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Around Somerset this week!

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Vanderklam View Drop Down
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    Posted: 24 Apr 2011 at 7:55am
Hi folks,
 
Been out and about quite frequently this week to photograph adders both on the Mendip Hills AONB and Quantock Hillls AONB in summy Somerset. Highlight was this melanistic female - a great find!
 
 
 
...but also some of the more typical males and females.....
 
 
 
Glad to hear Nigel Hand and his team from ZSL have been out collecting DNA swabs from some of the local sites earlier this week. Im sure you will agree that this is an important study for the species that may inform us slightly more of their status within the UK. Certainly inbreeding is a real issue for those smaller populations that are locally isolated by barriers to dispersal - through poor habitat management or other such means - perhaps they may acquire further protection as a result of the study (?)
 
Anyways happy hunting to those that head out over the remaining weekend
 
Kevin Palmer

Lecturer in Animal Management/Course Manager
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AndyS View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AndyS Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Apr 2011 at 3:53pm
Hi Vanderklam
Nice Shots, Where you out with the ZSL team? as they were shown on the BBC Breakfast show mid week (tuesday I think) they also found
a
melanistic one as well,maybe the same one,I'll have to re-look at the video, see if they say its a male or female Smile
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Vanderklam View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vanderklam Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Apr 2011 at 5:57pm
Hi Andy,
 
Thanks for the complement on the pics. Unfortunately I was not out with them, however I know they were very successful in that they managed to collate close to 30 snakes for DNA sampling in two sessions - I could only dream of finding that many in such close proximity on the Quantocks! The Melanistic female in the picture was from the Quantocks, however I do believe that the melanistic snake shown on the BBC report was a male that I photographed fairly recently (it exhibited faint dorsal markings....didnt it?)
 
Kevin Palmer

Lecturer in Animal Management/Course Manager
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