Two more British snakes

Two other snakes are found in Britain, the grass snake and the smooth snake. The former is usually found near water. It is longer and slimmer than the adder, with green and yellow skin. The smooth snake is extremely rare, found only on a few heaths in southern England. It is duller brown in colour and less well-marked. The grass snake lays eggs, while the smooth snake is ovoviviparous like the adder.

Along with its more slender shape, the smooth snake can be distinguished from the adder by the round pupil of its eye.

The grass snake, Natrix natrix, is sometimes called the ring snake or water snake.