European Adder

About the European Adder

The only venomous snake native to Britain. Their zigzag dorsal pattern is distinctive. Males are grey with black markings, females brown with dark brown markings. Hibernate communally in winter. Bites are painful but very rarely fatal — only 14 deaths in the UK since 1876. Protected by law in many European countries. The snake that bit Cleopatra was likely an adder.