Communal basking

Hi all,

Found these three basking together yesterday. The grass snake was originally basking in the same spot as the adder until it was shoved out of the way. you can't really see from the photo but the grassie is in blue, and very nervous. At one point the adder actually climbed on top of the grass snake, then lay parallel alongside and began furiously tongue-flicking, almost like a courtship behaviour. When the grassie moved away the adder ignored it. Has anybody else seen any sort of interaction between the two species?

The neo viv. lizard didn't hang around much longer! Apologies for the rubbish photo...

cheers, Ian

Ian,

I really like this photo !

Adders and Grass snakes basking in close proximity is very common. They share similar basking requirements, so I guess its not that surprising. On some local heaths, its so common, that when I see an Adder, I'll scan carefully for any grassies before I approach closer.

I quite often see Common lizards basking close to Adders, but they don't like the Adders geting too close ! I can't remember seeing a Common lizard under the same tin as an adult snake of any species.

 

I have seen plenty of lizards under tins - it is what we use to capture some of the animals in a rescue say - though most of the animals in the later part of the day would be captured off things like anthills, tussocks, fence posts, log piles etc.

Often you will find animals preferring natural habitat to felt or tin though they do use them during their day - with high numbers of ACO's you will find them under tin or felt during rain etc

Regards

 

Jon

 

 

This is the only half-decent photo I've got of the two of them together, again not very clear. In my defence I was trying to lean over an electric fence at the time! Both snakes were basking in the same place again yesterday. The adder spent some time rubbing the sides of his head along the logs andlooking, for want of a better word, uncomfortable. Possibly also about to slough?

Suzi + Jon, I've also never found lizards under the tins here, although they're common under logs less than a metre away. On a site in north Kent I know they are regularly found under old carpet with slow worms.

cheers, Ian

When we (John Newton & I) found the one grass snake up on the Peak District Moors this spring it was in the same small area of heather above a stream that had 7 male adders basking around it. No doubt it had shared the same hibernaculum with them over the winter and been " booted out" by them when they decided it was time to emerge for the spring. Unfortunately it didn't seem to stay around to bask with the adders, as on seven subsequent visits only the adders were present.