Adders Basking

How quickly it seems the time for Adders to emerge and bask has come upon us.
Males are usually the first to bask on sunny early spring days. From late February they will take to the surface from their winter hibernation in disused mammal burrows. Sometimes curling up together to bask as with the two at the beginning of my film. They have been known to emerge on sunny winter days also but early spring is the main time for them to surface.
They often hibernate communally and being site faithful, this helps in their conservation.
They will bask for 2 to 3 weeks before sloughing - or shedding their skin - ready for the mating season when the females emerge and give off pheromones to attract a mate. They will slough a few times a year.
My local heathland is a great place to see them. Some are quite at ease with humans around, others are easily frightened, but either way I am extremely cautious and careful not to disturb them. If startled by anyone or by a dog for instance, they are quick to disappear and they can move very quickly. If surprised, they will naturally want to defend themselves and being our only venomous snake can cause a problem, but they rarely prove fatal. The last known death was in 1972 and in total there are only 14 recorded deaths in the past 145 years.
If approached with care, they are wonderful to study but obviously divide opinion !
#snake #adder #reptiles