"Brown snake" - Most likely candidate?

[Kittiwake]

My husband was mowing the lawn earlier today with a noisy petrol mower. As he neared the edge of the garden, he saw a "brown snake" disappear off under the thick hedge.

He only got a momentary glimpse of part of it and said the diameter was about an inch (or slightly more). He thinks it may have been a slow worm. I always thought slow worms were smaller than that? Anyway, I've looked up UK snakes and, bar smooth snake, it mentioned that they all scarper at the first sign of vibrations from approaching danger.

I've grilled him about markings/size etc but this is the only information he has unfortunately.

We're in the middle of a rural estate in southern England, next to woodland, with sandy soil and no water in the immediate vicinity. What would be the most likely candidate?

Thanks!

[healfdan]

Hello Kittiwake

Not easy to say from your brief description, although my immediate response was a slow worm. They can reach 40 cm in length and the larger ones give the impression of being quite beefy. From your account it would appear that the habitat close to you could support adders and female adders can look brown if you get only a fleeting glance.

So I think you should enquire locally to see whats around.

Healfdan

[Naturenutz]

Grass snakes can also look brown and are normally around an inch or so diameter.I think you will need to keep your eyes peeled for further identification.I would guess grass snake would be the most likely as its more often seen than adder but its all guesswork without a better discription or photo.Hope this helps.You do accasionally get fat looking slow worms,often when they have lost their tail they can look dumpy.They can shed there tail if captured by a predator,and often do this when handled by humans.But as you say possibly over an inch in diameter i would say slow worm is unlikely.

[Dogghound]

It could be adder, grass snake or slow worm (a lizard). The surrounding area sounds good for slow worm and adder the actual area isnt great for adder they are uncommon in urban areas. Grass snake is a species which will enter and even breed in suburban habitats and they are not restricted to wet habitat. Are you sure on the size? I would have suspected slow worm most likely but it is really hard to say discounting size it could be all three.

[Jim Ford]

I hope it wasn't a real Brown Snake!

Australian Brown Snake

Jim

[Kittiwake]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Sorry for the lack of info but I'd grilled the poor chap so much he could barely remember what he saw after a while!

To clarify, the location is very rural - middle of a private sporting estate with no neighbours except a farmhouse/stables.

I think I'll have to keep an eye out and try to get some photographic evidence. Although quite a treat, on a practical level I'm not sure I'm overly comfortable with the prospect of adders in the garden though!

And yikes Jim - I certainly hope not!!!

[Beekeeper]

Kittiwake,

I do not know quite where you are living but the new Forest seems to be a favorite place for people to dump unwanted foreign reptiles.

A lot do not survive our winters but occasionaly one does and there have been reports in the past of various snakes not found in this country thriving.

A good friend when out walking one day described a snake to me that he has seen laying on top of some heather, he reckoned it was over 4 foot long and made off when he got too close.

We did an internet search together and although i forget what we decided it was but it was not one that you would wish to bite you.

There is an old postcard featuring a foreign poisonous snake being captured around 1910 in the forest but can't remember now what that one was either.

Lets hope your sighting was an innocent harmless slow worm.

Ian

[ViperaBerus]

Originally Posted by Beekeeper

Kittiwake,

I do not know quite where you are living but the new Forest seems to be a favorite place for people to dump unwanted foreign reptiles.

A lot do not survive our winters but occasionaly one does and there have been reports in the past of various snakes not found in this country thriving.

A good friend when out walking one day described a snake to me that he has seen laying on top of some heather, he reckoned it was over 4 foot long and made off when he got too close.

We did an internet search together and although i forget what we decided it was but it was not one that you would wish to bite you.

There is an old postcard featuring a foreign poisonous snake being captured around 1910 in the forest but can't remember now what that one was either.

Lets hope your sighting was an innocent harmless slow worm.

Ian

If I gave you a list of the foreign species I've been called out for in the past, you would be amazed. Rattlers seem to be the most released as they are common in the pet trade and hard to sell. Keepers who shun the DWA system also release them as they can't sell them on legitimately. Same goes for dodgy keepers who get bored of their collection. They seem to think letting the animals into the wild is the most humane way to get rid

[bigdave60dog]

Most likely a foreigner.
British snake are alays complaining of B----y immigrants coming over, taking all the best prey.

[RobS]

We did an internet search together and although i forget what we decided it was but it was not one that you would wish to bite you.

I can't think of any snake that I would wish to be bitten by!