Did You Know Grass Snakes Are Harmless ?

[Canary42]

One of the many facts I (and all my school friends) picked up at an early age was that of the three main UK snakes, only the adder had a poisonous bite, and could be easily identified by its unique markings. The grass snake and the slow worm are harmless.

It seems this sort of homespun education no longer applies (replaced presumably by how the various game Apps behave).

https://uk.yahoo.com/news/rylan-clark-left-terrified-snake-083339789.html

Were you cognisant of the grass snake's harmlessness, or would you too panic like rylan?

[nescio]

the slow worm is a (legless) lizard, not a snake.
the only other native snake is the smooth snake

[davebro]

not totally harmless: Frogs, toads and newts are a grass snake's favoured prey, but they will also take fish, small mammals and birds.

[mushroom25]

// only the adder had a poisonous bite //

err, on a point of pedantry....
if it bites you and you die, it's venomous.
if you eat it and you die, it's poisonous.....

:-)

[Prudie]

Yes I have always known that and so does Rylan probably. I really like him but he can be a drama queen extraordinaire. I would react the same if it were a large house spider and I'm well aware they are harmless. It's not alway fear of being harmed, why do some freak at mice for example?

[davebro]

In England and Wales only one death from adder bite was recorded in 1950-72, but there were 61 deaths from bee or wasp stings.

[davebro]

I think some fears are learned but fear of snakes is inborn. Would you Adam & Eve it!

[Canary42]

Yes Prudie, I recognise phobias are real, but from the report it didn't look that way to me.

But if it is, then indeed I have done him an injustice. I hope he won't perceive me as a snake in the grass.

[FatticusInch]

Saw one grass snake as a kid, was surprised at his rich it’s green colour was.
Dad was moving a rockery once and 2 adders darted from it.
He cut them in half with a spade.

My Mum was petrified of them, we weren’t even allowed as kids to say the word ‘snake’ in front of her!

[FatticusInch]

*how rich not his

[nero2024]

one thing the snake in that picture is not a British grass snake

[jno]

wow, Fatticus, they were adders but he divided them?

Maths teachers won't be happy.

[FatticusInch]

I wasn’t sure either Nero2024 as the white collar was not something I recalled, however;

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-40853286

[FatticusInch]

Lol Jno, very clever, I’d completely missed that!

[Canary42]

/// snake in that picture is not a British grass snake ///

No doubt a "stock" picture - they're often wide of the mark, journalists aren't always the brightest ink on the page.

[davebro]

If go to the USA remember the rhyme for banded snakes -

Red touching Black not hurt Jack.
Red touching yellow, kill a fellow.

[jourdain2]

Yes, I was aware that they were harmless. I dried desperately hard to explain this to my French neighbour who had found a 6' example in my garden (they grew large there). I even offered to carry it out of his garden and release it a long way away - but he decapitated the poor thing with a spade anyway. :(

[FatticusInch]

Canary42
/// snake in that picture is not a British grass snake ///

/No doubt a "stock" picture - they're often wide of the mark, journalists aren't always the brightest ink on the page./

When Nero2024 posted the only link was the one in the OP, so I’m guessing they meant the still pic from Rylan’s Twitter?