The adder is the only venomous snake in the UK, but the chances of being bitten by one is slim as they are very shy!
Apart from its colour, adders can easily be distinguished from grass snakes by the diamond zig zag pattern along their backs. Adders are also much stockier.
Length 60 - 80 cm
Weight 50 - 100g
Average life span 5 - 10 years
The preferred adder habitat is woodland, heathland and moorland. As they rely on the sun to warm them up, the best time to see them is early morning in the spring and summer, either basking on a log or at the edge of woodland in a clear area.
They are a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside act 1981 and a priority species under the 2010 Biodiversity Framework .
You might also spot an adder hunting - its typical prey are small mammals, lizards and ground nesting birds such as skylarks and meadow pipit.
In early spring the males gather where there is a female and start to "dance", in order to ward off other males and to attract the female.
Females incubate their eggs internally and give birth to 3 - 20 young .
In typical reptile fashion, adders tuck themselves away under an old log pile or a heap of leaves when the cooler months come; only emerging from hibernation when temperatures rise again.
