What snake is this????

china

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This has been with us for a couple of days, despite the dogs disturbing it. It does not have the green collar of a grass snake, or the patterns of an adder. It is brown and black scales. Has a good old hiss on it!! Ideas? Or someone know of an expert that I can email the picture to and identify?

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saalsk

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Smooth snake ? I am not sure about their habitat, as I have never seen one bar in captivity, but an uncle said he found lots in his garden each summer ( Dorset )
 

china

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Most websites have said that grass snakes have a green collar which is how they are identified. This is just brown and black. Its in n Somerset. Fields, big ditches and hedging. It seems to be staying over by the hedge and ditch where the water tap is. Is goes into the hedge when it hears someone waking near by then comes back out again!! Don't want the dogs or cats to get bitten. its tail is very stumpy looking, like its dropped it at some point. I thought smooth worm but they are found further south in different habitat. Sandy I believe.
 

cremedemonthe

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This is me holding a grass snake a few years ago, I'd found it in the muck heap, it sailed over my boots!
Does yours resemble this?
You can't see the head properly on your photo making it harder to identify but my first thoughts on yours were a smooth snake but could be wrong, Oz

 

Dobiegirl

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I would say most definately a Grass Snake, we get a lot of them here and they do vary tremendously in colour. Ive seen them nearly black and they tend to live by the lake, others have been browny and the typical olive green.
 

china

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I'm going to take the good camera down later and if its out see if I can't get a good shot of it where I don't have to get to close :)
 

Rhodders

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That's definitely not a slow worm, I used to love them when I was a kid, although they are much rarer these days.
It's not an adder (have had a couple of close encounters with them :eek: out walking with my dogs.
I've never seen a grass snake but did think they were green?
I was never afraid of snakes until I almost stepped on a hissing adder, that was it for me, blood runs cold fear established :eek:
 

navaho

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i know it sounds like the impossible but be careful as it might be an escaped pet!

If its an escaped pet, then it should be used to being handled & very unlikely to be venomous as captive snakes are generally constrictors. Have to admit my first thoughts were it was someones escaped pet. However having Googled images of the smooth snake im going to go along with that :)
 

PeeGee

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It looks like a slow worm to me. We had loads in our garden compost heap when we lived down south, I was terrified at first as being a townie northerner I had never seen one before and thought we had adders nesting in the garden.
I think they are a protected species, they won't harm you they are lizards without legs.
 

china

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It wasn't there this evening, either that or it was hiding somewhere. Looking at the photos I'm think smooth snake, very unusual indeed! When the Somerset wildlife opens again on Monday I'm going to ring them and ask If I can email them the photo.
 

littlemare_

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Not a slow worm.. Usually finer than that and have almost a metallic type colouring from what I've seen. Don't think they hiss either.. I live in the countryside and we've had them come into our house when the back doors open.. Friend had one as a pet!:D

My guess is grass or smooth, give a wildlife trust a call and ask them :)
 

pardalis

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Definitely not a slow worm. They are lizards and not snakes. And much smaller. Not an adder or a grass. I would vote smooth or an escaped pet!
 
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