snakes

[Chumba Wumba]

I found a snake in my garden, it`s a beige colour with no markings and is about 10 inches long. what is it?

[Cetti]

If you are in the UK the visitor to your garden is not a snake, but a Slow Worm which is a legless lizard. Great for gardens as they eat slugs and other insects.

[Chumba Wumba]

Thankyou for your reply. As you can see I have now slightly re-worded my question. I shuold have been clearer in the 1st place, sorry. Although at a first glance I thought it was a worm, I noticed its forked tongue slithering in and out of its mouth and it has the very distinctive snake-shaped head. Also, my husband reminded me that we had found a shedded snake-skin last year in our garden too. It may help to know we live near the sea and mountains

[boognish76]

Why would it not be a snake if it's in the UK? I've seen wild snakes in hedgerows in England.

[saffstar]

If you're in Dorset or Hampshire (or thereabouts) it could be a Smooth Snake, they're non-venemous and are quite rare in Britain, apparently

[Wisebird]

Could it have escaped from someone who keeps reptiles? I don't suppose though that it would survive for very long in our climate.

[New Forester]

There are three British snakes, but none is beige. Adder, now quite scarce, has V-shaped mark on head, and zig-zag line down back. Poisonous -- very painful, but not dangerous bite. Eats small mammals. Grass snake has small black marks down side, a black collar, and (usually) also a yellow or white collar. Not poisonous, eats frogs etc. Smooth snake is found only on or near heathland, and is brownish, with many small black markings and a crown mark on the head. Not poisonous. Eats other reptiles, especially the even rarer sand lizard. Slow-worm is a legless lizard, bronze or beige. It's very smooth, often with lengthways stripes, with a lizard's head, including eyes with eyelids. Tiny teeth, small mouth, not poisonous. Eats small insects, slugs etc. All have the forked tongue.