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Project Noah Nature School
Vipera Berus
Between 17 and 20 cm, unmistakeable due to the stripes on their back, most likely hatched this year, adults can get up to around 60-90 cm in length, females are the largest though it is rare to spot any snakes longer than 60-70 cm. They feed on small mammals, other reptiles, amphibians and some cases even birds, younger snakes feed on small amphibians, lizards and some insects. It is also venomous, but the poison is usually of no concern for non-allergic human adults.
Rocky forest-terrain, grasslands
My friend and I found this one badly hurt around two weeks ago, I took it in and kept it in a quiet room. Not the first time I have done this and I'm always amazed by their regenerative capabilities, this one could hardly move at all when we found it and I kept it in a cardboard box with plenty of leafs, stones and dirt so it could feel safe and somewhat at home. It was fed with small toads I took from a nearby pond and I decided it was time to let it go since it was showing huge increase in activity just in the last few days, today we set it free in the same area we found it.
Spotted on Sep 14, 2012
Submitted on Sep 14, 2012
6 Comments
I feel the same way, the true naturelovers are starting to connect and growing in numbers each day thanks to internet, I personally recommend this site to anyone interested, and since people can watch my spottings through facebook even more are getting curious about this :)
It is heart warming to know others appreciate and enjoy nature too. Thanks for your posts!
It might be true that they remember where they where heading because of the trauma they experience when being handled by us humans, but most likely I don't think it has any major significance when it comes to survival, nature have always been my fascination although I don't have any education regarding caring for animals, most of it is self-taught. This viper is just a little bit larger than newly hatched snakes so I'm only guessing the age from the information available.
ahhh... so you are a snake doctor! how fun is that?! I read and later was taught that if we move/rescue turtles we should use care to return them facing in the direction we found them in (north, west, east, etc.). I've always second guessed this - and am now wondering if this applies to snakes too.
Because birds are my thing, I am familiar with clues for estimating their age. ...wonder if it is similar with snakes... - How did you estimate this snake's age?
Thank you! The viper is one of my childhood's earliest memories, used to collect them for a day or two and set them free again in the same spot I caught them. Three years ago I came across one about 40-50cm lying in the middle of a road, it had a huge gap on its side so I decided to take it in, and only after a week the gap had closed and healed properly, this one I brought far away from any road and let it free in the middle of a forest. Some of them like to sunbath in the middle of a road and are more than likely to be hit by a car unfortunately.
I very much enjoyed your notes. You are so right about their regenerative capabilities!