Grass Snake
Natrix natrix • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Natricinae, Genus: Natrix, Species: N. natrix
Widespread across Europe, extending into northwestern Africa and parts of western Asia, ranging from the UK and Scandinavia down to the Mediterranean and eastward towards Central Asia.
Look up Grass Snake in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Natricinae, Genus: Natrix, Species: N. natrix
Conservation
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern. Populations face local threats from habitat loss, drainage of wetlands, road mortality, and the intentional destruction of egg-laying sites like compost heaps.
Physical Description
The visible specimen exhibits a greyish-blue to dark grey body with keeled scales and a distinct yellowish-white to orange-yellow collar patch just behind the head, bordered by dark markings. The head is distinct from the neck with large eyes featuring round pupils.
Size & Dimensions
The visible specimen appears to be a medium-sized adult, roughly 70 to 100 cm in length. Typical adults range from 90 to 120 cm, with females generally growing larger than males; maximum lengths can exceed 150 cm.
Habitat
Typically found in damp woodlands, grasslands near water, marshes, the edges of lakes, ponds, and slow-moving streams. They often bask on rocky banks, logs, or open patches of ground near aquatic environments.
Diet & Feeding
Diet consists primarily of amphibians, especially frogs, toads, and newts, as well as occasionally small fish and small mammals. They are active diurnal foragers that hunt by scent and sight near water.
Reproduction
Oviparous species. Females lay clutches of 10 to 40 leathery eggs in mid-summer, typically in warm, decomposing organic matter such as compost heaps, piles of rotting vegetation, or leaf litter where heat assists incubation.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern. Populations face local threats from habitat loss, drainage of wetlands, road mortality, and the intentional destruction of egg-laying sites like compost heaps.
Cultural Significance
In many European cultures, grass snakes are viewed as garden residents or traditional symbols of domestic peace and good fortune, often associated with rural folklore.
Notable Features
Known for effective defense mechanisms, including playing dead (thanatosis), emitting a foul-smelling secretion from the cloaca, and occasionally performing theatrical strikes with a closed mouth when threatened.