Habitat
Occurs in same habitat as the sand lizard, sandy heathland, but also occurs in
hedgerows, wood-edges, open woods, bushy slopes, embankments etc.
Geographical spread
Found in localised areas of SW Britain, also occurs in France, N Iberia,
east to S Scandinavia and USSR and south to Italy, Sicily and Greece.
Current population
3,000.
Status
Fully protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and habitat protected
under European legislation.
Size
Up to 60cm including tail, occasionally over 80cm.
Weight
40g, but breeding females may be 70+g.
Average life expectancy
Up to 18-20 years.
Normal diet
Non-venomous, carnivore, feeding on lizards (often 70% of diet), small snakes,
small mammals and their young and even insects. Grip prey in mouth and wrap coils around
it to subdue its struggling.
Normal lifestyle
Diurnal, secretive snake, slow moving but bites readily when handled and
voids smelly contents of anal glands. Spends most of its time basking in the sun or lying in
water. Emerges from hibernation in March and mates 2 weeks later. Smooth snakes may mate
several times with different partners until mid-May. In smooth snakes the eggs are retained in
the body of the mother who eventually gives birth to 9 or 10 fully developed young. The young
mature in the fourth year. Young are particularly vulnerable to predation either by other larger
reptiles or by predatory birds and mammals. Newly hatched smooth snakes eat a few insects
before hibernating but essentially live off the fat reserves they were born with during the first
winter. Adults go into hibernation in October, they bury themselves in loose soil or disused
rabbit burrows.
Previous geographical spread
Very restricted distribution anyway, possibly other southern
areas where heathlands previously were.
Reasons for decline
As with the sand lizards, destruction of heathlands. In areas where
heathland habitat has been exploited for building development, for example around
Bournemouth, reptiles are threatened by domestic cats and children.
Current threats
As they are so localised in distribution, any further destruction of their
preferred habitat could be very detrimental to their numbers.
Conservation projects
File last modified Thursday, October 3, 1996