Aesculapian snakes: Britain's forgotten reptile

Aesculapian snake

Aesculapian snakes in Britain                            

If you were to ask any expert how many species of snakes there are in Britain, the most common answer you'd get would be three; the barred grass snake, adder, and smooth snake. However, when you look closer, the facts say different. Around 300,000 years ago, during the Pleistocene, the aesculapian snake - an arboreal (tree-dwelling), rat-eating reptile - went mysteriously extinct in the British isles. It's thought that it was due to drastic cooling in the region, with glaciation over a substantial amount of the country. After the end of the ice-age, temperatures warmed to conditions that aesculapian snakes could once again thrive in, however because of the flooding of Doggerland (the land bridge between Britain and continental Europe), it was impossible for their return. That was, until the 1970's, when individuals escaped from the Welsh Mountain Zoo - Conwy, Wales - and established a breeding population in the wild. Over the years, many small populations have popped up in multiple sites - Regent's canal, London; Bridgend, Wales, and possibly other unknown areas. They live in deciduous woodlands, spending most of their time in open glades, rides and clearings. They're most commonly seen hunting in trees, stalking their prey before catching and constricting them, then swallowing them whole!           

                                                                                                           Are they welcome back?

A barred grass snake, Britain's only aquatic snake

                                                                                           

   

 Since it's controversial return, the aesculapian  snake has had lots of negative   press. News articles with headlines like 'Experts issue urgent snake warning   as huge 6.5ft-long reptiles spotted in UK ',   and 'Urgent warning to Britons as   6.5ft-long  SNAKES invade the UK following two 'accidental'     introductions' can be found with a quick google  search, however this is   extremely misleading about  these tree-climbing reptiles. Aesculapian snakes    pose significantly low danger to UK residents, as they are non-venomous or toxic, spend most of t their lives in trees, and a shy species many people will never see, even if looking for them directly. Though the stated length - 6.5ft - may seem daunting, only a small percentage of snakes reach that length; most are under 4.9ft. Not one attack is known in Britain, including on pets and young children. In fact, they help control  invasive species - the brown rat, black rat, and house mouse - both helping the ecosystem and humans. Around £40,000,000 is spend every year controlling these pests* - while the aesculapian snakes do it for free. Additionally, these invasive rodents kill millions** of native species every year, meaning the aesculapian snakes are indirectly helping local wildlife, especially nesting birds and mammals. Despite the fact many feel they are unwanted here, these snakes could be beneficial to local wildlife, as well as many home owners bank accounts!

An adder, Britain's only venomous snake

 So, are they a well-missed native or an invasive  invader?

 Though it's been absent much longer than other reintroduction candidates to Britain -   perhaps we should embrace this unexpected comeback, rather than excluding them   from our native species list. The will prey on native species of course, but some argue   that they've been gone for so long that the ecosystem has adapted to not having them;   however with new, non-native threats, perhaps this species could be key to helping     lower chick mortality rates for birds, and help native mammals from competition from  invasive species. They have even been known to eat glis glis - the edible dormouse, (an alien species in Britain) very occasionally, which could help our native counterpart: the hazel dormouse.       

The Aesculapian snake in Regent's Canal,
  London, where they've made a controversial
return.

The smooth snake, one of Britain's three 
(or four depending on who your ask) native 
snake species

            

                                                                   

          

                                                                                         

*Excluding NHS and private healthcare services, according to Councils spend £40m tackling rats, mice and bedbugs, Money Wellness                                                                               

                                                   

**Approx., no studies have been done

Personally I would love to see this species return to  Britain as a widespread species once again, and I'm sure I'd enjoy encountering one too! Hopefully you learnt something toady, and found this entertaining, thank you for reading! If you want to learn more about our European and British countryside, and how we can enjoy and protect it, read Pernature blogs, posted regularly.

Isaacp   Per[Nature]🌿