blackrose Posted May 25, 2019 Report Share Posted May 25, 2019 I saw a snake swimming across the river yesterday at my mooring, and then again about half an hour later sunning itself on a log. I wouldn't have thought much of it but it was over a metre long. Do grass snakes or adders grow that big? It was green and brown with diamond patterning. I don't think it was an escaped pet because when it saw me and another moorer looking at it from about 10 yards away it slipped off. So it seems like it's wild rather than used to humans and domesticated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rasputin Posted May 25, 2019 Report Share Posted May 25, 2019 adder with the diamonds, they do get that long and they do swim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canalboat Posted May 25, 2019 Report Share Posted May 25, 2019 Adder and Grass snakes swim and can be that long. The diamond pattern suggests an Adder. Its amazing how fast they can travel. Both will move away if approached but best not to surprise or corner an Adder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac of Cygnet Posted May 25, 2019 Report Share Posted May 25, 2019 See my recent topic for a pic of an adder. The diamond pattern is the identifier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tumshie Posted May 25, 2019 Report Share Posted May 25, 2019 (edited) An Adder and a Grass Snake can look very similar, but a GS has its darker markings on the side and an Adder has its darker markings on the top. The head of a GS is more rounded, smoother. The GS can grow much longer, though I think English Adders grow longer than Scottish one. Adders are more grey/brown GS more green/brown. GS prefer more watery areas so I would hazard a guess that what you saw was a GS, Adders prefer Moors and Heaths. An Adder will prefer to avoid you but if disturbed it will bite, though it's not always fatal it absolutely can be; it can however kill your dog or a child. https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/species/adder/ Edited May 25, 2019 by Tumshie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichLech Posted May 25, 2019 Report Share Posted May 25, 2019 I have often seen grass snakes swimming -they have a bright yellow marking on the back of their head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerra Posted May 25, 2019 Report Share Posted May 25, 2019 There are about 100 reported Adder bites per year mainly between June and August. Deaths are very rare with 14 reported since the late 1800s and the last about 40 or so years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackrose Posted May 25, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2019 Looking at those pictures I think it must have been a grass snake as it was darker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tumshie Posted May 25, 2019 Report Share Posted May 25, 2019 8 minutes ago, Jerra said: Deaths are very rare with 14 reported since the late 1800s and the last about 40 or so years ago. Deaths are very rare but that does not mean living should be taken for granted, especially if you're in a very rural area when bitten. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerra Posted May 25, 2019 Report Share Posted May 25, 2019 1 minute ago, Tumshie said: Deaths are very rare but that does not mean living should be taken for granted, especially if you're in a very rural area when bitten. Having a couple of friends who have been bitten and not realised it for a couple of hours or so and then only had mild symptoms, I suspect you would need an underlying condition such as a bad heart. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tumshie Posted May 25, 2019 Report Share Posted May 25, 2019 (edited) 12 minutes ago, Jerra said: Having a couple of friends who have been bitten and not realised it for a couple of hours or so and then only had mild symptoms, I suspect you would need an underlying condition such as a bad heart. Not necessarily, snakes don't alway inject venom when they bite, which might be why your friends only had mild symptoms, if they do you really know about it and very quickly, it can be a very unpleasant experience. A grown man is very unlikely to die from a snake bite unless like you say they have a health issue of some sort but people have had allergic reactions where they can go into anaphylactic shock, similar to nut allergy or bee sting allergy. If you live in a more populated area then the likely hood of you getting medical attention quickly is good but up here we might be a bit more paranoid than down south. ? Edited May 25, 2019 by Tumshie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerra Posted May 25, 2019 Report Share Posted May 25, 2019 34 minutes ago, Tumshie said: If you live in a more populated area then the likely hood of you getting medical attention quickly is good but up here we might be a bit more paranoid than down south. ? Can't exactly call Cumbria populated with the only permanently manned hospitals being Carlisle,Whitehaven 40 miles away(on the coast) and Kendal 45 from Carlisle with the mountains in the middle. Not perhaps the greatest of distances but by the time you are off the fell down the little country roads and then the major roads to the hospital quite some time can have elapsed. Mountain rescues often take hours just to get the casualty off the fell. Not that I have ever heard of a snake bite needing the rescue teams. I am well aware of dry bites, my daughter keeps snakes. The fact remains that with 14 fatalities over about 100 years and an average of 100 bites a year that works out at 1:714 risk approx. Not high, I suspect crossing some roads in some cities gives a greater risk. The risk is probably nearer 1:1500 (or less) as only half the snake bites reported for the UK are from the Adder (Vipera berus) and only half of those required anti venom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tumshie Posted May 25, 2019 Report Share Posted May 25, 2019 11 minutes ago, Jerra said: Can't exactly call Cumbria populated with the only permanently manned hospitals being Carlisle,Whitehaven 40 miles away(on the coast) and Kendal 45 from Carlisle with the mountains in the middle. Not perhaps the greatest of distances but by the time you are off the fell down the little country roads and then the major roads to the hospital quite some time can have elapsed. Mountain rescues often take hours just to get the casualty off the fell. Not that I have ever heard of a snake bite needing the rescue teams. I am well aware of dry bites, my daughter keeps snakes. The fact remains that with 14 fatalities over about 100 years and an average of 100 bites a year that works out at 1:714 risk approx. Not high, I suspect crossing some roads in some cities gives a greater risk. The risk is probably nearer 1:1500 (or less) as only half the snake bites reported for the UK are from the Adder (Vipera berus) and only half of those required anti venom. Yes you win - it all a competition and you win 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BWM Posted May 27, 2019 Report Share Posted May 27, 2019 On 25/05/2019 at 17:13, blackrose said: Looking at those pictures I think it must have been a grass snake as it was darker. Very likely to be a grass snake, as even though an adder can swim it is an incredibly rare event, as is a specimen of a metre in length. Grass snakes of over four feet are relatively common, and they love water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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