The Adder (aka The Northern Viper) is an 'old world' or 'true viper' and is Britain's only venomous snake. Adders can be clearly distinguished from the other two native British snakes (Grass Snake & Smooth Snake) by its orange / red eyes with elliptical pupils and the dark zig-zag patterns running the length of its back. Adders can vary in colour considerably from light silvery grey, to various shades of brown. In addition it is not that uncommon to find melanistic examples in black.
The female Adder can reach sizes of up to 75cm. The male is smaller and reaches sizes of up to 60 cm. The largest Adders found in this country have been about 87cm in length. In most cases though adders are more commonly 50cm for males and 55-60cm for females.
Adders usually eat small rodents (voles & mice), lizards, slow-worms, frogs and newts. After biting their prey and injecting a lethal dose of venom the adder will retreat and wait for the venom to take effect before tracking down the now dying victim by following its scent trail. When found the prey is swallowed whole.
Like all British reptiles the Adder is protected by law (Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981) against being killed, harmed, sold or traded.
Although it is not illegal to catch Adders in the UK it is illegal to have them in your possession without a DWA (Dangerous Wild Animals) licence from your local authorities. Taking Adders from the wild is not advisable. Wild caught reptiles rarely thrive in captivity and don't make good pets. Wild-caught Adders will often refuse to eat in captivity and fail to survive. They are also unlikely to breed in captivity. Adder numbers in the UK are in decline and this species is in need of our efforts to protect it.
The Adder is a shy creature and is not considered aggressive. It rarely bites unless trod on, handled or cornered. It will normally disappear into the undergrowth at the first sign of trouble and would rather flee than waste valuable venom on a defensive strike.
When provoked the Adder will pull the front half of its body into an 'S' shape ready for a strike. Adders often inflate themselves and hiss loudly as a warning before striking.
Although rarely fatal, Adder bites to Humans should be taken very seriously and immediate medical attention should be sought. Adder bites are very painful and are also often accompanied by nausea, loss of vision, dizziness, localised bruising and swelling of the bitten limb. Adder bites should not be underestimated. On rare occasions, envenoming can be life threatening, especially in children, and many adults experience prolonged discomfort and disability long after the bite. The last Human death from an Adder bite was a 5 year old child in 1975.
What to do if someone is bitten by an adder:
Seek immediate medical attention. Keep the victim calm. Keep the bitten area below heart level to reduce the venom spreading around the body. Do not give the victim any medication, food or drink until after the victim has sought medical aid.
Although Adder bites to a child can be more serious than to an adult children usually recover faster. Children usually recover completely in 1-3 weeks but most adults take 3 weeks or more to recover. 25% of adults that have been envenomated take between a month and 9 months to fully recover according to the British Medical Journal.
In 2004 an 81-year-old woman died following an Adder bite to the middle finger in Breege, Germany. The emergency services arrived 15 minutes later but the 81 year-old had lost consciousness, and died despite resuscitation attempts.
Adder bites to domestic cats and dogs should be taken seriously and veterinary help should always be sought. According to a report published in August 2011 by the British Veterinary report Association 97% of dogs suffered significant morbidity and 4.6% of dogs treated failed to survive the Adder bite.
Dogs are relatively frequent victims of adder bites due to their nature of exploring undergrowth and their general inquisitiveness. What to do if your dog is bitten by an Adder:
If necessary remove the Adder with a long stick. (Do not harm the snake). Try to keep your dog calm and relaxed. Phone a local vet immediately and inform them that you are on your way with a suspected Adder-bite victim. Carry your dog to a vehicle and transport it to the vets without delay. If the dog is bitten on the face then you may need to loosen the dog's collar as localised swelling could result from the bite. Do not apply a tourniquet, ice or heat to the bitten limb. Do not attempt to extract the venom from the wound. These procedures are ineffective and may even cause further harm to your pet. Although less than 5% of Adder bites to dogs prove fatal this is largely due to prompt veterinary attention so any Adder bite should be treated as an emergency.
Some vets advise carrying Piriton tablets if you walk your dog in areas known to be inhabited by Adders. Piriton (active ingredient chlorphenamine maleate) is a sedating antihistamine tablet which can buy your dog time if bitten by an Adder until you get the dog to the vets.
Female Adders usually reproduce once every two years and are ‘viviparous’. This means that they give birth to live young which are initially encased in a thin membrane (which they escape from immediately upon or after birth) unlike Grass Snakes which are the only snakes in the UK to lay eggs. Towards the end of August or early September, the female will normally return to the site of hibernation, and give birth to 3-18 young with 10 being the average number. Few of these young snakes will reach adulthood mainly due to predation.
Male and female Adders are at their easiest to tell apart during the spring and summer months. During these months the males are usually very light grey / cream with dark black zig-zag markings. The females tend to be fairly light brown with quite dark brown markings. Later in the year the males often darken and appear as a dirty brown colour but still have the black markings. The most definite means of sexing an Adder is to focus on the tail. Males have longer, thinner tails with a slight bulge at the start and females have a shorter, stubbier tail that ends quite abruptly. Obviously the tails of an Adder are not always easy to see. Male Adders also have heavier more obvious side markings than the female.
Adders can live for well over 30 years in the wild. They are quite hardy for a reptile and are the most northerly distributed snake. In fact they are the only snake in the world to be found within the Arctic Circle.
The best way to observe Adders in the wild is to join your local Reptile & Amphibian Group and attend their special guided field trip days out. You will learn of sites near you that support Adder colonies and how and when you are most likely to spot them.
All these Snake photos were taken using the Canon 40D Camera and Canon 100mm 2.8 Macro lens.
Please remember that all images on this site are the property of Jason Steel are are copyright protected. Please contact me if you wish to use any of them.
