Adders are Out

The beginning of this week, and the warm sunshine, saw the emergence of our adders for the first time this year.

We currently have five adders... 3 males and 2 females. As with every year, the males emerge first with the females first being seen a couple of weeks later. After they have shed their skins they will be ready for mating, and then we can offer them their first meal of the year.

The last three years have seen our adders perform the "Dance of the Adders" and we hope that this year will be no exception. Who knows, with our now mature females we may well even see young adder neonates later this Summer! Yes, I know it is a snake, but you wait to see them... baby adders are very cute.

Adders are our only venomous reptile in Great Britain. They have a miss-understood reputation, and are actually a very shy timid creature which shy away from confrontation. They will only bite as a last means of defense, and their venom is said to be only comparable to two bee stings. Of course, if you do get bitten by an adder you should still seek immediate medical attention.

The females grow to be larger than the males, but still only about 2 feet in length on average, making them one of our smallest snakes. The females tend to be a copper/brown colour with a dull "zig-zag" marking down their back, where as the males are much more of a contrast. They tend to be a silver grey colour with vivid black markings.

Either way, to me they are a sensational snake, a remarkable reptile and just simply an amazing animal!

One of my favourites to photograph to so watch out for many adder pics over the end of Spring, early Summer.