AN invasive snake that can grow up to two metres long has survived in the UK by secretly crawling up into people’s attics, a shock new study has revealed.
A group of Aesculapian snakes were tracked going into attics and wall cavities to seek warmth and breed, researchers claim.
Aesculapian snakes are not native to the UK[/caption]
Fortunately the species isn’t venomous[/caption]
The species is not native to the UK – and fortunately they’re non-venomous too.
They were introduced into the wild accidentally in the 1970s after escaping from the Welsh Mountain Zoo.
Experts from Bournemouth University sought to understand how the species has survived all this time in an area that could get too cold for them.
So, they added radio tracking to follow the movements of 13 males and eight females daily over two active seasons.
It showed that females spent long periods inactive during the spring and early summer, preferring woodland areas.
They also like compost heaps, which were used to store eggs in one case.
But most of the males opted to use buildings as shelter sites instead.
“We observed Aesculapian snakes actively seeking and returning to use inhabited buildings and were observed climbing large structures to access the attics and wall cavities of houses,” the researchers wrote in their yet-to-be peer-reviewed study.
“This attraction towards anthropogenic features is unusual behaviour compared with native snake species in the UK that often avoid built up urban areas.”
Aesculapian are native to continental Europe but they have three known populations in the UK today.
North Wales – where the 1970s escape took place – but also Bridgend and in the Camden area of London, mostly along Regents Canal, according to the Natural History Museum.
The UK only has three species of native snake.
The largest is the Grass snake, which can grow up to 150cm long.
They are often found in gardens, wetland and grassland areas.
The Adder snake is the only venomous snake found in the UK.
According to the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), the Adder is estimated to cause around 50 bites a year – but very few require any medical treatment.
The UK’s third native snake is the Smooth snake, which is small, non-venomous and rarely encountered.
