can anyone identify this snake?

[Lou]

Thanks Jonathan - what an amazing, amazing photo and a glorious snake. I had no idea these reptiles were in this region though we come across snakes quite often, I have never really had a chance to look at one so closely before or touch it, as most have scarpered before I can ID them. I made sure that the girls did not touch its head, not knowing how poisonous it was. They loved touching its skin though, it was warm from the sun and not what I had expected a snake to feel like at all. I usually take a stick out with me when I walk, just to do a little bit of beating through the brush, but I will def. make sure I have it with me from now on.....
btw is it possible to preserve a dead snake in something or other? Not that I can do it with this one as we threw it in the river, but just wondering for future finds.

 

[JonathanD]

You are lucky enough to have a few of the best and most exciting European snakes within your region:

Grass Snake
Viperine Snake
Smooth Snake
Southern Smooth Snake
Asp Viper (venomous)
Montpellier Snake (venomous)
Western Whip Snake
Aesculapian Snake
Ladder Snake

The Asp really poses no threat and will only strike when threatened. Same with the Montpellier. The Asp is well into the top seven of my snakes faves, along with two other Vipera species, our own Adder and the Nose-Horned viper of slightly more South-Western climes. I spent many many months observing them around the hills just outside St Tropez, and still do when we go on our hols. Much to the disapproval of Emma, who would rather lie on a beach slowly burning.

Snakes are really dry and silky. The best way of preserving dead specimens is in ethyl alcohol.

p.s. They aren't poisonous. You can eat them

 

[Lou]

Great list, I will have to look these snakes up on google. I will now be much more aware of snakes around here - I thought there were only grass snakes and adders in these parts, but I guess I was wrong, shows how much I know about it. I guess it is a question of them surviving the snow in winter isn't it?

St. Tropez watching snakes eh? sounds like great fun.

 

[JonathanD]

I guess it is a question of them surviving the snow in winter isn't it?

No one really knows why Adders are absent in Southern France. All the other Brit species are there and the Adder occurs further South towards Greece and Albania. Snow certainly isn't a problem for them, as they can be found North of the Arctic Circle at the top of Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia. I can only imagine that the Asp is a stronger competitor for food and territory as they have very little overlap.

 

[JonathanD]

Here's a particularly beautiful melanistic Vipera aspis for you, this is a very old one with very dark eyes. They are usually red or bronze in colour and darken with age....

 

[Mesquite]

Here's a particularly beautiful melanistic Vipera aspis for you, this is a very old one with very dark eyes. They are usually red or bronze in colour and darken with age....

That is a beautiful snake for sure

 

[Lou]

gorgeous snake.

Jonathan - I suddenly thought that when I said The French Alps, I did not mean anything in Southern France, we are in the Northern Alps, next valley on from Mont Blanc on apex of France, Switzerland and Italy. Our climate is very different from anything you find in the South, we do not have long hot summers, only short hot summers, and snow on the ground for 5 months of the year......reptiles do not start to emerge until April and will start their hibernation by beginning of November I think, does that change the list of snakes found here somewhat?

 

[JonathanD]

It doesn't really affect the snake list that much. The Adder is still not present and the Ladder Snake doesn't quite make it that far North in the Alps. Everything else is the same.

 

[Lou]

that's still cool with me

 

[santaman2000]

Jonathan you said the only continent without vipers is Australia. Does that mean they are they found in Antarctica then? I don't ask jokingly; sometimes things are lost in language differences so I don't know if you omitted Antarctica as an obvious exception or if there really are snakes there (other than sea snakes)

That leads to another question. What sea snakes are common (if any) in the UK/ In Europe?

 

[JonathanD]

I omitted Antarctica as it has no snakes at all.

There aren't any sea snakes indigenous to Europe. They are confined to warmer seas, especially the tropics.

 

[Shewie]

we are in the Northern Alps, next valley on from Mont Blanc on apex of France, Switzerland and Italy.

My favourite part of the world, summer or winter

We saw a similar looking snake at the end of July whilst hiking round Le Tour

 

[Lou]

We saw a similar looking snake at the end of July whilst hiking round Le Tour

Is that near to Saint Jeoire by any chance Shewie?

 

[santaman2000]

...There aren't any sea snakes indigenous to Europe. They are confined to warmer seas, especially the tropics.

I would have thought so but I just wasn't sure what effect the Gulf Stream (or other currents) might have on that.

 

[Shewie]

Is that near to Saint Jeoire by any chance Shewie?

There may be more than one Le Tour but the one I'm referring to is NE of Chamonix, on the road to Vallorcine

I can't remember exactly where we saw the snake on the walk that day but I think it was around here ...
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=46....spn=0.012024,0.01929&num=1&t=h&doflg=ptk&z=16

 

[Lou]

Ok, if you look at your map - we saw the snake in the Reserve Natural de Sixt/Passy. Prob about 10k from there as the crow flies over the mountain.