Grass Snake
Featured in: Year 1: Animals, including humans
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Grass Snake
Reptile
The UK's largest native snake, found in lowland areas, particularly near water where it hunts for amphibians.
💡 Fun Facts
The grass snake is an excellent swimmer and often hunts for frogs and newts in the water.
If threatened, it can play dead, sometimes rolling onto its back with its tongue hanging out.
It is not venomous and has a distinctive yellow and black collar behind its head.
📅 Through the Year
- Hibernation:November to March
- Active:April to October
Name Story
Natrix helvetica
means “the swimmer — not really a snake of the grass at all”
What does its name mean?
- Natrix — water-snake, swimmerLatin (linked to nare/natare, 'to swim')
- helvetica — of Helvetia (Switzerland), where this barred form was describedLatin
We call it the grass snake, but its Latin name says "swimmer" — and the Latin is closer to the truth, for this harmless snake is a strong swimmer that hunts frogs and fish in and around ponds and rivers.