Southern Smooth Snake

Coronella girondica

The Southern Smooth Snake is a gentle snake that loves to hide in the grass. It has smooth, shiny scales and is usually brown or gray. This snake is shy and prefers to stay away from people.

Lebensraum: Grasslands

Aussehen

The Southern Smooth Snake is a slender reptile, typically grey-brown to reddish-brown, often adorned with two rows of dark spots or a subtle zigzag pattern along its back. It has a distinctive dark stripe running from its nostril through its round eye to its neck, helping it blend into its surroundings.

ReichAnimaliaStammChordataKlasseSquamataOrdnungSerpentesFamilieColubridaeGattungCoronella

Southern Smooth Snake

Kategorie

Reptilien

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

They are called "smooth snakes" because their scales are super sleek and non-keeled!

This harmless snake sometimes plays dead, going stiff and even releasing a scent to fool predators!

This snake loves sunny spots; it warms up its body by basking on rocks and dry grass!

Unlike many snakes, it has round pupils, giving it a gentle, watchful gaze.

Besondere Fähigkeiten

Southern Smooth Snakes can flatten their heads and strike when threatened, making them look like a dangerous viper to scare off predators.

Southern Smooth Snakes can powerfully squeeze their prey, wrapping around small lizards and rodents to quickly subdue them before eating.

Southern Smooth Snakes have a dappled brown and grey pattern that helps them vanish into dry grass and rocky areas.

Maße und Details

Länge: 40-70 cm
Gewicht: 0.05-0.2 kg
Lebenserwartung: 8-12 Jahre
Top Speed: 3 km/h
Gelegegröße: 4-16
Brutzeit: 50-70 Tage

Ernährung und Fütterung

This snake is a carnivore that mostly eats lizards and small mammals!

Altersunterschiede: Younger snakes eat more lizards and insects, while adults focus on larger prey like rodents.

Hauptnahrung

lizards
voles
shrews
young mice

Nahrungssuche

Ambush

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

hunts

Common Wall Lizard

Podarcis muralis

A favorite meal, ambushed and constricted in sunny spots.

hunts

Common Vole

Microtus arvalis

Preys on these rodents, especially their young, found in burrows.

eaten by

Common Buzzard

Buteo buteo

A common bird of prey that can snatch up snakes from open areas.

eaten by

Red Fox

Vulpes vulpes

A common predator that can dig up hibernating snakes or catch them.

Merkmale

Einzelgänger

Einzelgänger leben den größten Teil ihres Lebens allein und interagieren mit Artgenossen nur zur Paarung oder zur Aufzucht der Jungen.

Getarnt

Getarnt beschreibt Organismen, die über eine Färbung oder Musterung verfügen, durch die sie mit ihrer Umgebung verschmelzen.

Grasland

Grasland-Lebensräume sind terrestrische Biome, die von Gräsern und krautigen Pflanzen dominiert werden und einer Vielzahl von Weidetieren als Lebensraum dienen.

Winterschlaf

Winterschlaf haltende Tiere versetzen sich während kalter Perioden oder bei Nahrungsknappheit in einen Zustand reduzierten Stoffwechsels, der durch eine verringerte Körpertemperatur und Aktivität gekennzeichnet ist.