Montpellier Snake

Description:

Tried to slither across the road in front of my car but got caught by a wheel. Coiled itself up (pic 2), then slowly moved its head out (pic 1), later some blood came out of its mouth. I went back later and it was gone. It probably waited until I left and then slithered away into some cover to recover. Our experts tell us that snakes often do this after being hit and while some may make a full recovery others may not be so fortunate. I estimated it to be more than 1 metre in length. They can grow to around 2 metres but I don't think it was that long.

Habitat:

Road surrounded by orchards.

Notes:

Thanks to Daniele Pralong for identifying this species.