the online meeting place for all who love our amphibians and reptiles
Home Page Live Forums Archived Forums Site Search Identify Record Donate Projects Links
Forum Home Forum Home > Herpetofauna Native to the UK > Grass Snake
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - Hatched Already?
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Hatched Already?
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <1234 5>
Author
Message
  Topic Search Topic Search  Topic Options Topic Options
JohnBaker View Drop Down
New Member
New Member


Joined: 21 Nov 2003
Location: Albania
Status: Offline
Points: 7 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote JohnBaker Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Jun 2010 at 9:49am

Blimey.  Herps on Springwatch.  That is an unusual.  I missed it.  I am not going to make any guess as to when these small grass snakes hatched.  Just an observation and a question.  Observation: grass snake egg shells can be very persistent.  I can find egg shells at this tmie of year from clutches that hatched last year (I am sure a biochemist could extract some useful anti-fungal agent from snake eggs).  Quesion: What was the weather like this year at the time eggs would have been deposited in order to yield hatchlings now?

John Baker
John Baker
Back to Top
Paul Ford View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 06 Sep 2006
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 196 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Paul Ford Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Jun 2010 at 10:02am
Originally posted by will will wrote:

Hi Paul

I think I saw that bit too, but if it was the same clip I'm not sure he was suggesting it had hatched this season, just that it was an empty shell from some time in the past.

I must admit I dismissed it at the time thinking that is was much too early - but then I found that tiny neo???

I was in Dorset the week commencing the 10th of April and although there were frosty nights the weather was VERY warm.....?

Paul

 
Back to Top
arvensis View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 15 Mar 2006
Location: Hampshire
Status: Offline
Points: 493 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote arvensis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Jun 2010 at 10:31pm
Paul,
      Is that the site in Dorset we looked at last year?

Mark
Back to Top
Paul Ford View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 06 Sep 2006
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 196 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Paul Ford Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Jun 2010 at 8:06am

Hi Mark,

Yep - thats the one

Paul
Back to Top
herpetologic2 View Drop Down
Forum Coordinator
Forum Coordinator
Avatar

Joined: 15 Jun 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 1511 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote herpetologic2 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Jun 2010 at 9:49am
Originally posted by will will wrote:

Hi RobI'm assuming you mean fertilized eggs
stored in the oviducts of the hibernating female, then laid
in spring, rather than eggs laid in autumn and still viable
the following spring?? if so, is this phenomenon related to
global warming, specifically warmer / longer autumns ?


if this is the case then yes this would be related to
climate change - which is occurring at a faster and faster
rate

Report your sightings to the Record Pool http://arguk.org/recording
Back to Top
herpetologic2 View Drop Down
Forum Coordinator
Forum Coordinator
Avatar

Joined: 15 Jun 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 1511 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote herpetologic2 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Jun 2010 at 9:52am
Originally posted by Paul Ford Paul Ford wrote:

I found this one in Dorset on
Thursday:


ipleyDorset18062010031.jpg">


It was tiny - surely one of this years?


Paul


?



Very hard to determine, my money would be on last year's
as it may not have had much food yet this year in order
for it to grow. Or it was a very small snake when it
hatched last year. The weather was quite bad last year so
a delayed hatching in October is possible

J



Report your sightings to the Record Pool http://arguk.org/recording
Back to Top
Robert V View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 06 Aug 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 1264 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Robert V Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Jun 2010 at 9:41pm

Jon,

you don't know that its' down to global warming - prove it please. And while you're at it, prove that it's not a natural selective process mechanism within Grass Snakes adapting to the shortages of both males snakes and / or prey items.

 Cripes, is there anything worse than people that discount others theories / suggestions because they can't see past their own??

R
RobV
Back to Top
herpetologic2 View Drop Down
Forum Coordinator
Forum Coordinator
Avatar

Joined: 15 Jun 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 1511 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote herpetologic2 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Jun 2010 at 10:10pm
Hi Rob

How does the lack of food or males snakes influence the
mating process? particularly the storage of fertilised
eggs over the winter period

If the weather enables activity until very late in the
year - say mating occurs in October - which I have
experienced in Southern England and I think more people
are seeing this - though I think it is more common in
warmer climates such as southern Europe what does that
tell you?

Jon

Edited by herpetologic2
Report your sightings to the Record Pool http://arguk.org/recording
Back to Top
herpetologic2 View Drop Down
Forum Coordinator
Forum Coordinator
Avatar

Joined: 15 Jun 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 1511 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote herpetologic2 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Jun 2010 at 10:16pm
PS is there any evidence that 1. grass snake eggs survive
winters in the egg laying area or 2. has any female grass
snake been found still gravid with eggs in a hibernation
site and then lay them the next spring?

J
Report your sightings to the Record Pool http://arguk.org/recording
Back to Top
arvensis View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 15 Mar 2006
Location: Hampshire
Status: Offline
Points: 493 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote arvensis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Jun 2010 at 7:41pm
Originally posted by Paul Ford Paul Ford wrote:

Hi Mark,

Yep - thats the one

Paul



Ah, good to see they're still there - there's also GCN's there as well....

Mark
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <1234 5>
  Share Topic   

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Forum Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 11.06
Copyright ©2001-2016 Web Wiz Ltd.

This page was generated in 0.141 seconds.