![]() If the weather is cold, its body temperature will become cold.īut just because a snake can survive at different body temperatures doesn’t mean that it can function the same at all temperatures. If the weather is hot, its body temperature will become hot. A poikilothermic animal’s body temperature changes with the outside temperature. Snakes, and all “cold-blooded” animals are poikilothermic (poikilo = irregular, therm = temperature). Humans are homeotherms (homeo = same, therm = temperature), which means our body temperature stays the same regardless of the outside temperature. To really understand a snake’s body heat situation we should take a step back and define some vocabulary. You may think that being “cold-blooded” means that snakes are naturally cold and use the sun’s heat to warm themselves up. But the term “cold-blooded” is a bit misleading and for that reason is also a bit outdated. Research published in the Herpetological Journal has warned that at current rates of decline, the adder could be restricted to just a few sites in the UK within 10-20 years.Snakes are “ cold-blooded” animals and are usually sighted basking in the sun. The adder used to be widespread across Britain but has declined markedly in recent years, particularly in middle England. As a result the TV presenter Chris Packham, who lives in the area, has called for dogs to be banned from nature reserves in the People’s Manifesto for Wildlife he launched last year. However, dogs off leads will often attack adders and there have already been reports this year of adders biting dogs in the New Forest. Although they are venomous, no one has died from an adder bite in Britain in more than 40 years and conservationists have in recent years tried to tackle the reptiles’ “image problem”. Photograph: Nicholas MiltonĪdders are protected by law and are shy reptiles that will always try to escape unless cornered or molested. ![]() Being active in winter brings them into greater contact with humans and dogs, leading to increased disturbance at their hibernation sites at a time when they are particularly vulnerable because they are sluggish and bask in the open. The recent unprecedented temperatures have resulted in adders emerging from hibernation up to a month early. ![]() “Adders have already been recorded as being seen throughout the year in a national park in the Netherlands, so I have no doubt they are now active throughout the year in Britain as well.” “I’ve seen adders in every month of the year except December, but have had reliable reports of them being active then in Wales,” he said. Nigel Hand, a trustee of Amphibian and Reptile Groups of the UK and one of the country’s leading adder experts, confirmed the trend. ![]() While the adder is well adapted to cold weather, occurring further north in the world than any other snake species, this is new behaviour and experts warn it is a clear sign of the impact climate change is having on wildlife. A shorter hibernation period and becoming more active in winter is likely to accelerate their demise, as snakes will be much more susceptible to any cold weather that follows a warm spell.įollowing the record warm temperatures in February, adders have been seen in every calendar month. They are declining as a result of increasing habitat loss, persecution, predation, disturbance and inbreeding. ![]()
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