A total of 11 different kinds of snake can be found in Spain, according to the Iberozoa association.
The most common of these reptiles in the Mediterranean area is the Montpellier snake, which is the longest in Spain; an adult can measure around two metres.
They inhabit scrubland, grassy fields, dunes, marshes, and low growing thickets and are lauded as ‘natural controllers of pests’.
Sometimes they stray into inhabited areas in search of rats. The fire brigade in Alicante province occasionally publishes reports about calls they receive to remove examples of Montpellier snake which have entered properties.
Although it is classed as venomous, president of Iberozoa, Antonio Martín Higuera, told state news agency EFE that the venom of the ‘culebra bastarda’ as it is known in Spanish ‘is less dangerous than the sting of a wasp’.
Vipers
There are three species of vipers in Spain.
According to National Geographic, they are under threat from climate change and the fragmentation of their habitats’.
Lataste’s viper is present in almost all of the country, apart from the extreme north and the Pyrenees, where the two others are in residence.
The Snake Radar association explains that they are ‘totally averse to human habitats, to the extent that when traditional farmland is converted to uniform wheat fields, they totally disappear’.
Lataste’s viper likes mountainous areas with steep, dry rocky slopes with plenty of bushes and shrubs, which they love to take shelter under.
Sr Martín Higuera says Lataste’s viper is ‘small, very shy and very difficult to see’.
“It only attacks when it is touched, otherwise it will flee,” he stated.
The asp viper (Vipera aspis) is a venomous snake which is endemic to Andorra and north-eastern Spain,
Bites from this species can be very painful and about 4% of untreated bites are fatal, according to the Animalia association.
The head of the asp viper is broad, triangular, and quite distinct from the neck.
The asp is calm and cautious in its behavior. It is not aggressive and prefers to flee and hide in cover when disturbed, says Animalia.
The Seoane’s viper is found in northern Spain, where they live in mountainous areas and inhabit the edges of woodlands, scrubland, grasslands and cultivated areas.
Animalia notes that they feed on small rodents, lizards and small birds. They hibernate between November and March.
Their bites are ‘rarely fatal to humans’, often resulting in localized pain and swelling.
Sr Martín Higuera explains that between 2,000 and 5,000 viper bites are reported in Spain each year, which lead to ‘one or two deaths’.
He points out that more people are killed by wasp stings or dogs.
Snakes and ladders
The ladder snake is a non-venomous snake which is also known as the rat snake; adults usually measure around 1.2 metres in length.
It mostly preys on mammals such as mice, rabbits and shrews, as well as spiders, insects and a few birds.
To catch birds, the ladder snake will climb trees or man-made structures to search for nests.
It is normally active by day, but during the hottest summer months it may be nocturnal.
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