What is the rarest snake in the UK?

the smooth snake
It’s World Snake Day and the smooth snake, the UK’s rarest reptile, has been awarded a National Lottery lifeline. The smooth snake is having a rough time. Its habitats are under threat and its secretive behaviour means not enough is known to help the species survive.

How many smooth snakes are there in the UK?

three
Hundreds of volunteers will be trained to help save the UK’s rarest reptile – the smooth snake. The secretive creatures, which live in Dorset, Hampshire and Surrey, are one of only three native snake species and no records exist of their numbers.

Do smooth snakes live in the UK?

The rare smooth snake can only be found at a few heathland sites in the UK. It looks a bit like an adder, but lacks the distinctive zig-zag pattern along its back.

Where are smooth snakes found in the UK?

Smooth Snake (Coronella austriaca) 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.

Where are smooth snakes found?

The smooth snake (Coronella austriaca) is a species of non-venomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is found in northern and central Europe, but also as far east as northern Iran.

Are smooth snakes rare?

How rare are smooth snake? Smooth snakes are the UK’s rarest terrestrial reptile species with populations being restricted to sandy heaths in Dorset, Hampshire and Surrey, although the snakes are widely distributed in Europe.

Is smooth snake poisonous?

Smooth snakes usually emerge from hibernation in April-early May. They are non-venomous and feed mainly on common lizards, slow-worms and small mammals (especially shrews and nestling rodents), which are captured and constricted in the coils of its body.

Are smooth snakes endangered?

Not extinct
Smooth snake/Extinction status

Are smooth snakes protected?

Protection. Due to its rarity, the smooth snake is strictly protected by British and European law which makes it an offence to kill, injure, capture or disturb them; damage or destroy their habitat; or to possess or trade in them. A licence is required for some activities involving this species.

What snakes are in UK?

In Britain there are three native species of snake: the adder, the grass snake and the smooth snake. Another animal that may be seen is the slow worm, which is actually a legless lizard – not a snake.

Whats the rarest reptile in the UK?

The Smooth Snake
The Smooth Snake is Britain’s rarest reptile. It lives on sandy heathland – another rarity – and is only found in Dorset and Hampshire, with a handful of sites in Surrey and a single, precious location in West Sussex. This extra-special resident still takes some finding, even when you’re in the right place.

Where do smooth snakes live?

Does the smooth snake (Coronella austriaca) have cytochrome b?

The present study considers the genetic structure and phylogeography of the smooth snake ( Coronella austriaca) in Central Europe, as analyzed on the basis of 14 microsatellite markers and a 284-bp fragment of cytochrome b.

Is Coronella austriaca a lizard-eating specialist?

Coronella austriaca in the Iberian Peninsula is documented as a lizard-eating specialist (82.1\% frequency; Galán, 1988 ), and such dietary specialization has been identified as a factor increasing vulnerability to extinction in snakes ( Dodd, 1993 ).

Are smooth snakes native to the UK?

The rarest of the three snakes native to Britain, the Smooth Snake is now seldom seen in UK. Smooth Snakes are grey or brown with two rows of darkish spots on their backs, and they have flat scales (Grass Snakes and Adders have keel-like ridges down the centre of each scale) – hence the common name.

What is a smooth snake?

The smooth snake, Coronella austriaca Laurenti, 1768, is a small nonvenomous colubrid occurring in most of the European continent and part of Asia ( Arnold & Ovenden, 2002 ).