the UK
The barred grass snake lives in the UK grasslands.
©Stephan Morris/Shutterstock.com
Strictly speaking, only three native snakes live in the UK. The largest of these is the barred grass snake Natrix helvetica. They can generally reach 4.2 feet in length. As their name suggests, they have dark bars on a pale green background and are found in grasslands. They like to be near water and are good swimmers.
The second UK resident snake is the smooth snake (Coronella austriaca). These are extremely rare and are only found in the heathlands of the UK regions of Dorset, Surrey, and Hampshire. They are about 2.5 feet long and have polished unkeeled scales.
Aesculapian snakes (Zamenis longissimus) are not a native UK species, but there are established populations of them living in some parts of Wales. Also, bizarrely, a small, possibly declining, population lives in the Regent’s Park area of London! They are a native European species and can grow to around 5 feet in length.
Venomous Adders in Water
Finally, we come to the snake featured in this clip. It is a common European adder (Vipera berus), and it has the honor of being the only venomous snake in the country. You will most likely find them in heathlands, commons, and woodland, but this one is taking a dip!
What a lot of people do not realize about adders is that they are adept swimmers. They cross rivers and streams regularly when they are searching for food. Adders have even been spotted swimming across lochs (lakes), demonstrating that they can cross significant bodies of water. Therefore, the stream in this clip posed no problem for the adder.
