Adders in the UK- Amphibian & Reptile Conservation

August 31, 2012 by meetspecies

The adder (Vipera berus) must be one of the UK's most iconic species, and is certainly one that gets a lot of attention! As our only venomous reptile it has unfortunately gained a somewhat dubious reputation amongst those that like to sensationalise such things. The fact is that these are not aggressive animals and they do not seek contact with humans, preferring to remain hidden from view and left to go about their business. Venom is used to subdue prey items (small rodents, lizards) and although adders will sometimes bite in self-defence this will only happen if the animal is put in a position where it feels threatened. These beautiful animals suffered persecution by humans in the past and while we hope that situation has improved it doesn't take too much media hysteria to create another new wave of panic.

Adder (c) Chris Dresh

I would consider finding  an adder in the wild as one of our top wildlife 'must see' events. These stunningly marked snakes with their striking zig-zag pattern and bright red eyes are most easily found on spring or autumn mornings when basking in the sun. It doesn't matter how many pictures of adders you see, there is no substitute for seeing one in the flesh. The males have black markings on a light background (very light brown to white) while the females have dark brown markings on a light brown to straw coloured background. Black adders are relatively common. Females are larger than males and can reach a size of well over 70cm, although as with 'fishermen's tales' the length of adders will often increase as the story of the sighting is told!

Adder (c) Chris Dresh

The adder is currently the species that UK herpetologists are most concerned about. There is mounting evidence that adders are in decline in many parts of the country. Habitat loss and land use change are the most common reasons for declines in our reptile species but by no means the whole story. Here at ARC we attempt to improve the conservation status of the adder in a number of ways: by making sure that reserve management planning (both on our own sites and other peoples) takes adder habitat requirements and seasonal movements into account, by undertaking extensive  survey on a national scale (www.NARRS.org.uk), collating information on the historic range of adders ( 'Add an adder')  and by enlisting volunteers to help with counts at the often  overlooked, but vitally important hibernation/spring emergence  sites used by adders (www.maketheaddercount.org).

Adder (c) Chris Dresh

We encourage everyone to get involved in these projects if they can, or go to your local Amphibian and Reptile Group (www.arguk.org) for further information on local adder projects. Conservation action to reverse the decline of the adder must be based on good distribution, population and habitat use data and to effectively collect this information we, and the adder need your help!

With great thanks to Gary Powell, Senior Reserves Manager at the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation for his brilliant contribution!

To find out more about adders, other reptiles & amphibians and the work that ARC do please visit www.arc-trust.org

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