Granddad’s Camera
Adder, as it appears in the game

No.034 · Reptiles · Rare

Adder

Vipera berus

Britain's only venomous snake, with a zigzag along its back. It is shy, would rather flee than bite, and basks on warm spring mornings.

When to look

March to June and August to September, mostly at dawn and day.

Time of day

Best time
Sunny mornings, March–May, when adders emerge from hibernation and bask. Males dance in April–May; young are born in August–September.
Where in the game
the New Forest (heath and mire) and the Pembrokeshire coast (clifftop)
Size
Up to about 60 cm, stocky
Lifespan
Typically 5–10 years (ARC)
Status
A species of major conservation concern in Britain, with recent declines especially in central England (ARC); common and widespread on the open ground of the New Forest (New Forest National Park Authority)

Diet

Small rodents, lizards, frogs, and nestling birds.

Habitat

Heathland, open woodland, rough grassland and coastal cliff slopes; hibernates in burrows or under stumps.

Breeding

Mates April–May (males 'dance' in combat); gives birth to 6–20 live young in August–September.

Field signs

  • Dark zigzag stripe and V or X mark on the head
  • Cast skin (shed sloughs) in scrub
  • Basking in a coil at the edge of a sunny path
  • Males are grey; females brown

Did you know?

  • In April–May, rival males wrestle in a 'dance', rearing up and twisting around each other, but do not bite.
  • Adders bite very rarely: there are only about ten recorded deaths in 100 years, and almost all bites happen when a snake is handled or provoked (ARC).
  • The adder is the most northerly member of the viper family (ARC), and hibernates from about October to February.

Moments worth waiting for

  • The male dance April to May, dawn and day
    Two males rear and twist around one another in a slow, silent wrestle, watched by a coiled female.
  • Newborn adders August to September, day
    A pencil-thin newborn adder, already venomous, basks beside its mother.

Rare forms and local legends

  • Black adder A rare colour form, about 1 in 14 sightings
    Black adders are relatively common in the New Forest. A black snake warms up faster when it basks. Its zigzag barely shows, but it keeps its red eye, and it is just as venomous (Froglife).
  • Long John A local legend
    Male adders come out of hibernation before the females, and bask on the same sunny banks on spring mornings (Froglife).

Photo tip

Look on a cool, bright spring morning at a sheltered south-facing bank. Use a 400 mm lens or longer from 4–5 m away, lie low, and move slowly. Never move the snake or its cover.

Be a good naturalist

It is illegal to kill or injure an adder. Do not pick one up or bother a basking snake; it only bites in defence. Keep dogs on leads on heath in spring. Stay on paths and never move cover boards.

The law

Protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (Schedule 5): illegal to intentionally kill or injure adders, or to trade in them (ARC).

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