Aesculapian snake

Zamenis longissimus Today, 3 October

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

now wintering in cover 193 days

wintering in cover Reptile here all year

The whole year

1 October – 14 April

dates recorded for this region, not shifted from anywhere

Sitting the year outGetting readyYoung aboutYoung leaving

Where to look

Woodland edges and old barns; climbs well, and turns up in roof spaces after mice.

Worth knowing

The snake on the medical staff, and a serious rodent predator — a pair in a barn is worth more than a cat. Eggs are laid in manure heaps and rotting sawdust, where the fermentation heat does the incubating.

Look it up

photos, sightings and recordings, off this site

iNaturalist — photos and where people are seeing it Wikipedia — Zamenis longissimus

Regions

where this species is on the list

Dalmatian coastKvarner and IstriaVelebit and the DinaridesSlavonia and the Pannonian plainTukhlia, Ukrainian Carpathians

Phase by phase

dates as they fall in the region chosen above

Phase	When	Length	What it means
wintering in cover	1 October – 14 April	196 days	Reptile dormancy — sluggish rather than truly asleep, and broken by warm spells.
going about the year	15 April – 9 May	25 days	Feeding, holding territory, doing nothing the calendar singles out.
courting	10 May – 19 June	41 days	Song, display, fighting, scent-marking — pairs forming or reaffirming.
on eggs	20 June – 24 August	66 days	Clutch laid and being incubated, or buried and left to the sun.
raising young	25 August – 14 September	21 days	Dependent young in the nest, den or burrow, being fed.
young dispersing	15 September – 30 September	16 days	Young leaving for good, looking for a territory of their own.

Other reptiles in this region

Common adderGrass snakeSlow wormViviparous lizard

← All species