grass snake

[hwange]

hi all ,
i made a really interesting observation the other day,( atleast from my own limited experience) , i was lucky enough to spot a grass snake through the binoculars over the other side of a small pool . Well i very slowly walked around , all the time observing the snake in the reeds basking , when i was no more than around 30 meters away the snake seemed to look in my direction , flicking its tongue out to smell i assume , and disappeared into the thick vegetation . Do they have such a good sense of smell or could it see me against the sky line ? as i say i was atleast 30meters away ,maybe more.

Anyway i was thrilled to see it at the time
cheers all

[ViperaBerus]

They have an excellent sense of smell, via tongue and nose, far above most animals. Their eysight is also very good and they will sense movement from quite a way off. I'd say it saw you first, then checked out the scent before making off.

[hwange]

cheers for that , i had a feeling it may have seen me against the sky line, fascinating creatures , grass snakes !