| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Kellog |
Posted - 10/07/2010 : 04:44:12
My OH was lucky enough to be walking along a pond back in April and first spotted this beautiful grass snake taking a quick dip....
And then he heard a rustling in a pile of cut down branches and twigs on the side of the path....they may be hard to see in some of the pics but worth searching for!
You can just see the head of the 2nd snake under the twig resting on the back of the 1st snake....
Tongue shot!!
How amazing is this pic?!!
2 beautiful grass snakes mating in the dappled sunlight, chasing each other around and through this pile of twigs, entwining themselves together....
I was so lucky as he came to get me and it was only a few meters from the road so I got to witness it as well....I am just sorry the pics make it so difficult to see them and you miss the true beauty of their togetherness.
xxx
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| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| n/a |
Posted - 18/07/2010 : 12:26:44
Amazing photos Ju!
Your Hubby is pretty good at field herping eh!!
xXx |
| nova1990 |
Posted - 18/07/2010 : 10:39:46
theres grass snakes in the forest near where we live |
| Kellog |
Posted - 18/07/2010 : 05:05:30
I did actually have a grass snake for a while, we found it in the middle of the road and think it had been hit by a car. Knew nothing about snakes then but rang around Wildlife rescue places to ask what to do and followed their advice. Called it Monty  . It survived a few weeks but we think its jaw was damaged so it wouldnt eat.
They are actually a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, which means they are protected against being sold, injured or killed in the UK. It is not an offence under the Act to possess them, although I dont think you are allowed to capture them from the wild....so how you would get hold of one considering it is illegal to sell them, I am not sure.
They are found in lowland areas of Britain....and are actually quite common in some areas of the south and south east of England. There arent any in Scotland and are becoming rare in central Wales. Supposedly they were expelled from Ireland by Saint Patrick which is why you wont find any there  !
It is actually an aquatic species that is usually closely associated with water....hence the pics of it in the lake. They are found where there are ponds, lakes, streams, marshes and ditches, where there is also access to sunshine for basking and plenty of shelter. You can find them in open woodland, rough grassland, wet heathlands, gardens, parks and hedgerows.
They will usually grow to be about 3 feet long (1 metre) although individuals are sometimes found which are over 5 feet (140 cm).
They feed on frogs, toads and newts, although fish, small mammals and young birds may also be taken. The prey is grabbed, then swallowed alive. Supposedly the grass snake can stay submerged for over half an hour.
They get eaten by badgers, foxes, domestic cats, hedgehogs and a number of birds. What I didnt realise is that they will often 'play dead' when threatened. If they are caught, they hiss loudly, release a foul-smelling substances and frequently strike, although they dont bite.
Sorry, you did ask Steely  !!
Thanks for all the compliments about the pics everyone, I really appreciate it.
xxx
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| Scarlett |
Posted - 15/07/2010 : 17:33:50
Absolutely gorgeous photo's. It's so nice to see wild creatures enjoying the weather =] And slow worms were the reason why I fell in love with snakes lol. My cat brought in a rather big slow worm in a few weeks ago, it was still alive and I saved it from any more torment, but looking at its little face and alert eyes I was brought back to being a child and my mum showing me one in the garden =] |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 15/07/2010 : 16:23:44
Opps sorry lol, not very good at geography meanings. Normally in the South, not so much in the north I think as Scotland doest have them. East midlands have them so I'm sure the rest of the midlands will too.
Someone probably has one as a pet although to be honest, I don't think they would make great pets, they need water to swim in I think and dry land. You can catch one legally and keep it as a pet but you cannot kill them or buy them and they are a protected species. They can grow to about 5ft. They eat frogs, mammals and fish.
They are gorgeous looking creatures though. |
| n/a |
Posted - 15/07/2010 : 16:01:12
yeah thats what i mean't...lol. but it did narrow it down to countries.
so what do they eat? do people keep them as pets at all? just find them interesting. what sort of size can they grow?
sorry about all the questions |
| DannyBrown91 |
Posted - 15/07/2010 : 13:29:35
quote:
Originally posted by Sta~ple
quote:
Originally posted by Steely
i've never seen a grass snake. where in the country do they tend to be found??
Britain and some parts of Europe.
I have only seen one and it was swimming in the river at the back of our house!
I showed my mum these photo's and she loved them! She thought the snake was trying to be in the band kiss lol
I think he meant where about in this country are they found, rather than in which country. |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 15/07/2010 : 13:21:56
quote:
Originally posted by Steely
i've never seen a grass snake. where in the country do they tend to be found??
Britain and some parts of Europe.
I have only seen one and it was swimming in the river at the back of our house!
I showed my mum these photo's and she loved them! She thought the snake was trying to be in the band kiss lol |
| Fal |
Posted - 15/07/2010 : 09:14:44
Devon is the one county that is home to all of the UK's native reptiles! Including the endangered smooth worm. I guess you'd still have to be lucky to see any of them though lol |
| Fal |
Posted - 15/07/2010 : 09:13:49
Great photos!!! My fiancee grew up next to a lake and said she used to see them all the time, common sight to her. I've never seen one wild and couldn't believe it when she told me how many she used to see. Nice to see they're still doing well out there and mating after your sighting :) |
| n/a |
Posted - 13/07/2010 : 00:16:42
i've never seen a grass snake. where in the country do they tend to be found??
we used to get loads of clow worms in devon that look like little snakes. i remember picking one up once and its tail popped off. it was really gross. must be an escape thing???
great photos you have taken |
| lizzyd |
Posted - 12/07/2010 : 21:48:19
What amazing pics. The closest ive ever come to that is a slow worm. Fairly tame in comparison.
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| Mouse |
Posted - 12/07/2010 : 13:36:30
Aaaaaw! awesome pics! |
| Sizzlesmum |
Posted - 11/07/2010 : 22:04:34
Thanks Judith, what great pics
I had no idea grass snakes were so cute |
| mikeyd_26 |
Posted - 11/07/2010 : 17:13:01
awesome pics :) |
| mrsT |
Posted - 11/07/2010 : 13:35:25
Wow i've never seen a grass snake before,they're really quite pretty.
Thanks for sharing - the photos are brill xx |
| n/a |
Posted - 11/07/2010 : 11:46:54
Havent grass snakes got pretty heads so alert and cute I love them |
| elament |
Posted - 11/07/2010 : 10:01:39
Brilliant pics Kellog. Thanks for sharing them with us
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| kdlang |
Posted - 11/07/2010 : 07:58:43
They are stunning photos. You and hubby are really lucky to have been able to witness that. And to see snakie swimming like that is beautiful.
I heard a rustling in the woods last week when I took Gen on a walk. Maybe I should have gone to look instead of gettin out of there pdq in case some nasty man was coming to get me lol. |
| Kellog |
Posted - 11/07/2010 : 05:01:54
Thanks everyone....I just know how rare it is to see these snakes and some members have never even seen one, so couldnt resist sharing the experience. Know how blessed we were to watch them and to manage to get some pics, even though it was seriously difficult! In most of the pics all you have is this pile of twigs and my OH had to spend a lot of time on photoshop enlarging and locating the snakes before he was able to produce what he has. But it was definitely worth it.
xxx
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