User:Oburrack/Barred grass snake

Hibernation

Since Grass snakes are located in the cooler climate of northern Europe and Great Britain and live near bodies of water, they will spend a significant portion of the year hibernating, typically throughout the coldest months. Hibernation periods can begin as early as October, when temperatures start to drop, and may last up until April. The Barred Grass snakes will find any sort of shelter that they can seek refuge from the harsh weather, or may burrow underground in order to maintain a stable body temperature, and remain there during hibernation.

Defense Mechanisms

Another form of defensive mimicry that Grass snakes demonstrate is the triangulation of their head. Typically, venomous snakes have more triangular heads while nonvenomous snakes’ heads tend to be more rounded, such as the Grass snakes. However, Grass snakes have the ability to triangulate their heads in defense to trick potential predators into believing they are venomous and could fight back. This technique works because the Grass snake shares a range with many venomous snakes, including Vipera aspis.

Predation

Grass snakes are considered a semi-aquatic species of snake. They do not feed specifically on one species, as they adapted their diet in order to match their environment. Amphibians make up the majority of their diet. But, they will consume fish and some small land mammals. Females are often longer than the average size of the male snakes (27.5 to 35 inches), which leads to most of the predation on land being caused by large adult females.