Snakes: have you ever seen one in the wild, in the UK or anywhere else ?

[WildRosie]

I haven't so my contributions here will be limited. However, I find snakes fascinating creatures, even though they give me the creeps and I sometimes have nasty snake dreams. I'd love to see a grass snake catching some rays after laying her eggs in the spring, or an adder mellowing out among the heather. But I haven't yet. We don't get smooth snakes in Yorkshire so zero chance there. Please share your legless reptile stories. Slow worms don't count.

We lived rurally in E Europe and would see a lot of snakes in the summer months. When the DC were quite small we came back to the UK for a visit and they wanted to know if there were snakes here. "Well there are but I've never seen one" said I to reassure them. First afternoon back and out for a walk and they spot one! Lost all creditability after that.

We were once on holiday in Mexico and went to the pool. When we got there we couldn’t go in because there were a couple of snakes in the water. The snakes were duly fished out but as the pool man removed one it escaped and came slithering to within a foot of my sunbed. I thought I was going to have a heartache.

On another occasion I was queuing for a water slide at a Disney park (I think it was Blizzard Beach) and there was a snake on the rocks by the side of me. Disney staff came and cleared it away.

Nasty, horrible creatures.

Adders, sunning themselves , a few grasssnakes .

I've seen wild adders in Scotland.

The biggest snake I've ever seen was in Sri Lanka. It was a dead python and so long and heavy it took four men to carry it.

I’ve seen a grass snake and an adder in this country.

In Africa I saw a mamba cross the track infront of me. Also had one in the house once and the housekeeper sprayed it with a can of Doom insect repellent in the eyes and then battered it to death with a rock. She was hard core!

Oh and saw a massive boa constrictor/python in Mexico. Was 8ft long easily.

Saw a grass snake fleetingly on a cliff path in Cornwall.

I saw a few adders and one grass snake swimming in a river when I lived in Devon. Here in Canada I heard and then saw a rattlesnake when hiking in British Columbia last year.

When travelling most memorably I've seen a huge forest cobra in Zambia, it was curled up around the back of a toilet in a campsite and they can reach up to 10 feet in length 😳, a black mamba in Botswana, sea snakes in Indonesia and a truly huge anaconda in Brazil. I've also seen quite a few of various other species, particularly in Brazil, Peru, Costa Rica, Indonesia and Australia. I think they're beautiful, fascinating creatures.

My sister found one in a school cupboard when we lived in Cyprus. Gave her a bit of a scare.

I've seen a rattlesnake on a path in the USA. Plus some cobras in India.

I saw a snake orgy, about 6 massive thick long snakes, blue ish? At a huge park in southeast on a Bush.

I remember seeing an Adder in north wales when I was on holiday when I was very young but not seen one for years then last year I saw 2 sunning themselves by the side of a pitch & putt course, also in North Wales. Beautiful creatures.

I live in Australia so unfortunately tiger and dugites are common. Especially this time of year. My friend moved into a new home and found a tiger sleeping in the bathtub.

Yes during a hike in Spain. It was flicking its little tongue in and out, now I think about it probably a bit scared surrounded by so many people.

When I was in South Africa, a bird dropped a snake from its beak into a pool where lots of people were swimming. It kind of reared upright and swam to the edge. No one else noticed..I tried to shout & tell them but they just all ignored me. I was amazed it had so much strength to do this.

A few days later we saw a gardener attacking something with a rake...got a bit closer to see a black mamba. That was very scary.

I have seen a grass snake in Devon. We only noticed because a dog was going nuts barking at this clump of grass.

In Australia we saw a huge python in a tree in a supermarket car park. The tree was filled with little green birds and the snakes belly was full! It was such a big snake, I was in shock it was just there! Imagine that in Sainsbury's.
Over here we get lots of adders (Berkshire) and I saw a snake swimming in a local brook once but I don't know what It was.

When I lived on a forest protest site in Kent we had to be very careful of the dogs, as there were adders.
The two encounters I remember the most are being hissed at by a rearing and very cross mother adder, as we were crossing a path in the sun where her tiny babies were basking (literally; a nest of vipers! 😀)
and the sunny morning after a bit of a party, when we were all lying around the fire pit, and one man leapt up, yelling. We thought he was having a nightmare, until the young adder slithered out of hi sleeping bag. 🐍

I've never seen an actual wild snake (I'd love to) but I have seen a few slow worms which I thought were snakes in our garden and out on walks when I was a kid.

We found an actual danke in my sister's garden in Reading, bright green, fairly small, I guess it was an adder.

Snake

@pinpinbin

We found an actual danke in my sister's garden in Reading, bright green, fairly small, I guess it was an adder.

Adders have a distinctive pattern and aren't green. I'd guess it was a grass snake which wasn't full grown.

I see adders and grass snakes every so often (Hampshire) - usually on morning dog walks when the snakes are warming up in the sun.

In India I once saw two what are known locally as water snakes but are properly - I think - called chequered keelbacks. They raced across the path in front of us in Bharatpur bird reserve and disappeared into the lake.

Another time I saw a cream-coloured cobra being beaten to death with a lathi on the road leading to Kanha tiger reserve. The road is lined with houses (the villagers displaced from the reserve didn’t move far) and cobras are not welcome. However, my MIL, who grew up in Pakistan says cobras were a useful way of keeping the rat/mice population in check.

Northern Queensland. So many snakes! Saw this gorgeous amethystine python when walking my puppy a few weeks ago.

I saw an adder in Epping Forest when I was little, not seen one there since.

Yes, a cobra in India. I was terrified!

We live in Texas now and see them all the time.
Actually saw one this morning at a local park. I quite like them but have turned into a helicopter mum when the kids are playing outdoors!! I have seen a few venemous ones so you do have to be aware.