What would you do if you encountered one of the UK's snake species?

Posted by AnselaJonla@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 64 comments

There are three native and one invasive species found in the UK at this time. They're the European adder (Vipera berus), the smooth snake (Coronella austriaca), the barred grass snake (Natrix helvetica, formerly N. natrix helvetica), and the invasive Aesculapian snake (Zamenis longissimus). The adder is the only venomous one of the four, but its venom is not generally dangerous to a healthy adult unless they're allergic to it. The other three are non-venomous.

What would you do if you encountered one of these while out and about? Or, in the case of the Aesculapian, in your attic?

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Electronic_Cream_780@reddit

Check where the dogs are, then leave them alone

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LahmiaTheVampire@reddit

Seen two Adders in my life, on separate occasions, both just chilling on a footpath in the sun. Just walked around them and let them be. More recently I encountered a Grass snake in my garden, after my cat was getting very curious over a patch of poppies. It fled under the fence pretty swiftly (and likely ate our resident frog as well).

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Rexel450@reddit

Ssssssssssssssssssssshout, probably.

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SecretSquirrel-88@reddit

I’m 37 and seen my first ever snake just this year while hiking in the lakes, It was an adder.

It was just chilling on a grass footpath, it just moved itself on when I approached.

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Fullmoon-Angua@reddit

Probably take some pics and then leave it be. When I was growing up in the 70s/early 80s grass snakes were pretty common in the local cemetery but I've not seen any more snakes here in the wild since I was a kid.

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Burnicle@reddit

one time our neighbour came running over because she found a snake in her garden and was deathly afraid of snakes. My Dad went over and shooed it into a plastic bag, then took it away, much to her relief. He released it into the woods more than a mile away.

About a week later, my Dad nipped down to the shops to pick something up for lunch. The neighbour saw my dad walking home with the same type of plastic bag and freaked out, total melt down! She thought my Dad had been carrying the snake around for a week in a plastic bag.

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V65Pilot@reddit

They don't have legs, so it's easier to walk them that way.

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yellowsubmarine45@reddit

In the attic? I would be worried about it. It can't live in the attic. I would get some advice from the Internet about its habitat and try to get it in a bag to put it somewhere it can live.

I would also take loads of photos. And get my daughter to come and have a look.

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AnselaJonla@reddit (OP)

Researchers have found that male Aesculapians living in the UK seem to actively prefer human-built structures in which to find shelter. They're good climbers, so they'd find their way into attics fairly easily. And if there's mice up there... well, you no longer have mice up there.

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yellowsubmarine45@reddit

Ok, well if its happy up there! I have two cats. Should I be worried about either the cats or the snake?

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AnselaJonla@reddit (OP)

The snake. Aesculapians are typically 110-160cm in length, and 350-890g in weight, and they feed on rodents up to the size of rats, as well as small birds. An adult cat would not be among its prey.

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yellowsubmarine45@reddit

Good to know!

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Mr_Bumcrest@reddit

Look at it and then leave it alone. What else is there?

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fluffy_samoyed@reddit

To be honest, I'd be elated and probably snap a bunch of pictures. I still talk about the toad I saw one evening... five years ago... because I only ever see pigeons otherwise in my town.

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Forever_a_Kumquat@reddit

I almost stepped on one yesterday in the woods when I was tracking some wild boar.

Only saw it's arse as it moved rather rapidly. Wasn't an adder so must have been a grass snake, but it was huge.

Not seen one before despite spending hours most days in the woods.

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you_aint_seen_me-@reddit

Leave them in peace.

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sockeyejo@reddit

I'm lucky enough to have encountered all 3 species of our snakes and several slow worms (actually lizards) to boot. I did the same as I do with all wild animals - kept my distance and enjoyed the thrill of seeing them in their natural habitat. Except for the slow worm in my sandals which I'd washed and left out on the step to dry. That was removed and carefully placed elsewhere. And then the sandals were rewashed and this time hung up to dry as it had crapped all over them 🙄🤣

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Sustain_the_higher@reddit

Probably pick him up (unless he's an adder), take a few photos, and put him somewhere my cats can't reach

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Normal_Boot_1673@reddit

Take a quick look to admire it and then leave it alone so that we can both get on with our lives. What else is there to be done?

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LevelsBest@reddit

Exactly. Once saw one in a grassy lane when I was walking the dog. Dog didn't even see it. Mr grass snake was just taking in a bit of sun and generally being a cool dude. I was a bit surprised buy just moved on by.

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Exact_Setting9562@reddit

Absolutely freak out and run away. Then Google it.

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Linfords_lunchbox@reddit

Not alot. Maybe go 'ooh look at that'.

I now live somewhere with rattlesnakes - bear thing we've found is letting chickens free range. They spend all day scouring for insects that small lizards and the like which are rattlesnake prey would eat.

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ThePolymath1993@reddit

Leave them alone and they'll leave you alone. Even adders aren't aggressive, normally people who get bit have stepped on them or blundered into them without noticing.

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FudgingEgo@reddit

I’ve seen them many times when fishing, even going across the water or sliding into the way right past me while I’m sat there.

I don’t do anything, they’re not that bothered and just move along.

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DuraframeEyebot@reddit

I'd snap a pic, send it to my friends with the caption "SNEK" and move on with my day.

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SpaTowner@reddit

When I first encountered a nadder, it was crossing the path I was walking on. My partner was walking ahead of me and almost stepped on it because he’d not seen it.

I was so confounded by the situation that I couldn’t shout a coherent warning and just eeped out ‘snk!’

So, yeah, probably that again.

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AnselaJonla@reddit (OP)

At least you managed to warn your partner, because stepping on an adder is probably the best way to guarantee a wet strike. It's a "fuck you, I'm taking you down with me" response to a perceived attack.

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SpaTowner@reddit

Oh, I didn’t manage to warn him at all. He didn’t hear my eep. If he had he’d probably have turned around and stepped on it since it had frozen in place all tensed up. Here he is! (The snake not the partner)

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AnselaJonla@reddit (OP)

Oh, what a gorgeous specimen!

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SomeHSomeE@reddit

Take a blurry photo and send it to my family whatsapp saying 'hey I saw a cool snake today!' and then leave it alone and go on with my day.

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Sir_Greggles@reddit

Probably get a little spooked if I wasn’t expecting it - like if a spider suddenly scurries past me.

Apart from that, I’d probably be like “oh that’s cool…” and get on with me day

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Azuras-Becky@reddit

Leave them be.

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EvilRobotSteve@reddit

Happened to me a couple of times. I live in a very rural area. Even so, such sightings are rare. I saw a grass snake a couple weeks ago walking through the woods. I think it had been lying in the sun and I must've disturbed it as it slithered past me pretty quickly. I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure it was a grass snake because it was really long, and adders are generally shorter. I take that route through the woods often, but I've never seen it again. I always look for it now.

The other time I saw one relatively recently was when I was in the New Forest geocaching and there was a snake (I think this one was an adder) literally a couple of feet away from the cache. I decided that it was bets to just leave the cache and the snake alone.

In most cases when people think they've seen a snake, they've actually seen a slow worm. But I used to go looking for slow worms as a kid so I knew these other ones weren't that.

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Timely_Egg_6827@reddit

Walk on by keeping a safe distance. Wise to be wary of adders as can hurt a dog/child but if you make noise/vibration in long grass, they don't want to be close to you.

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N30NIX@reddit

Throw my poke ball at it and see if can catch it, if not I’ll just wonder where it disappeared to…

we have a sassy hognose living with us, so I don’t mind snakes … they’re friends, not food

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Cloisonetted@reddit

Having come across one a couple of times, either

"Look, a snake!" "Where?" "Which sort is it?" "Oh, it's gone..."

Walk round it because it's sunbathing on the asphalt path

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Urist_Macnme@reddit

Used to encounter adders all the time on Islay.

I’d leave it alone, like any other wild animal.

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No_Shopping_1277@reddit

I would quietly look for my phone, find my phone, fiddle with my phone and eventually take a slightly out of focus photo of some ground where a snake formerly was.

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Eve_LuTse@reddit

Post a photo on Reddit (obs') 🤣

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Leader_Bee@reddit

poke it with a stick.

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bluejackmovedagain@reddit

I saw a snake moving out of the corner of my eye, jumped about a foot and said something like "ah, what the fuck", then my brain re-engaged and I remembered I was walking somewhere that was known to have adders. I watched it for about 5 seconds while it slithered away, it was definitely more scared of me than I was of it.

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Left-Steak2819@reddit

Run, snakes terrify me

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EntryCapital6728@reddit

Never seen one, would love to

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AnselaJonla@reddit (OP)

Same.

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rob-c@reddit

Seen loads of adders and the only thing that’s ever happened is the adder slithers away

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benjymous@reddit

Go into "cliched dad" mode, by which I mean point at it, and say "ssh, stay still - it's probably more scared of us than we are of it", and let it slither away again.

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Bastet_x@reddit

I've seen adders a few times out hiking, usually go 'oooo a snake!', take a photo and carry on with my day 😌

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CaptMelonfish@reddit

i've come across a fair few adders, however this was whilst volunteering on a local SSSI, there's mats out specifically to help catch the sun and warm them and they like to hide underneath things.
lovely creatures, we just back away gently and leave them be.

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BppnfvbanyOnxre@reddit

Be chuffed I'd spotted such a rare creature.

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Polz34@reddit

Either freeze or run. Not a fan, even slow worms scare me! I once almost got run over when I jumped into the road when one of the buggers come out of a hedgerow! 😅

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cyph3x_@reddit

Hahaha as bad as me, except it's spiders and bugs for me!!

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GrumpyOldFart74@reddit

I would go “cool! A snake!” and (without getting too close) post loads of photos on Facebook, Twitter and Reddit!

Either that or say “owww…. Fuuuuuuckkkkkk….” and go straight to hospital

Knowing me, the latter is probably more likely!

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