Overview

The smooth snake (Coronella austriaca) is a non-venomous member of the colubrid family and is found across much of temperate Europe into western Asia. Its distribution stretches through northern and central Europe and eastwards to parts of northern Iran. In Great Britain the species is much more restricted and is mainly known from southern heathland sites.

Physical characteristics

As its name implies, the smooth snake has unkeeled, glossy scales that give it a sleek feel to the touch; this distinguishing trait can be contrasted with many other species whose scales are ridged. The word "colubrid" is often used in descriptions of its family colubrid relationships. Adults are small to medium in size, generally well under one metre in length, with a slender body and a head that is only slightly wider than the neck. Colouration is usually shades of brown or grey with darker dorsal blotches or streaks providing camouflage in vegetation and heather.

Habitat and behaviour

Typical habitats include dry, open areas with a mosaic of low vegetation, heather, gorse and scattered scrub. In Britain it is strongly associated with heathlands, whereas elsewhere it can occupy woodland edges, rocky slopes and mixed grassland. Smooth snakes are secretive and often difficult to observe: they shelter beneath stones, in dense vegetation or in rodent burrows, are active in warm weather, and commonly enter a period of winter dormancy in colder months.

Diet and feeding

Its diet is dominated by small vertebrates, especially other reptiles such as lizards and slow worms, but it will also take small mammals, amphibians and occasionally bird eggs or nestlings. When subduing larger prey it coils around the animal to restrain it; this behaviour resembles constriction but the smooth snake is not a large-bodied specialist like the large boa and python species. For contrast, see references to true constrictors.

Reproduction

Reproductive biology differs across snakes, but the smooth snake is generally thought to retain eggs internally and give birth to live young (a form of ovoviviparity or viviparity) rather than depositing eggs in the open. Timing and the number of offspring vary with climate and local conditions. Young are usually independent from birth and resemble small adults in pattern and behaviour.

Conservation and notable facts

Conservation status varies regionally. In parts of western Europe the smooth snake is uncommon and legally protected; in Britain it is one of the rarest native snakes and is regarded as an indicator of high-quality heathland habitat. Major threats include loss and fragmentation of suitable habitat, changes in traditional land management, and succession that replaces open heath with dense scrub or forest. Conservation measures focus on restoring and maintaining open mosaics of heather, maintaining warm sunny refuges and controlled management to retain prey populations.

  • Distinctive feature: smooth (non-keeled) scales (see scales).
  • Range highlights: western and central Europe to western Asia (Europe, Iran).
  • Family: Colubridae (colubrid).