Grass snake

Grass snakes are present in most of Wales, but their numbers are declining.

Disappearance of their natural habitat, which is being destroyed for development and changed due to the different ways countryside is farmed and managed, is having a detrimental effect on their survival.

As well as being the hardest to spot, grass snakes are also the largest British terrestrial reptile, with females reaching up to 1.8 metres long.

They are grey-green in colour with a yellow and black collar round the neck and black markings down the side. Grass snakes have round pupils, unlike adders, the only other snake found in Wales, which have vertical pupils.

This non-venomous reptile is a gardener's friend, keeping down numbers of vermin and slugs.

Grass snakes are predated on by foxes, corvids (crows & magpies), birds of prey, pheasants and domestic cats. As a warning to these hungry creatures, grass snakes will lash out with their mouth closed. Some will even feign death.