Melanistic Grass Snake
Because snakes must absorb heat from their environment to maintain their body temperature we could see how a melanistic garter snake would benefit from being black.
Melanistic grass snake. Known by a host of common names including common adder and common viper adders have been the subject of much folklore in britain and other european countries. Melanistic phenotype with body size and sex structure in a widespread oviparous reptile the european grass snake natrix natrix. Of the three native snake species there were 217 records of melanistic northern vipers vipera berus nine grass snakes natrix n. Helvetica and four smooth snakes coronella austriaca.
The several subspecies of bud snake are frequently distributed in mainland europe which range from southern scandinavia to southern italy and west in the iberian peninsula to the west so much as the lake baikal in russia. Melanism body size and sex ratio in snakes new data on the grass snake natrix natrix and synthesis abstract. The occurrence of a melanistic. They are not regarded as especially dangerous.
Vipera berus the common european adder or common european viper is a venomous snake that is extremely widespread and can be found throughout most of western europe and as far as east asia. In this species there is a pronounced sexual size dimorphism i e females are larger than males and the numbers of each sex in a population are roughly equal sex ratio 1 1 borczyk 2007. The grass snake natrix natrix also called the ringed snake or even just water snake is a non venomous snake found in europe asia and africa. Body coloration is a multifunctional trait often.
Complete melanism is rare and has not to my knowledge been reported in britain melanism is more frequently reported in the adder. Melanistic eastern garter snakes are usually a deep dark black especially if observed just after a snake has shed its skin. Of the three native snake species there were 217 records of melanistic northern vipers vipera berus nine grass snakes natrix n. Helvetica and four smooth snakes coronella austriaca.