sepia mestus , also known as the reaper cuttlefish or simply red cuttlefish , is a species of cuttlefish native to the southwestern pacific ocean , specifically escape reef off queensland ( 15 ° 47 ′ s 145 ° 47 ′ e ) to murrays beach off jervis bay ( 35 ° 08 ′ s 150 ° 46 ′ e ) .

reports of this species from china and vietnam are now known to be misidentifications .

s. mestus lives at a depth of between 0 and 22 m. s. mestus exhibits sexual dimorphism .

females grow to a mantle length ( ml ) of 124 mm , while males do not exceed 77 mm ml .

the type specimen was collected off the australian coast and is deposited at the natural history museum in london .

sepia mestus

while sepia mestus is capable of showing diverse colour patterns , it is often seen to turn a deep rich red colour .
en - reaper cuttlefish , fr - seiche moisson , sp - sepia segadora .
reid , a . l . , & lu , c . c ( 2005 ) a new cuttlefish , sepia filibrachia n . sp . , from the south china sea with a redescription of sepia mestus gray , 1849 ( cephalopoda : sepiidae ) from eastern australia , zootaxa , 911 : 1 - 22 .
sepia mestus has a distinctive pair of oval pads of spongy tissue on the mantle . this is suspected to act as adhesion pads , assisting the animal to hold their position in turbulent water characteristic of its shallow water habitat .
s . mestus can be identified by its typically red colour , a pair of black spots on the upper body , a yellow - orange eye socket and short arms .
also known as red cuttlefish . found on most coral reef habitats . they feed on small fish and crustaceans . colour / pattern can changes for camouflage . length - 7 . 5cm depth 0 - 20m widespread indo - west pacific this is the second largest cuttlefish and has one eye flap where as the larger similar species sepia apama has three eye flaps . cuttlefish possess the ability to swim in different manners , usually gently rippling their side fins . however when in danger , the cuttlefish sucks water into their body cavity and expels it through a funnel like extension on the underside of the body , causing a backward propulsion enabling the cuttlefish to escape from predators . they are also able to shoot a cloud of black ink at predators when threatened . they feed by catching their prey by two powerful tentacles which shoot out from beneath the creatures eyes . the prey is then pulled toward the animal ' s strong beak and crushed before consuming . cuttlefish gather in their hundreds of thousands to spawn . males can only produce once and the females die shortly after laying their eggs .
caption : a pair of juvenile cuttlefish , photographed at a depth of about 50feet .
created to help individuals around the world identify tropical fish found during their scuba dive and snorkelling excursions .
yes , it ' s a cephalopod ! this squid and other cephalopods are featured in the cephalopod pages maintained at the national museum of natural history , department of invertebrate zoology ! see the following links for more information on cephalopods .
cephalopods in action . this is a multimedia appendix to published papers , that features video clips of cephalopods filmed from submersibles . included are :
the list of species featured in the videos , arranged as a taxonomic list , only relevant taxa included .
introducing an interactive key to the families of the decapodiformes . try this , it ' s exciting !
expedition journals from the search for the giant squid off new zealand , 1999 .
this page was created by jim felley , mike vecchione , clyde roper , mike sweeney , and tyler christensen . if you have questions or comments , contact mike vecchione .
body papillae present , head papillae absent , arm papillae absent . whitish mottle .
the cuttlebone is oval and broad , with anterior end slightly acuminate . the dorsal surface is bluish to white and convex . the ventral surface is flat with a narrow , median groove .
the reaper cuttlefish is found in waters off eastern australia , with a range from southern queensland to southern nsw .
the reaper cuttlefish is often found on shallow rocky reefs , or over kelp or sand . it is believed its depth range is between 1 and 300 m , although it is most often observed on sandy and rocky drop - offs at around 10 - 18m . in sydney harbour it can often be found under rotting wharf pilings and rock ledges during the day .
lu , c . c ( 1998 ) a synopsis of sepiidae in australian waters ( cephalopoda : sepiodiea ) . in : voss , n . a . , vecchione , m . , toll , r . b . & sweeney , m . j ( eds ) systematics and biogeography of cephalopods . smithsonian institution press , washington dc , vol . 586 , 159 - 190 .
watson - russell , c . ( 1983 ) cuttlefish of sydney harbour , australian natural history , 20 ( 5 ) : 159 - 164 .
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thank you for taking the time to provide feedback on the iucn red list of threatened species website , we are grateful for your input .
n the scientific literature , it is well known to divers in australia where it is endemic . whilst occurring in shallow waters , it is not subject to artisanal fisheries and is therefore unlikely to be threatened .
this species is endemic to australia ( reid et al . 2005 ) . its geographic distribution ranges along the east coast from northern queensland to jervis bay in new south wales ( reid et al . 2005 ) .
females ( up to 124 mm ) attain a larger body size compared to males ( up to 77 mm ) ( reid et al . 2005 ) . it occurs on rocky reefs and is typically seen under ledges ( norman 2003 ) .
ocean acidification caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is potentially a threat to all cuttlefish . studies have shown that under high pco
no conservation measures are currently needed for this species and none are in place . further research is recommended regarding the population trends , distribution , life history traits and threats impacting this species .
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gray , j . e . ( 1849 ) . catalogue of the mollusca in the collection of the british museum i : cephalopoda antepedia . london : british museum . 164 pages . , available online at urltoken page ( s ) : 108 [ details ]
( of solitosepia liliana iredale , 1926 ) iredale , t . ( 1926 ) . the cuttlefish
bones
of the sydney beaches ( phylum mollusca - class cephalopoda ) . australian zoologist . 4 ( 3 ) : 186 - 196 . , available online at urltoken [ details ]
( of ascarosepion verreauxi rochebrune , 1884 ) rochebrune , a . t . ( 1884 ) . étude monographique de la famille des sepiadae . bulletin de la société philomathique de paris . series 7 , 8 ( 2 ) : 74 - 122 pls 3 - 6 . page ( s ) : 98 [ details ]
reid , a . , jereb , p . & roper , c . f . e . ( 2005 ) . family sepiidae . pp . 57 - 152 , in p . jereb & c . f . e . roper eds . cephalopods of the world . an annotated and illustrated catalogue of cephalopod species known to date . volume 1 . chambered nautiluses and sepioids ( nautilidae , sepiidae , sepiolidae , sepiadariidae , idiosepiidae and spirulidae ) . fao species catalogue for fishery purposes [ rome , fao ] . 4 ( 1 ) : 262 pp . 9 pls . page ( s ) : 144 [ details ]
van der land , j . ( ed ) . ( 2008 ) . unesco - ioc register of marine organisms ( urmo ) . , available online at urltoken [ details ]
adam , w . ; ree , j . ( 1966 ) . a review of the cephalopod family sepiidae . the john murray expedition 1933 - 34 . scientific reports . 11 ( 1 ) : 1 - 165 . [ details ]
lu , c . c . ( 2001 ) . cephalopoda . pp . 129 - 308 in wells , a . & houston , w . w . k . eds . zoological catalogue of australia . vol . 17 . 2 . mollusca : aplacophora , polyplacophora , scaphopoda , cephalopoda . melbourne : csiro publishing , australia xii 353 pp . [ details ]
( of solitosepia liliana iredale , 1926 ) lu , c . c . ( 2001 ) . cephalopoda . pp . 129 - 308 in wells , a . & houston , w . w . k . eds . zoological catalogue of australia . vol . 17 . 2 . mollusca : aplacophora , polyplacophora , scaphopoda , cephalopoda . melbourne : csiro publishing , australia xii 353 pp . [ details ]
( of ascarosepion verreauxi rochebrune , 1884 ) adam , w . ; ree , j . ( 1966 ) . a review of the cephalopod family sepiidae . the john murray expedition 1933 - 34 . scientific reports . 11 ( 1 ) : 1 - 165 . [ details ]
length males up to 77 mm mantle length ; females up to 124 mm mantle length . [ details ]
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welcome to tonmo , the premier cephalopod enthusiast community . we have tons of searchable content and host a biennial conference . to join in on the fun , become a member for free , and become a supporter for just $ 50 / year to see less ads and enjoy other perks . follow us on facebook and twitter for more cephy goodness .
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anyone know about this species ? any chance of attaining them ? from the little i ' ve found aobut them they seem like a perfect and relatively colorful species for aquariums . just curious , not thinking about getting any more cephs right now .
you might pm jean to see if they keep them at the nz aquarium ( assuming they get that far south ) . she might be able to say something about how well they do but not likely any help for sourcing .
the cephalopod page urltoken hanlon lab at mbl , woods hole , ma california academy of sciences monterey bay aquarium mote marine labratory pharyngula octonation danna staaf , author ( web , twitter , facebook ) dr . rotman ( drpussea ) ( web , twitter ) te papa museum reef central northwestern pacific tree octopus ( heh ) follow us on facebook follow us on twitter
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halysites ( meaning chain coral ) is an extinct genus of tabulate coral .

colonies range from less than one to tens of centimeters in diameter , and they fed upon plankton .

these tabulate corals lived from ordovician to silurian ( from 449.5 to 412.3 ma ) .

fossils of halysites species have been found in the sediments of canada , united states , poland and australia .

halysites

halysites , commonly called
chain coral ,
is a coral that lived from the ordovician to the silurian period . it looked like a bunch of straws or tubes linked together . from above , halysites looks like a mass of chains or a brain .
what made you want to look up halysites ? please tell us where you read or heard it ( including the quote , if possible ) .
observations on a remarkable specimen of halysites and description of a new species of the genus . bulletin of the amnh ; v . 19 , article 16 .
corals today prefer warm , shallow , clear seas , so tabulate corals like halysites and their relatives probably did too . so when sea levels rose in the devonian , they became rare and then died out two periods later , in the permian mass extinction .
corals are one of the best fossil groups for telling us about the ancient world . corals today mainly live in warm , shallow , clean seawaters where there is plenty of sunlight . this tells us that millions of years ago dudley was covered by a warm shallow tropical sea . corals like halysites have a ring of stinging tentacles around their edge that capture food swimming or floating in the seawater that washes over them . as they grow and multiply they build large limestone reef structures on the seabed .
chain coral ( scientific name halysites ) is one of the many types of fossil coral skeleton that can be found in the limestones of dudley . it is like a series of limestone tubes or straws that are joined side - by - side . end - on these tubes look like links of chain . inside each tube lived a jelly - like coral animal ( polyp ) very much like coral animals today . the chain coral belongs to a group of animals called coelenterates . as they grew they built up the walls of the tubes ( theca ) and multiplied so adding more links to the chain .
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it lived in a time that scientists call the silurian period ( which is named after a tribes of ancient britons called the siluries who lived across shropshire and into wales ) . in dudley , it is found in beds of rock called the much wenlock limestone formation . these are between 416 and 423 million years old .
these fossils can now sometimes be found in the limestones of dudley , west midlands where the old mines and quarries have left behind rock exposures at the surface . please note ; collecting from fallen blocks is permitted on most of these sites but hammering the rock faces is forbidden .
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from the manner of growth observed in fossilized specimens ; the genus is colonial , and individual members of the colony construct an elliptical tube next to each other in the manner of chain links .
silurian period , in geologic time , the third period of the paleozoic era . it began 443 . 8 million years ago and ended 419 . 2 million years ago , extending from the close of the ordovician period to the beginning of the devonian period . during the silurian , continental elevations were generally much…
gibraltar remains , neanderthal fossils and associated materials found at gibraltar , on the southern tip of spain . the gibraltar limestone is riddled with natural caves , many of which were at times occupied by neanderthals during the late pleistocene epoch ( approximately 126 , 000 to 11 , 700 years…
fossil , remnant , impression , or trace of an animal or plant of a past geologic age that has been preserved in earth’s crust . the complex of data recorded in fossils worldwide—known as the fossil record—is the primary source of information about the history of life on earth . only a small fraction of…
kabwe cranium , fossilized skull of an extinct human species ( genus homo ) found near the town of kabwe , zambia ( formerly broken hill , northern rhodesia ) , in 1921 . it was the first discovered remains of premodern homo in africa and until the early 1970s was considered to be 30 , 000 to 40 , 000 years…
coral , any of a variety of invertebrate marine organisms of the class anthozoa ( phylum cnidaria ) that are characterized by skeletons—external or internal—of a stonelike , horny , or leathery consistency . the term coral is also applied to the skeletons of those animals , particularly to those of the…
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( paleon . ) a genus of silurian fossil corals ; the chain corals . see chain coral , under chain .
across the ordovician - silurian transition at species level is summarized and briefly discussed here .
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urltoken unabridged based on the random house unabridged dictionary , © random house , inc . 2018
each individual corallite , or cell , is 2 to 6 mm in diameter . in each individual tube there was a tiny sea anemone - like animal called a polyp , similar to what you find in modern corals .
art , just found , and bookmarked your blog . i enjoy it because it reminds me of my own little boy . when he was your age , he loved to talk to me about dinosaurs , and the planets , and all things related to science . he isn ' t so little anymore , he ' s studying at the university of missouri to become a doctor . thanks for reminding me of my son , and thanks for the great blog ! jason
great blog ! i ' ll be checking your blog out frequently . it ' s interesting with this chain coral how deep the folds are . certainly seems to have more surface area than alot of living corals . in some ways the deeper folds make it look more like a sponge . do you have any specimens of the organisms you post on here ?
@ gober i think that ' s cool that i remind you of your son . i think i ' m going to be a paleobiologist when i grow up and study unclassified animals and other cool extinct life forms .
@ mike c i have one specimen of elrathia kingii , two specimens of orthoceras , and one fossil of greenops . and some fossils of animals i did not post because they are mesozoic or cenozoic . i can also earn 19 other elrathia kingii specimens for doing chores and being good behaved .
i started this blog when i was seven years old and now i ' m thirteen . i retired this blog a few years ago , but i still check on it and you can still contact me . i might even post again !
art started writing this blog at age seven and completed the majority of the work before he turned nine . he did his own research and for a long time dictated the blog entries to me , his mother . i typed exactly what he said and did my best to spell everything correctly .
for a glimpse into the early blogging process , check out the video below .
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a taxonomic genus within the family halysitidae – extinct tabulate corals , chain corals .
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bulletin of the american museum of natural history the bulletin , published continuously since 1881 , consists of longer monographic volumes in the field of natural sciences relating to zoology , paleontology , and geology . current numbers are published at irregular intervals . the bulletin was originally a place to publish short papers , while longer works appeared in the memoirs . however , in the 1920s , the memoirs ceased and the bulletin series began publishing longer papers . a new series , the novitates , published short papers describing new forms .
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eulepidotis micca is a moth of the noctuidae family .

it is found in the neotropics , including panama , costa rica and ecuador .

it was recorded from texas by knudson and bordelon in 2004 .

eulepidotis micca

eulepidotis micca ( druce , 1889 ) has been reported from texas by knudson and bordelon ( 2004 ) .
jennifer hammock split the classifications by bolds resource for species - level taxa from eulepidotis to their own page .
eulepidotis juliata ( stoll , 1790 ) = phalaena juliata stoll , 1790 = palindia egala walker , 1865 .
eulepidotis juncida ( guenée , 1852 ) = palindia juncida guenée , 1852 = palindia mabis guenée , 1852 = palindia thecloides walker , [ 1858 ] = palindia aglaura bar , 1876 .
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a taxon identifier is composed of name , author , year and attribute , all separated by a blank . these are all extracted from the original publication .
the name is reproduced exactly as proposed in the original publication . the name of a genus is made up of one word and species made up of two words ( genus and species ) separated by a blank .
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attribute is enclosed in square brackets . this is rarely needed , but to differentiate homo - identifiers , this will contain the page , line or plate number of original publication .
all diacritic marks , hyphens , and apostrophes are eliminated , thus only the following characters are used : a to z , a to z , 0 to 9 , blank , comma , and opening and closing square brackets . although upper and lower cases are used for the convenience of human recognition , it is not case sensitive .
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[ 85 ] urltoken ( insecta . pro previous version / cтарая версия insecta . pro )
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curators : konstantin efetov , vasiliy feoktistov , svyatoslav knyazev , evgeny komarov , stan korb , alexander zhakov .
species catalog enables to sort by characteristics such as expansion , flight time , etc . .


eupithecia julia is a moth in the geometridae family .

it is found in western china ( sichuan ) .

the wingspan is about 19 – 23 mm .

the forewings are whitish grey and the hindwings are also whitish grey , but paler .

eupithecia julia

eupithecia lavicaria fuchs , 1902 ( syn : eupithecia lavicata prout , 1914 ) , described from norway .
ash pug ( angle - barred pug ) ( eupithecia innotata f . fraxinata )
eupithecia is a large genus of moths of the family geometridae . there are hundreds of described species , found in all parts of the world ( 45 in the british isles alone ) , and new species are discovered on a regular basis .
eupithecia species form the bulk of the group commonly known as pugs . they are generally small with muted colours and specific identification can be difficult . as a group they are easily identified by their narrow wings held flat at 90° to the body with the hindwings almost hidden behind the forewings .
the larvae of many species feed on the flowers and seeds of their food plants rather than the foliage . many species have a very specific food plant . some hawaiian eupithecia are predators of other insects ( e . orichloris , e . staurophragma , e . scoriodes ) . they mimic twigs but when sensitive hairs on their backs are triggered , they quickly grab the insects touching them . the defensive behavior of snapping may have pre - adapted hawaii ' s ancestral eupithecia for shifting to predation from feeding on pollen . also , insect predators that behave in this way are lacking in hawaii ' s fauna .
a taxon identifier is composed of name , author , year and attribute , all separated by a blank . these are all extracted from the original publication .
the name is reproduced exactly as proposed in the original publication . the name of a genus is made up of one word and species made up of two words ( genus and species ) separated by a blank .
the author ' s name is made up of a string of letters , with no blanks , and multiple authors ' names are separated by a comma . spelling of author ' s name is based on the original publication . if there are more than three authors , only the names of the first two authors are shown , followed by
, +
and the number of omitted authors .
attribute is enclosed in square brackets . this is rarely needed , but to differentiate homo - identifiers , this will contain the page , line or plate number of original publication .
all diacritic marks , hyphens , and apostrophes are eliminated , thus only the following characters are used : a to z , a to z , 0 to 9 , blank , comma , and opening and closing square brackets . although upper and lower cases are used for the convenience of human recognition , it is not case sensitive .
created by dicky sick ki yu 1997 - 2012 please send me information about errors and omissions ( contact information ) with supporting references , possibly with pdf or hard copy .
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to date 683 species of macro - moth along with 1159 species of micro - moth have been recorded in norfolk since records began in victorian times . this site aims to provide full details of all the species that occur ( or once occurred ) in norfolk , with photographs , descriptions , flight graphs , latest records , distribution maps and more !
if you have photos of any moths featured on this site , and would like them displayed along with your name and comments . . . please send them in ( any size . jpg images ) .
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underlying maps using digital map data © norfolk online lepidoptera archive - nola™ 2018 . © james wheeler - n o r f o l k m o t h s 2007 - 2018 . data © nola™ 2018
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chinery , michael ( 1986 ) . collins guide to the insects of britain and western europe ( reprinted 1991 ) .
skinner , bernard ( 1984 ) . colour identification guide to moths of the british isles .
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after a light frost the previous night , the morning was pleasantly cool and sunny as eight people contributed to this week ' s survey . ground beetles belong to the large family carabidae . they are predators , actively hunting down their prey , which they dispatch with strong jaws . the beetle shown below had little trouble catching a grasshopper too cold to jump away .
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it is found in the united states in western texas , from the big bend region through southern new mexico to south-eastern arizona and the verde valley of central arizona .

the wingspan is 21 – 28 mm .

the forewings are white and the hindwings are white with an area of light to medium gray near the apex .

the larvae feed on yucca verdiensis .

they feed on developing seeds .

tegeticula elatella

have a fact about tegeticula elatella ? write it here to share it with the entire community .
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tegeticula elatella pellmyr , 1999 , n . sp . , systematic entomology , v . 24 , no . 3 , p . 243 - 271 .
tegeticula elatella is a moth of the prodoxidae family . it is found in western texas , from the big bend region through southern new mexico to south - eastern arizona and the verde valley of central arizona . the habitat consists of grassland and shrub desert .
pellmyr , o . 1999 . systematic revision of the tegeticula yuccasella complex ( lepidoptera : prodoxidae ) north of mexico . systematic entomology 24 : 243 - 271 .
holotype for tegeticula elatella pellmyr , 1999 catalog number : usnm collection : smithsonian institution , national museum of natural history , department of entomology sex / stage : male ; preparation : pinned collector ( s ) : o . pellmyr & e . augenstien year collected : 1995 locality : big bend national park , s persimmon gap nr nine pt . draw , brewster , texas , united states elevation ( m ) : 700 to 800
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wing expanse 21 - 28 mm . forewing white ; hindwing white with light to medium grey near apex , occasionally with rusty tinge . male genitalia with aedeagus 1 . 5 - 1 . 7 mm long , 0 . 08 - 0 . 10 mm in cross section ; female genitalia with posterior apophyses 4 . 4 - 5 . 1 mm long , large corpus bursae with signa 1 . 25 - 1 . 30 mm in diameter .
similar especially to the allopatric sister species superficiella , but generally lighter and with broader wings . genitalia are highly characteristic for identification ; a diagnostic key is provided .
the species is known from the capsular - fruited yucca elata ( y . verdiensis ) . eggs are laid just below the ovary surface . the larva feeds on developing seeds . pupation occurs in a cocoon in the soil .
western texas from the big bend region , extending across southern new mexico to southeastern arizona and the verde valley of central arizona .
typical habitat includes grassland and shrub desert . altitudinal range 700 - 1800 m .
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powell , j . a . & p . a . opler , moths of western north america , pl . 1 . 36m ; p . 42 . book review and ordering
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holotype : pellmyr , o . 1999 . systematic entomology . 24 ( 3 ) : 261 .
is 21–28 mm . the forewings are white and the hindwings are white with an area of light to medium grey near the apex .
the larvae feed on yucca verdiensis . they feed on developing seeds . pupation takes place in a cocoon in the soil .
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the aesculapian snake / ˌɛskjəˈleɪpiən / ( now zamenis longissimus , previously elaphe longissima ) , is a species of nonvenomous snake native to europe , a member of the colubrinae subfamily of the family colubridae .

growing up to 2 metres ( 6.6 ft ) in total length ( including tail ) , it counts among the largest european snakes , though not as massive as the four-lined snake ( elaphe quatuorlineata ) or the montpellier snake ( malpolon monspessulanus ) .

the aesculapian snake has been of cultural and historical significance for its role in ancient greek and roman mythology and derived symbolism .

aesculapian snake

the aesculapian snake ( elaphe longissima ) is a nonvenomous snake native to europe .
the italian aesculapian snake ( zamenis lineatus ) is a species of snake in the colubridae family .
1 . adder - vipera berus . 2 . grass snake - natrix natrix . 3 . smooth snake - coronella austriaca . 4 . aesculapian snake - zamenis longissimus . 5 . barred grass snake - natrix helvetica .
in the third chapter of our series introducing hungary - native snake species , we are discussing the aesculapian snake ( zamenis longissimus ) . . .
' photograph , aesculapian snake ( coluber longissimus ) ' . copyright owner of work : herbert . . .
habitat use of the aesculapian snake , zamenis longissimus , at the northern extreme of its range in northwest bohemia .
aesculapian snake ( zamenis longissimus ) from bulgaria displaying defensive behaviour . rattling its tail to draw attention from the head .
jason steel photographing a wild aesculapian snake along regents canal in london , uk . photo taken by australian photographer diane paine .
zoological director nick jackson said :
the aesculapian snake is a harmless , non - venomous species which feeds mainly on rodents .
' photograph , aesculapian snake ( coluber longissimus ) ' . copyright owner of work : herbert . . . | the national archives
both albino and melanistic specimens of aesculapian snakes have been found in the wild in austria , slovenia and italy but these are incredibly rare . in greece grey morphs of the aesculapian snake can be found .
this close - up shot shows the smooth un - keeled scales of adult female aesculapian snake number 15 , of the london population .
ebscohost | 117833477 | habitat use of the aesculapian snake , zamenis longissimus , at the northern extreme of its range in northwest bohemia .
in the uk we have three native snake species and one non - native snake that has established healthy breeding colonies at two different sites . the four snake species found are :
the aesculapian rat snake arrived in conwy during the mid - sixties when the founder of the welsh mountain zoo , robert jackson , imported reptiles from italy .
the aesculapian snake is one of four species of rat snake found in europe and its range once reached far further north than it does now when the earth ' s climate was warmer . this vast range may have been partly due to escaped specimens when the romans kept aesculapian snakes in their temples during the roman occupation of europe .
although considered non - native . the aesculapian snake has been protected by uk law since 1992 , against being harmed or killed under the 1981 wildlife & countryside act .
at some point , the aesculapian snakes must have escaped into the zoo grounds and started breeding .
the aesculapian snake is associated with greek mythology , from which it takes its name : aesculapius , the god of healing , held a staff with a snake coiled around it . there are similar stories of healing snakes in the old testament .
so although now considered a non - indigenous species the aesculapian snake may have once been native to the uk . this topic is covered in great detail in the 1998 book
you may be aware that there are a couple of wild populations of non - venomous aesculapian snakes .
the aesculapian snake has a uniformly brown back with a streak of darker colour behind the eyes . it has a yellowish belly with ridged scales which are specially adapted for climbing trees .
reports by the british media about the aesculapian snake colonies found in the uk . these scaremongering stories were full of false information and inaccurate reports with ridiculous claims and headlines including :
in the uk we have three native snake species and one non - native snake that has established healthy breeding colonies at two different sites . these are :
the fourth snake found only in two specific parts of the uk is the non - native aesculapian snake . although considered non - native to the uk there are two well established breeding colonies of aesculapian snakes in great britain that have been in existence now for over 25 years . one is in central london , england and the other is in colwyn bay , wales .
the snake mentioned in the symbol is an aesculapian snake which belongs to the family colubridae . its zoological name elaphe longissima . smooth , glossy , and slender , the snake has a uniformly brown back with a streak of darker color behind the eyes . the snake ' s belly is yellowish or whitish and has ridged scales that catch easily on rough surfaces [ 8 ] ( like that of a pole or staff ) .
slithering along the branches of this tree , the aesculapian snake is a very competent climber . they use their strong prehensile tail to grasp a firm grip when climbing or when being handled .
update 1st june , 2018 : we just set up snake _ id , a cool new page that simplifies snake identification . be sure to check it out !
no , not at all . the aesculapian snake is non - venomous and not an aggressive species . unless you ' re a rodent or a small bird , then you ' re quite safe .
aesculapian snakes get their name from the greek god aesculapius , the greek god of medicine , who was the son of apollo . aesculapius was reputed to have mystical healing powers and the ability to transform himself into the harmless aesculapian snake . aesculapian snakes were used in ancient temple ceremonies for healing and sexual virility rituals performed by both the greeks and the romans . the greek god aesculapius is often depicted holding a snake - entwined staff . this staff became a symbol for healing which is still used in modern medicine today .
• anyone wanting to report sightings of aesculapian snakes around the canal can contact will atkins at lehartrust @ hotmail . com
smooth , glossy , and slender , the snake has a uniformly brown back with a streak of darker color behind the eyes . the snake ' s belly is yellowish or whitish and has ridged scales that catch easily on rough surfaces , making it especially adapted for climbing trees . scientific classification : the aesculapian snake belongs to the family colubridae . it is classified as elaphe longissima .
the simple answer to this question is no . following extensive studies of both the aesculapian snake populations in the uk by leading herpetologists including wolfgang wuster in bangor , wales , & will atkins in london it has
this corn snake was found in a suburban garden in kent . corn snakes originally come from
corsetti , luigi ; antonio romano 2008 . on the occurrence of the italian aesculapian snake , zamenis lineatus ( camerano , 1891 ) , in latium ( central italy ) . acta herpetologica 3 ( 2 ) : 179 - 183
& i ; the aesculapian snake - distribution and ecology in central europe & o ; . provides new facts on ecology , distribution and history of the largest and least known snake in central europe . some parts of the book are based on a study conducted in one of germany ' s isolated populations of the snake , the neckar - odenwald region . sympatric reptile species were also studied and conservation methods are discussed .
this snake was found on the canal ' s edge , mosaic - basking amidst grass and twigs on the ground . only a few inches of the scales on the middle of the snake ' s body were visible , as the rest of the snake was buried beneath the protection of the surrounding foliage . when i carefully picked up the snake , to my complete surprise , an angry , wide - mouthed head quickly spun round and latched onto my wrist . having never experienced any signs of aggression from aesculapian snakes during previous encounters , i was very surprised by how intent this snake was in defending itself from what it
was originally thought to be a subspecies of the grass snake is in fact a distinct separate species .
this female grass snake has a noticeably swollen stomach having just eaten an adult toad which weighed a third of the snake ' s total body weight ! digesting a meal of this size takes a huge amount of energy and this snake will need to lay dormant for 24hrs or more . basking in the sun will speed up this process but during this period the grass snake is highly vulnerable to predators herself .
wilcox ra , whitham em . the symbol of modern medicine : why one snake is more than two .
this shot shows the grass snake in ideal habitat . this south - facing slope has plenty of good vegetation along the river ' s edge as well as good clear spots that are exposed to plenty of sunlight where the snake can bask . there are also plenty of mammal burrows which the snake can use as hibernacular during the winter .
this adult grass snake was one of three seen swimming around the edges of a country park pond in kent .
unlike all the other snake species found in britain , it is the male aesculapian snake that is usually larger than the female . the female has considerable girth but the male tends to be much longer . the female pictured above had a total body - length of just 3 . 5ft . a male specimen with equivalent girth would probably have been 5 - 6ft + in length .
when talking about snakes , many herpetologists quote snake lengths as
stv
length . this means
snout to vent
. measurements are usually taken from the tip of a snake ' s nose to the opening of its anal glands at the base of the tail . this is a more accurate way of regularly monitoring a snake ' s length as snake ' s tails are often damaged or broken over the years especially after encounters with a predator .
feeding mainly on mice , voles , young rats and other small rodents these non - venomous constrictor snakes will also eat lizards , small birds and eggs if available . like most snakes the aesculapian snake sheds its skin periodically in one complete slough . apart from a noticeable dulling in colour and pattern , one obvious indication that a snake is due to slough is the clouding over and bluing of the scale covering the eyes of the snake as pictured above . this eye - scale will shed first and then the rest of the snake ' s skin will usually shed a few days later as a complete slough .
this beautiful non - native snake has been introduced from mainland europe to a couple of sites in the uk . unlike our native snake species , they can be found in trees or bushes as they are very good at climbing .
* this species of snake is associated with the greek healing god asclepius / aesculapius ( more about it here ) .
the aesculapian snake is not as timid as our native grass snake and can often be approached for photographs without disturbing it or causing it to flee . they rely heavily on their excellent camouflage and will often remain completely motionless until they are sure that you have seen them . if handled aesculapian snakes may initially bite but usually calm down , and once they no longer perceive you as a threat they can be very relaxed in your hands . being constrictors , these snakes have a very strong grip . when startled it ' s surprising how firmly they can squeeze your hand .
the aesculapian snake ( e . longissima ) , plain and dark coloured , is native to southeastern europe and asia minor . in ancient times it was sacred to aesclepius , god of medicine ; the present isolated populations in germany and switzerland are descended from specimens conveyed to health resorts there by…
hierophis genus : the green whip snake or western whip snake ( hierophis viridiflavus ) is a brightly - coloured snake with a pattern of black , yellow and green spots over its body . even though they can grow up to 170 cm of length they are not venomous . it can be usually found from temperate forests to crop fields , and even in abandoned buildings .
an imported snake species believed to be breeding in the wild in north wales has been caught on film for the first time .
some specimens may be very defensive when handled . the bite marks shown above were inflicted by a very defensive adult female aesculapian snake . i must stress that there is no chance of being bitten by one of these snakes unless you try and pick one up ! they will always flee rather than confront a human .
the italian aesculapian snake is a medium to large snake that reaches a maximum total length ( including tail ) of 2 m ( 6½ feet ) . dorsally , it is yellowish brown and may have four dark brown stripes . if present , the stripes are of equal width and equidistant . the dorsal scales are smooth . the iris of the eye is red , giving it the common name in italian of saettone occhirossi ( red - eyed racer ) .
altough , several subspecies had been described over the years , most of these were elevated to separate species rank , therefore recent taxonomy suggests aesculapian snake to be a monotype species with no further subspecies . these days , they are protected in most european countries , including hungary . the populations in germany mentioned earlier are critically endangered .
huffington post uk spoke to dr wolfgang wuster , a snake venom expert and senior lecturer of the school of biological science in bangor university .
the number of snake species with populations in great britain is now 5 . - non - fishing chat - fishing forums from anglers ' net
there have been some interesting headlines over the weekend regarding aesculapian snakes in london , such as the daily mirror’s ‘colony of killer snakes ‘capable of crushing small children to death’ on loose in london’ .
these elegant snakes range in colour from light golden - brown to dark brown with white flecks and a creamy yellow underside . aesculapian snakes have unkeeled scales that are very smooth to the touch and this snake can have a very shiny appearance with an iridescent sheen in bright sunlight . their appearance has been compared to that of a twix wrapper .
although grass snakes are termed non - venomous they do possess duvernoy glands ( like rear - fanged venomous snakes ) in their upper jaws that produce a very mild venom . the grass snake does not possess any fangs to deliver the venom to its victim though . although this venom is very mild and is only found in small quantities in the grass snake ' s saliva it is not purposeless . the main diet of the grass snake is amphibians which when caught in the mouth of the snake will absorb this venom through their skin . this would help to subdue a struggling frog or toad .
the fourth snake found in specific parts of the uk is the aesculapian snake . although considered non - native to the uk there are two healthy well established breeding colonies of aesculapian snakes in great britain that have been in existence for at least 25 years . one is in central london , england and the other is in colwyn bay , wales . these long slender rat - snakes are one of europe ' s longest and regularly grow to a length of 140 - 160cm in warmer parts of europe they may even reach 225cm . these snakes are usually found across southern europe and use the same method of incubating their eggs as grass snakes using warm damp moist areas of vegetation such as hay piles and compost heaps to provide the necessary heat . aesculapian snakes are semi - arboreal meaning that they are excellent climbers and are equally at home high up in trees and bushes as they are on the ground .
we were lucky enough to have two experts on hand - bbc wales snake expert rhys jones and peter litherland , a keeper at the zoo .
colubrid with round pupil ( ringed snake , natrix natrix ) and viperid with elliptic pupil ( snub - nosed viper , vipera latastei ) . photos by
in 2015 chosen hatching places were monitored by data loggers in order to find out temperature and humidity conditions in the hatching place . in the autumn after the hatching of eggs , egg - laying sites were checked and remaining eggs counted . we were able to found about 160 remnants of egg shells so the successful reproduction of the aesculapian snake is proved there .
professor wolfgang wüster , who has studied the only other colony of aesculapian snakes in britain – located close to the welsh mountain zoo in colwyn bay , north wales – says they do no harm to the ecosystem .
the london population of aesculapian snakes can be found along the length of regent ' s canal as it runs past regent ' s park , living on the banks that run parallel to both sides of the canal .
juvenile aesculapians sometimes display a yellow collar making them easy to confuse with juvenile grass snakes . aesculapian snakes are egg - laying snakes and usually produce clutches of 5 - 20 eggs with 5 - 15 being common .
we can confirm a colony of non - venomous aesculapian snakes does live in the camden lock area of north london , but contrary to media reports they are not capable of crushing small children or murdering your pets .
aesculapian snakes are among the largest snakes in europe and juveniles can easily be confused with grass snakes . a colony of the snakes has lived peacefully in north wales for decades after escaping from the welsh mountain zoo .
zamenis genus : the aesculapian snake ( zamenis longissimus ) is a slim , long and harmless colubrid with a characteristically narrow and elongated skull . it is normally found on forested areas , with different microclimatic variations to aid it on its thermoregulation . this species is the one represented coiled around the rod of aesculapius and the bowl of hygieia , symbols of medicine and pharmacy respectively .
salvi , daniele ; daniela lucente , joana mendes , cristiano liuzzi , d . james harris and marco a . bologna 2017 . diversity and distribution of the italian aesculapian snake zamenis lineatus : a phylogeographic assessment with implications for conservation . journal of zoological systematics and evolutionary research 55 ( 3 ) : 222–237 ; doi : 10 . 1111 / jzs . 12167 - get paper here
snake ( elaphe longissima ) , a species native to the former yugoslavia , and it is believed there are a few dozen such animals living by the canal .
the adder or viper is more common in cornwall , other snakes of the uk sloworm and grass snake can be found in any area . i have never seen a snake in the wild in the uk yet and lived very rural for many years . interesting topic alan , thank you ! : xxgrinning - - 00xx3 :
this 20 inch sub - adult female grass snake is gathering all the information she can about her surroundings by constant flickering of her tongue which she fully extends .
as for the concern about people’s safety , when left alone aesculapian snakes are a docile and non - venomous species . please rest assured that your children will not risk being crushed by snakes whilst wandering through central london .
this list does indeed include the aesculapian snakes that are being referred to , although no action that i am aware of has been taken to remove this population , nor does lisi have any plans to do so at present .
adults are up to 200 cm ( 225 cm ) , usually arround 140 cm , males longer than females ( and have a longer tail ) . a very slender snake with a narrow head , eyes have round pupils . adults can be brownish , greyish - greenish , even black ( melanism ) ( first 20 - 40 cm can be a lighter colour ) with white dots on the scale edges , especially on mid - body . belly is yellow or whiteish , belly scales are keeled . brownish coloured ones usually have yellow dots behind the head , so they can resemble a grass snake . very similar to the italian aesculapian snake ( zamenis lineatus ( formerly elaphe lineata ) - s italy ) . albinism ( completely white / yellowish white ) also noticed .
rhinechis genus : the ladder snake ( rhinechis scalaris ) receives its common name due to the stripes that juvenile specimens present on their back , similar to a ladder , even though adult individuals may present only longitudinal stripes on their body without any transversal marks connecting them . despite being an apparently aggressive snake , it rarely bites and is harmless to human beings .
aesculapian snake ( zamenis longissimus , formely known as elaphe longissima ) first appeared in greek - roman mythology on rod of god aesculapius . ever since , this species has become the symbol of healing and health . aesculapian snake ( zamenis longissimus ) is native to most european countries with mediterreanean and continental climates , including french , spain , italy , switzerland , germany , austria , czech republic , hungary , romania , poland , croatia , serbia , bulgaria . they also occur in region of black sea . several insular populations have been confirmed , as well . they were also introduced to few places they had not been native before ; one of them is germany where they were introduced most likely due to the mythological significance associated with the species . two populations has also estabished themselves in great britain ; specimens had escaped from zoos ultimately found new home near london and west wales suburbans .
the smooth snake is britain ' s rarest native reptile and is fully protected by law from being killed , harmed , or even disturbed . this makes it an offence to look for them unless you hold a licence to do so or you are in the company of a licence - holder who is authorised to do so . once common across the southern half of britain they are now only found on heathland sites in dorset and hampshire , and a couple of sites in surrey and west sussex . their total numbers are now estimated to be in the low thousands across the uk . this is due mainly to habitat loss as the smooth snake lives on heathland sites which have disappeared across the uk . many of these sites are particularly vulnerable to fires . on some of these sites where the smooth snake is still found it is the most commonly encountered snake . the smooth snake is at the tip of its range in england as the average summer in britain is only just long enough for the female to gestate her young . unlike grass snakes the smooth snake is reported to be very reluctant to transverse unsuitable habitat to cross from one site to another .
coronella genus : known as smooth snakes . in the iberian peninsula we can find the northern smooth snake ( coronella austriaca ) which presents a dark mask - like spot covering from the nasal openings up to the neck and dark irregular markings on its back , and the southern smooth snake ( coronella girondica ) which presents a pair of parietal marks and dark transversal spots on its back .
urltoken is a great on - line app that allows you to work out the total length of a snake from a photo , as long as you can accurately measure anything else in that photo .
“if your child is the size of a small rat they could constitute a danger , but if that’s the case i’d suggest it being constricted by a snake would be the least of your worries . ”
natrix genus : commonly known as water snakes due to their affinity for aquatic habitats . in the iberian peninsula we can find two species , the viperine water snake ( natrix maura ) named after its zigzag marking and its keeled scales similar to a viper , and the grass or iberian ringed snake ( natrix astreptophora ) which presents reddish pupils , an extremely variable coloration and a black “ring” in juvenile individuals .
the common adder , britain ' s only venomous snake , is seen here coiled in its defensive stance and ready to strike . for more photos and information on adders please visit the adder pages on this website :
shortly before sloughing ( shedding the old skin ) snakes often spend more time basking to help with the process . this male grass snake clearly shows the typical blue - eyed tell tale sign of an imminent slough .
the aesculapian snake ( zamenis longissimus ) is a widespread colubrid species , being present in much of central and southern europe , with isolated populations occuring as far east as iran . in romania , the species is known from most of the country’s regions , although it has been reported from very few areas from the moldova region ( eastern and north–eastern romania ) . here we present three new records for z . longissimus in romanian moldova , including the first record for the species in botoșani county , the north–easternmost region of romania .
numbers 21 : 8 . the etching
the brazen serpent
( to the right ) by schnorr von carolsfeld shows this as only one snake , suggesting he interpreted this as a medical rather than mystical or magical symbol .
smooth snakes are slender in build and are also the smallest of the british snakes usually growing to an average length of 45 - 60cm , occasionally they reach 70cm with 80cm being the largest found . true to its name the smooth snake is the only native snake in the uk to have unkeeled scales giving it a very smooth feel when handled . both the adder and grass snake have a ridge or
keel
running down the middle of each scale . smooth snakes are brown - grey in colour and usually have a dark heart - shaped pattern on the back of the head . they also usually have a dark stripe that runs across the side of the head through the eye .
to identify a snake as a colubrid or a viper there are some anatomical characteristics which tell them apart . these characteristics are usually only applicable to iberian ophidians ; species from outside the iberian peninsula may present different combinations of characters .
cooperation with hunting society was established in order to hunt allochthonnous predators including american mink ( mustela vison ) , racoon dog ( nyctereutes procyonoides ) and racoon ( procyon lotor ) . these animals represent high level of risk for the aesculapin snake
] one is the caduceus , and the other is the rod of asclepius . caduceus is a symbol with a short staff entwined by two serpents , sometimes surmounted by wings while the rod of asclepius is the one with a single snake . [
juvenile aesculapian snakes prey small lizards , amphibians , mice , while the main food source are mostly rodents for adults . they will not refuse birds , either . they usually suffocate the prey by using constriction , although when there is no resistance they may start swallow the prey alive without constriction applied . when they encounter humans , they will quickly try to escape . however , when cornered they can attack willingly and very aggressively . they spend wintertime inactive in underground caverns , where several specimens may assemble . interestingly , this is one of the few snake species where males are longer than females .
these eggs hatch after 6 - 10 weeks depending on the weather and incubation temperatures . if they can avoid predation these snakes can generally live for around 25 years and they reach sexual maturity after approximately 4 - 6 years . male aesculapian snakes reach sexual maturity when they reach around 100cm in length , and females at just 85cm in length .
grass snakes are completely harmless to humans and feed mainly on amphibians and small fish when they can catch them . they will also prey on small mammals , young birds and even lizards occasionally . the grass snake is britain ' s longest native reptile and can occasionally reach sizes of up to 5ft in the uk and very occasionally stories of even 6ft specimens are heard but it is unlikely that any specimen of that size exists in the uk any longer . these larger grass snakes are more commonly found in warmer parts of europe though . in the uk 2 - 3ft in length is the most commonly recorded length of adult specimens found . any grass snake with a total length of 80 + cm is usually female , and any grass snake with a total length of 110cm or more is always a female .
despite these snakes posing little if any threat to our native wildlife ( excluding rats ) in 2013 the government agency ' lisi ' ( london invasive species initiative ) decided that these aesculapian snakes were a species of concern and called for the snakes to be eradicated in the uk quoting them as a
species of high impact or concern
. download the list of
it took me a while to realise that this snake , although drawing blood with every bite , was incapable of inflicting any real pain on me . it had extremely sharp little teeth but lacked the sufficient clamping power in its jaws to do me any real harm . after a few minutes , the snake also came to the same conclusion , and once it also realised that i wasn ' t actually a threat or causing it any harm it began to calm down . after a while it became quite docile and was content to slither around or just relax in
there is an interesting piece written on pages 181 - 182 , in the book
wild animals in captivity
by the late a . d . bartlett , the superintendent of regents park zoo during the late 1800 ' s . he tells of his experiences where wild - caught brown mice were introduced to snake enclosures as a source of live food . if the mice weren ' t caught and eaten by the snakes fairly quickly , then the mice would gnaw their way out of the enclosures , leaving a rodent - sized hole for the snake to also escape from . the practice of feeding these wild - caught live brown mice was stopped once the mistake was recognised , but not before a highly venomous cobra had escaped . luckily this cobra was eaten by another snake in the adjoining enclosure . but a . d . bartlett also recalls :
the population of the aesculapian snake in the eger river valley is extraordinarily threatened and very vulnerable . rapid decline in abundance has been documented since the 1980s . biotope loss by changed management and landscape use methods , lack of suitable reproducing places , road traffic and alien predators are among the main causes of threatening . this project includes several measures essential for surviving and stabilization of the unique isolated population , such as managment of existing egg - laying sites , restoration of old one egg - laying sites , cleaning and restoration of old and shady dry - stone walls , reproduction research , estimating number of population , biotope monitoring , support to hunting alien predators and restoration of small water bodies .
lastly , i would like to make an appeal to anyone considering catching and keeping a wild aesculapian snake as a pet . please don ' t ! it is an absolute joy being able to find , photograph and watch these beautiful reptiles living wild and free in the uk . they have found a niche in our ecosystem that has allowed them to flourish without upsetting the delicate balance of our environment . there are suspected to be a maximum of 20 breeding pairs in the london population . just removing one snake could have serious consequences for the future of this species in the uk . many of these snakes have already been caught , and with the increasing number of rodent traps being used in the area , these are also likely to have a negative impact on number of these snakes . please just be grateful if you are lucky enough to see one , let it live in peace in the wild , and let other people also experience the joy of seeing them living wild in the uk .
ahh , the australian tiger snake . . . fishing one day along the beardy waters , near glen innes in the new england region of nsw , came across 11 of them in about 2 miles . stood fishing and one came out of the water , and slithered around my boot . . .
sahlean , t . c . , i . gherghel , m . papeș , a . strugariu , ș . r . zamfirescu ( 2014 ) refining climate change projections for organisms with low dispersal abilities : a case study of the caspian whip snake . plos one , 9 ( 3 ) : e91994 .
have you ever wondered why is a snake , which is a symbol of destruction [ 4 ] used ironically as a symbol of healing ? well , the answer lies deep sown in history when moses , around 1400 bc , used the bronze serpent erected on the pole to cure the people who were bitten by snakes . [ 5 ] the other reasons why serpent has been used is the shedding of the skin that indicated longevity and immortality . the snake ' s ability to change from a lethargic stage to one of rapid activity symbolized the power to convalesce from an illness . [ 2 ] charas and martyn ( 1673 ) subjected the viper [ 6 ] to innumerable experimental investigations and concluded they were valuable remedies for itch , erysipelas , measles , smallpox , leprosy and were a valuable adjunct to the production of a beautiful skin . [ 6 ] hence , the snake has been a powerful symbol of healing itself . [ 7 ]
we studied a population of aesculapian snakes ( zamenis longissimus ) living close to a 1 , 000 - m stretch of busy road located in northwestern bohemia . we monitored the extent of road mortality and related behavioral characteristics . a large number of snakes regularly inhabited the road ' s embankment during monitoring in june and september . some individuals were observed to stay in exactly the same spot continuously for several days . snakes were active starting between 0800 and 0900 h in the morning and ending by 1900 h in june and 1800 h in september . activity was greatest during the morning . the most frequent type of observed behavior was related to thermoregulation . the snakes did not react visibly to passing traffic . the aesculapian snakes ' activity was higher , and started at lower temperatures , in june than in september . the mean body temperature of the aesculapian snakes was 24 . 3â°c . on average , it was higher than the ambient air temperature until the ambient air temperature exceeded 27 . 8â°c . we detected very little road mortality of adult snakes . even though they used the road embankments and adjacent stone abutment walls frequently , they virtually never ventured onto the surface of the road . to cross the road they generally used the culverts under it . juvenile snakes ventured onto the road frequently and their road mortality was high .
when we find a snake in the wild it’s important to know if that animal is a colubrid or a viper . bites from iberian colubrids are mostly harmless because they have either an unspecialized non - venomous dentition ( aglyphous ) or posterior venomous fangs ( opisthoglyphous ) which usually doesn’t inject venom and even if they do , normally they don’t inject enough venom for it to be dangerous . on the other hand , as iberian vipers are solenoglyphous , they inject large quantities of venom , being vipers responsible for most of the snake bite accidents in spain . yet , bites are extremely rare , and most happen after a too prolonged manipulation of the animal .
the welsh population of aesculapian snakes is estimated at 50 + specimens and came about during the 1960 ' s after a gravid female snake escaped from the welsh mountain zoo at colwyn bay and laid her eggs within the grounds of the zoo . the offspring then successfully bred and the population has thrived ever since in and around the zoo grounds . these were first reported by the press during the early ' 70 ' s . the london population of aesculapians had 30 different adult specimens recorded by 2011 and this population was estimated at around 30 - 40 specimens . however numbers seem to have fallen significantly in london over recent years . it is believed that this population came about after eight snakes were deliberately released in the 1980 ' s from a building close to london zoo rented by ilea (
grass snakes are britain ' s only native egg - laying snake . the eggs need plenty of heat to hatch successfully so the female lays them in damp rotting vegetation . because of this grass snakes are regularly found on allotments or in gardens with compost heaps as these provide an ideal spot for the grass snake to lay their eggs due to the heat generated by the rotting vegetation . the number of eggs laid usually varies from 10 - 40 depending on the size of the adult female . when clutches of eggs are first laid at the ovipositicula ( egg - laying site ) these eggs are soft and sticky and can often be found stuck together in one large mass .
in 2015 the bbc ' s
one show
asked me to feature on the program as part of a story they were going to run on the aesculapian snakes in london . in the end they chose to feature will atkins ( following my recommendation ) and i was replaced with the greek historian , simon chaplin . the finished piece was both interesting and informative and portrayed the snakes in a positive light . watch the video here : watch bbc one show
during mating season males can go up to 2 km in search of females . females lay 2 - 18 ( often 5 - 11 ) elongated , pear - shaped eggs ( 35 - 60 mm x 17 - 25 mm ) under ground , into holes in trees , compost heaps . . . ( sometimes communally with the grass snake ) .
the asclepiadae were a large order of priest physicians who controlled the sacred secrets of healing , which were passed from father to son . harmless aesculapian snakes were kept in the combination hospital - temples built by the ancient greeks and , later , by the romans in honor of the god . the snakes are found not only in their original range of southern europe , but also in the various places in germany and austria where roman temples had been established . escaped snakes survived and flourished .
these long slender snakes are one of europe ' s longest and regularly grow to a length of 140 - 160cm in warmer parts of europe they may even reach 225cm . this makes them the longest snake found in the uk . these snakes are usually found across southern , central and eastern europe and use the same method of incubating their eggs as our native grass snakes , using warm damp moist areas of vegetation such as hay piles and compost heaps to provide the necessary heat . clutch size is usually 5 - 11 eggs and these may take 6 - 10 weeks to hatch depending on the weather conditions . aesculapian snakes are semi - arboreal meaning that they are excellent climbers and are equally at home high up in trees and bushes as they are on the ground . they can on occasion be found basking on the canopies of trees and tall bushes .
earlier this month , local papers in east london reported that a potentially venomous snake was on the loose , then the broadsheets snapped up the story of an alligator found on the streets of new york . the next day , the new journal carried an article about a man who had been rushed to the royal free hospital after being bitten by a tropical spider .
although very shy and easily scared off grass snakes are the most common snake in the uk to be found wandering into urban gardens . grass snakes are found across england and wales and are found in small numbers in the very south of scotland just over the border . ( a fact that has only very recently been confirmed so not what you will read elsewhere ! ) .
a second feral population has been extant since the mid 1980s along a canal embankment habitat in camden , north london . this was first reported to tesl in 1998 by ester wenman , then head keeper of reptiles at london zoo . aesculapian snakes had apparently colonized the area during an experiment reported by the british herpetological society legal officer , peter curry , who was working there and keeping this species at the inner london education authority centre for life studies at the time that it was closed down around 1986 . one account was that eight snakes had been released ‘on the quiet’ around the time of closure to try to form a population , several of which were recaptured , but some remained at large . those caught initially were being euthanased but the view was then taken to leave the others ‘to take their chances’ where they were . ten years later , in an aviary close to the embankment , fragments of juvenile aesculapian snakes were found in a laughing thrush garrulax sp . aviary , suggesting that the snakes had bred .
macroprotodon genus : this is one of the few venomous species in the peninsula . the western false smooth snake ( macroprotodon brevis ) is an animal common on many different mediterranean habitats . even if it’s venomous , its small opisthogyphous mouth and its calm behavior make it totally harmless . it is characterised by a dark mark on the back of its head , and its short and flattened skull .
if handled grass snakes may ' musk ' the supposed predator . they do this by secreting a foul - smelling liquid from their anal glands . if this does not deter the potential attacker then the grass snake ' s next line of defence is often to feign death . they literally lay on their back with their mouth open and their tongue hanging out and pretend to be dead in a very theatrical manor . obviously this will only deter predators that refuse to eat carrion and is not a very effective form of defence . the practice of feigning death is more common amongst larger grass snakes and the time that this display takes can vary from a few seconds to 30 minutes . during this display the grass snake will continue to keep an eye on you and if it catches you watching it closely it will take longer to recover .
hemorrhois genus : the horseshoe whip snake ( hemorrhois hippocrepis ) is an aglyphous colubrid that , even if it may bite if touched or grabbed , it’s not considered a venomous species . it presents a transversal mark on its head from one eye to the other , and another mark in the shape of a horseshoe on its neck , which gives this species its common name . it’s a species typical of rocky habitats .
abstract : habitat use of the aesculapian snake ( zamenis longissimus ) at the northern extreme of its range in northwest bohemia was studied in two areas with different proportions of man - made structures and urban features . six snakes were equipped with internal transmitters ( giving 171 radio locations in total ) . compositional analysis at the homerange scale and location - scale revealed that the snakes used habitats and ecotones non - randomly . man - made structures were preferred significantly over all other habitat types in both study areas with buildings and their surroundings , stone walls and compost heaps preferred microhabitats in both areas . these sites were used mainly as sheltering places or for thermoregulatory activities . in both areas snakes showed a preference for ecotones , transitional areas between biomes . urban structures were favoured for nesting and overwintering sites . the prevalence of snakes in man - made edge habitats suggests that in climatically challenging conditions , these otherwise heat seeking snakes prefer different habitats than in more southernly areas of this species ' range .
in the iberian peninsula we can find 13 different species of snakes , with representatives of three of the four types of dentition i talked about in my last post . there aren’t any proteroglyphous snake because the members of the elapidae family are restricted to tropical and subtropical habitats . most of the iberian species are snakes of the colubridae family ( aglyphous or opisthoglyphous ) or vipers and adders of the viperidae family ( solenoglyphous ) .
: smile : thank you for this interesting and informative write ~ up , alan . : xxgrinning - - 00xx3 : like michael , i cannot be certain i ' ve ever encountered a live snake in the wild . . . and , to be honest . . . : anerikke : . . . i ' m not sure i ' d even want to , as the mere thought of these reptiles gives me the heebie jeebes !
capula , massimo ; luiselli , luca ; valenti , < br / > sophia ; ceccarelli , arianna ; rugiero , lorenzo ; aloise , gaetano 2006 . are endemic snakes with a narrow distribution more specialist than their wide - ranging counterparts ? evidence from the prey composition and morphometric correlates of the diet in zamenis lineatus , a rat snake endemic to southern italy . amphibia - reptilia 27 ( 4 ) : 531 - 537 - get paper here
grass snakes are excellent swimmers and are just as ' at home ' in the water as on land . if threatened the grass snake can disappear under water holding its breath for up to an hour to evade a predator . they will also actively hunt newts , frogs , toads and small fish in water . they are such competent swimmers that they have even been recorded crossing the sea from mainland britain to small islands off the west coast on calm days .
smooth snakes are viviparous giving birth to live young ( usually 4 - 15 ) which are born in august or september . melanistic ( black ) smooth snakes are incredibly rare in the uk with only two reports of sightings ever being recorded . the first record of a melanistic smooth snake in the uk dates from back in 1994 on a site in south - west surrey . the last recorded sighting was of 2 - 3 specimens found on a site in dorset in 2008 .
in my first blog entry i talked about the different kinds of snake that exist based on their dentition . in this entry , i’ll explain what species of ophidian we can find in the iberian peninsula , which species are venomous and which aren’t , and how we can identify the different species we can find when we are on the field . as we will see in this entry , snakes have been unfairly demonized , as the species in the iberian peninsula pose no threat to us .
' the species of concern list for the greater london area has been compiled by a range of industry professionals and land managers within london and is reviewed and updated quarterly . this list does indeed include the aesculapian snakes that are being referred to , although no action that i am aware of has been taken to remove this population , nor does lisi have any plans to do so at present . this species is listed in the wildlife and countryside act 1981 meaning it is illegal to allow the species to spread or escape into the wild . at present there is limited information on what effects the species may have on our local ecosystems and further information would be hugely valuable in developing appropriate management plans for this population’ .