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Naturschutzbund celebrates World Snake Day!


Of the seven snakes native to Austria, three are poisonous. But they only bite when they feel threatened. For World Snake Day on July 16, the │ nature conservation association │ Tips for dealing with the creatures worth protecting!

Anyone who meets the shy animals in nature is actually lucky! Because snakes are flight animals and often gone before you even notice them. Basically they are not very aggressive and only defend themselves when they sense danger. Therefore the most important rule is: keep your distance! Because people do not fit into their prey scheme at all, they are only bitten if they are perceived as a threat. So if you keep enough distance and don't touch the snake, you don't need to be afraid!

Adder or otter?

While there are around 3500 species of snake worldwide, only seven species are native to Austria: grass snake, dice snake, smooth snake and Aesculapian snake are non-toxic and their bites are almost harmless. In contrast to the otters, adder species have round pupils and nine large, shiny shields on the top of the head. The poisonous representatives include the European horned viper, the meadow viper and the adder, which can be recognized by the distinctive zigzag band on the back. The latter is common all over the world and - colored deep black - also known as the hell viper. “While the European horned viper is only very rarely found in southern Styria and Carinthia, the smallest venomous snake in Europe, the meadow viper, is very likely already extinct in Austria,” says reptile expert Werner Kammel. Since apart from the very painful swelling of the bitten part of the body, serious health consequences (especially kidney damage) often only appear a few days later, a doctor should definitely be consulted in the event of a bite.

Careful handling of reptiles

Although all seven snake species in Austria are on the Red List of Endangered Species - some of them are even protected across Europe - more knowledge and active efforts are needed to prevent their extinction. Because the greatest threat is the loss of habitat: The structurally rich landscapes with places of retreat and sunny spots are becoming fewer and fewer and the habitat for snakes is shrinking as well. A near-natural garden is often enough to provide support.

Protect reptiles with Citizen Science

Sightings of these native reptiles are very special. In order to collect comprehensive and current distribution data from them, the nature conservation association calls for reptile observations natureobservation.at or the app of the same name. Incoming observations are determined and validated by experts, so high data quality is guaranteed. This knowledge is the basis for effective protective measures.

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