Adder - Vipera berus

[dave750gixer]

A few years ago I bought a house in rural Fife. It had a large overgrown garden (well small wooded hill really). I started to clear it up including the piles of flood deposited branches in the lee of the tree trunks. Both my dogs were then bitten (i presume by an adder), one envenomated, one not. The envenomated bite was very swollen and painfull but healed ok, no long term effects as far as I could tell.

At that point I stopped clearing up that area. If the snake wanted to be left alone that was fine by me. Never did manage to spot it. Always thought that a sign warning potential burglars "no tresspassing-beware of the venemous snakes" would be cool

 

[Arvensis]

I believe most bites happen by them being picked up! or as others have mentioned, being trampled on. They are so fascinating to watch in the wild here's a pic of one from a local site:

Mark

 

[dave750gixer]

I believe most bites happen by them being picked up! or as others have mentioned, being trampled on.

Mark

Forgot to say earlier that both dogs were bitten on the inside "thigh" of rear leg. I presumed they had been running around as usual and trampled over the poor snake.

 

[snock]

We have a golf course not 100yds away from us, and Adders are numerous on there.
I found one which had been sliced and diced by some of the greenkeepers mowing plant.
My wife saw 5 in one go when she was out walking the dog. They hissed and made her and the dog jump!

 

[hilltop]

seen 2, one at devizes trapped under a kevlar helmet by a couple of lads from 4 para , other one was sunning its self on a big bit of granite near foxhouse peak district,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,gave them a wide birth inboth cases, lol,

 

[Nyanja]

lilelihood on being bitten is extremely slim, Adders will tend to disappear pretty quickly. Mountain biked passed one on Saturday in Northumberland - sunbathing on a forest track - it just sloped off as I watched it, first one I've seen this year!

Nyanja