Adders - Scotland's only snakes. What to do when you see an an Adder while walking in Scotland

[@DarkLordoftheMeme]

I saw a melanistic adder in Scotland a few years ago, it was basking and stayed still for me. I sang the tune to Blackadder to it!

[@guystewart8468]

Nicely done video and very enjoyable ! Will probably never get to visit Scotland but living in Texas all my life I have a tendency to always be on the look out for snakes !

[@jaykaye7025]

Do you get snakes in the suburbs in texas?

[@fredgillespie5855]

Look out or listen?

[@TheRamblingBoy]

Great video - best adder advice seen so far -- you should have more subs - keep it up and you will get there - everything is good.

[@caracortage3270]

".. one of Scotlands most beautiful wild animals" for sure!

[@atalantarunning6205]

Great work as always so looking forward to running out and back

[@christinemoffat2278]

They're venomous, not poisonous.

[@southernuplandway3440]

Poisonous refers to something that you eat (or possibly just touch) that does you harm. Venomous is something that bites or stings you and puts something into your blood that does you harm. I will admit that I was being lazy when I referred to them as poisonous, technically adders are venomous.

[@mauriceholder1386]

That always annoys me.

[@YTispartofproblem]

The advice for venomous creatures as always is: Bite it before it bites you!😬 ..och it's only a joke!😉

[@euanscotland]

​@southernuplandway3440 ex wife was both poisonous and venomous.

[@colinhoward5696]

This bugs me to. Especially from experts.

[@JimAli3831]

We recently visited Ostell bay also known as kirkbride bay in Argyll and Bute. Unfortunately for my wee dog she got bitten on the face and eye by an Adder. These snakes can be deadly to dogs, so it is very important if your dog get bitten, do not let your dog walk pick them up keep quiet and get to a vet ASAP. We were lucky as got dog to vet within the hour. She is doing ok now after 2 weeks. BE. AWARE.!!!!!!

[@southernuplandway3440]

Really glad your dog is OK and good advice about picking them up. You really do have to be very careful with dogs and adders.

[@thedisabledwelshman9266]

@@southernuplandway3440 no disrespect but snakes are venemous not poisonous

[@seanhowlett6293]

Thank you for this excellent video. Coming from Ireland I have always had a fascination with seeing one on my many walks in Scotland. So far closest I have got is a warning sign on Islay.

[@leeosborne3793]

I'm just back from a couple of nights in Coire Fionnaraich bothy, and was very surprised to see an adder on the step when I opened the door! First time I've ever seen a snake in the wild. I had time to get a photo before it slithered away into the grass. Absolutely fascinating. Thankfully I didn't step on it or take it by surprise.

[@matthewcullen1298]

They're cute..😊 i probably wouldn't be too worried if i saw one. 😊

[@nepaleseman1010]

Adders are venomous not poisonous. Death cap mushrooms are poisonous for example.

[@garygilbert1127]

Only ever seen one one but seen lots of common lizards around the Galloway Forest and the Leadhills, last time at Leadhills I seen two mating where the beehives used to sit in Mennock Pass.

[@Daniel_Oberg]

Great video! Learned a lot! 🐍

[@YoutubeisAdtube]

Cool video, I always wondered what poisonous snakes were around the UK/Scotland and Ireland. The Adder's pattern and colors are pretty interesting. The legless lizard snake (2nd shown) looks like our Rubber Boa snake. 🤔👍

[@404-u5f]

Ireland & New Zealand have no snakes at all, possibly the only two places other than Antarctica and the Arctic not to have snakes.

[@markarianludd5930]

Are they also found in Wales?

[@ogstopper]

Yes.

[@deadbygaming9827]

I was on the Isle of islay and I've seen a lot of adders in the fields but one day I got not only the shock of my life but the fright of my life as well. Was 1 foot away from a extremely large adder now you say they only grow to 1 meter however this adder was almost double that also thick with a much larger head than the other adders I've came across there needless to say I moved away carefully but didn't manage to catch a pic or video as by the time I got to a safe distance it had moved under the long grass. But in all the places I've visited in Scotland isle of islay definitely the best place to find adders small and large

[@speckledjim_]

I'll admit that there's not many, but grass snakes are present in Scotland

[@ACshinealight]

Very true

[@supertramp6011]

Confirmed- only ever seen one in 48 years!🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@maik1982]

i have have been looking for adders in scotland many many times, but i have never found 1

[@Leningrad_Underground]

Question. Are adders poisonous, or venomous ? I was advised be cearful if gathering Blayberrys. You might disturb an adder in the undergrowth as you reach to pick the berries.

[@waynegarland6873]

They're venomous. Poison is ingested. Venom is injected.

[@thewr0ngchild]

Animals which administer a toxin via a bite are venomous. Venom must be injected into the bloodstream to take effect, where as a poison is ingested through the skin, lungs or via the digestive system.

[@sarahstrong7174]

Adders have venom in their fangs.

[@samanthabowley4773]

I have kept and been around slow worm's all my life and have never been bitten by 1 as if handled gently they seldom bite.

[@WinchcombeWanderer]

Great advice, thanks for that. Are there any high adder population areas on the SUP?

[@southernuplandway3440]

I normally see them in the forestry areas like Glentrool. Often the areas that used to be moorland but have then been planted. I suspect that I see them more often as on forestry areas the only open areas in the sun are the paths so the adders come out to get some warmth. You probably get lots of adders on the open moorland sections but they have more places to sunbathe away from the line of the path.

[@WinchcombeWanderer]

Thanks for the reply👍. Have a good week

[@WinchcombeWanderer]

Your probably right. Saying that, I have only ever seen one Adder on Cleeve Hill in 30+ years.

[@jokervienna6433]

Finally some sound snake advice. Keep your distance. Don´t pick them up. Now I just need to convince the young men with tattoos all over their body that this is true. :)

[@thewr0ngchild]

I have never had the pleasure of seeing an adder :( They are very beautiful snakes, and we are lucky to have them in the UK. It's also our job to preserve these beautiful native reptiles so that future generations can enjoy them. I am far more worried about litter when out walking than I am snakes. When you drop litter, you are killing our wildlife, so please, wherever you are, think about animals like the adder, and take your rubbish with you!.

[@gogsk3653]

I was bit on ankle at 2yr old and my ankle was swollen I was in long grass

[@kaboomsihal1164]

1. Why does it say only snake? Only venomous snake sure but its not the "only snake" in scotland. And 2. I agree its important to give them space and not annoy them and its worth avoiding a bite if you can but unless you are a toddler or very very frail that venom won't really harm you, you'll just get some painful inflammation for a while. It's not really the sort of snake you need to stay 3 metres away from. Just out of immediate strike range in case you piss it off enough.

[@glynhayes5930]

I actually think it is the only snake native to Scotland. In England and Wales you get grass and smooth snakes as well.

[@kaboomsihal1164]

@@glynhayes5930 you do see the occasional grass snake though and even legless lizards, i don't know where the "they're the only snake" thing comes from. Maybe the grass snakes aren't a native species? Idk

[@jeeves_uk]

What's the difference between venomous and poisonous? A fundamental difference between venom and poison is how the toxins enter the body of the victim. Ronald's rule for telling the difference is straightforward: 'If you bite it and you die it's poison, but if it bites you and you die, that's venom,' he says. The hallmark of venom is that it's introduced via a wound. It can be injected through a number of means, including teeth, a sting, spines or claws. 'Poison is different as there is no wound involved. It can be absorbed into the bloodstream through the skin, inhaled or ingested,'

[@nickwilliams1065]

They are not the only snake in Scotland, Sturgeon is another one who resides there too!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@Stephen-gp8yi]

Adders are only 12-15 inches not a metre.

[@ACshinealight]

I’ve seen them over 2/3 feet

[@connorwilson8078]

Never in my life seen an adder in my country, nor some of the other animals they claim live here ,

[@davidfarrell1145]

That cannot be true, what about the politicians

[@dominicmackenzie3125]

Find it alarming that you don’t know the difference between poisonous and venomous. Pretty basic error for an outdoorsy kinda guide.

[@jorgem.viasalazar7368]

#Protecttheunloved

[@VlatkoDojchinoski]

Good video, but I cringe a bit when I hear 'it is poisonous'

[@martinclayton7260]

Snakes aren't poisonous, they are venomous!

[@PaulJonas-q7p]

Poisonous? Don't you mean venomous? Had to pull you on that mistake

[@ivanstepanovic1327]

None of them are poisonous... They are venomous.

[@YTispartofproblem]

☝️😩 If you are out enjoying the great outdoors and spot a Scottish Rambler remember to use a photo lens, keep your distance and for heaven's sake don't pick it up!

[@jarzhinio]

pretty sure they don't come in green or blue

[@garygilbert1127]

I've only seen one and it was greeny blue

[@jarzhinio]

@@garygilbert1127 are you absolutely sure it was an Adder? AKA The common European Viper? A grey or brown coloured snake, occasionally melanistic, that has a zigzag pattern and highly keeled scales? Not a grass snake? Not a Slow worm?

[@garygilbert1127]

@@jarzhinio 100% an adder with the zig zag pattern, at Loch Doon near where Carrick Lane enters the Loch, I took a pic but being the last shot on my film it didn't turn out.

[@GeoffSimpsonCreative]

100cm long 😊 no way 80cm female 65/70cm male. Remote places - not always true often close to habitation and gardens in the south of England and golf courses. Hibernation? The brumate no reptile hibernates

[@bigglesbiggles4999]

That's not true there other snake in SCOTLAND...Nicola Sturgeon being just one

[@joe1988ireland]

😂😂😂

[@paulevans3754]

Ho yes…!!!

[@clivesimpson-wells5952]

They aren't Poisonous , VENOMOUS ,just leave them alone..that's All they want....

[@johnsimon2988]

Venomous. Not poisonous.

[@thebun2901]

" what to do when you see an adder " the same as any wild snake... leave it the fuck alone and have good memories of seeing a rare wild snake instead of a memory of rushing to hospital for anti venom. Not that you would need anti venom with an adder but I'm trying to make a point.

[@jamiehughes5751]

Plenty of snakes in holyrood

[@originalArchie]

Erm leave them alone would be a good bet

[@glennfolau6959]

:Don't pick them up", tell that to an Australian, who is used to deadly Eastern browns, Red Belly Blacks, and 2 plus metre carpet pythons, they have such a blasé attitude to wildlife.

[@shaunpreston3212]

Catch it if yur brave enough!😅🤣🙃

[@fossils-z9d]

It's not poisonous it's venomous... you could eat one with no issues the problems arise when they try to eat you 😂 (jokes)

[@keithkruse8165]

The European adder Is not POISONOUS 😂 ITS Venomous! Huge difference

[@ravinrasta69toottoot45]

Noone mentioning the video being photoshopped, ferns and mossy ground ? Hes walkong through heather field. Scaremongering! 😂