# Snake! is it dangerous?



## fergie

I have just seen a thin black snake about 4ft long in my garden, what is it likely to be? and is it dangerous to dogs or people.?


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## nicky29

i would ask your neighbours, i've not heard of many dangerous snakes.. but mostly all snakes are quite dangerous for dogs, so keep your dog away. it's really dependent on the snake itself.


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## xabiaxica

fergie said:


> I have just seen a thin black snake about 4ft long in my garden, what is it likely to be? and is it dangerous to dogs or people.?


have a look at this link from our FAQs

Dangerous animals in Spain


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## fergie

xabiachica said:


> have a look at this link from our FAQs
> 
> Dangerous animals in Spain


Thank you Xabia. I can't identify it from any of the photo links, I saw it from about 10 ft away, it looked black- and a bit thinner than a garden hose, I was just concerned to get my little dog in, before he saw it, being a Westie he would have given chase.


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## thrax

There are 5 venomous snakes in Spain:

1.Seoane’s viper (Vipera seoanei – víbora de Seoane)
2.Asp viper (Vipera aspis – víbora áspid)
3.Snub-nosed or Lataste’s viper (Viborade lataste – vibora hocicuda)
4.False smooth snake (Macroprotodon cucullatus – culebra de cogulla)
5.Montpellier Snake (Malpolon monspessulanus – culebra *******a or de Montpellier) 

Seoane’s viper lives in Galicia, León, the Cantabrian coastal strip (Cornisa Cantábrica) and the Basque Country. Confusingly some authors class Seoane’s viper as a subspecies of the common viper or adder (Vipera berus – víbora europea) and, more confusingly still, some experts believe both exist in northern Spain. However, since 1976, they are considered to separate species, with the latter absent from Spain. 

By far the commonest of the vipers, Lataste’s viper, is present throughout the rest of the Peninsula, though nowhere is it common. It is grey, short (around 50cm) and is distinguished by its triangular head and the zigzag pattern on its back. It lives in dry, rocky areas, away from humans and is timid, but don’t go sticking your hands in holes and crevices and be careful when collecting firewood as viper bites can be fatal. 

The other two snakes are not so dangerous, but watch out for the 2-metre long Montpellier snake. It is blue with a white underbelly -don’t go picking one up to check- and has prominent ridges over the eyes. However, the position of its venom fangs means that you would be unlucky to have poison injected into you, and if you are, its venom is much weaker then the vipers. 

If you are bitten by a snake, remain calm and seek medical attention immediately. Bites only occur in the spring and summer as snakes hibernate. Of the estimated 50 snakebite deaths a year in Europe, only 3-6 occur in Spain, so don’t worry too much. 1-2 are reckoned to occur in Catalonia. More people die from bee and wasp stings. The Canaries are snake-free, and only the milder False smooth snake is found in the Balearics, probably introduced there by the Romans.

I copied the above from another website and from your description I don't think your snake was any of those listed as poisonous.


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## Alcalaina

If it was four feet long and didn't have a noticeable zigzag pattern it is not a viper. It could be a dark-coloured grass snake (harmless) or a Montpelier - both are quite common in gardens. Although Montpeliers are officially venomous it is almost impossible to get bitten unless you pick one up.


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## baldilocks

It would be a great help if we had some pics of the ones to avoid.


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## fergie

Alcalaina said:


> If it was four feet long and didn't have a noticeable zigzag pattern it is not a viper. It could be a dark-coloured grass snake (harmless) or a Montpelier - both are quite common in gardens. Although Montpeliers are officially venomous it is almost impossible to get bitten unless you pick one up.


I think I'll just keep away, from the snakes, luckily this one was 10ft away, so I couldn't tell whether it had a zigzag, it just looked black in colour to me, but then my eyesight isn't brilliant! I just hope my soppy dog doesn't see one, he would chase it, its when they are 'cornered' the snakes can become aggressive.
Where I used to live in Hk, the police came to remove a huge boa constrictor with a whole cat in its gut, out of a public area, and we saw the odd nasty snake in the park behind our house there. I was told to stamp my feet, or make any type of noise and they would slither off.
We also thinned out the trees and bushes in our garden there so that we could see if there was a snake sleeping or sunbathing in the branches, and avoid it.


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## Twain

How common is it to have (dangerous) snakes and spiders in the garden (or inside the house) if you live in rural areas in Spain?

I plan on not have an overgrown garden, hoping that'll keep them on a distance.

@baldilocks, you can google for images of the snakes mentioned in this thread.


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## xabiaxica

baldilocks said:


> It would be a great help if we had some pics of the ones to avoid.


there's a link on the FAQ thread


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## dunmovin

In the 4 years we have lived here, we have seen about 10 snakes. Only 2 came anywhere near the house(both of which got brushed up the path by the wife ,using a long handled broom,which left them dazed,scared and battered ,but still alive and then I would be told, " there's snake up by the shed. Will you go convince it to be somewhere else". (done by getting them onto a shovel and catapulting them as far up the terrace as possible)

As I have said before, snakes will not attack,unless surpised or threatened. People,dogs,cats are way to big for the snake to consider food, ttherefore it would rather get away from you and they are the better than any mouse/trap you could ever buy(not for use inside the house though...they shop bought traps are better for that purpose).

For me, the greater worry is,scorpions and centipedes as they are smaller and harder to spot.


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## baldilocks

dunmovin said:


> For me, the greater worry is,scorpions and centipedes as they are smaller and harder to spot.


and some Ticks which are particularly prevalent this year. You say "What's a little tick to worry about?" Our neighbour was bitten by one about 4 weeks ago and he got tick-borne encephalitis. He was in a coma for ten days but is out of danger and making a slow recovery but whether he will suffer from any long-term effects we don't know yet.


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## Twain

I should curl up and crawl into a box and close it.
I'm not too fond of reptiles and insects such as this, so I should probably just stay home.


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## Alcalaina

The only "wildlife" that freaks me out is cockroaches. I know they aren't dangerous or anything but they really give me the creeps! Thank goodness, we don't have any in our house (regular spraying with Cucal sees to that).


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## Twain

What preventive measures do you take to keep these animals (centipedes, spiders and others) out of the house?
Neat and clean of course, but are other measures such as spray cans good enough?
Or only when you've discovered it and can attack directly?

I know that in Australia you want one sort of spider in the bathroom because it keeps other and more dangerous spiders out... I guess that's not needed in Spain?


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## xabiaxica

Twain said:


> What preventive measures do you take to keep these animals (centipedes, spiders and others) out of the house?
> Neat and clean of course, but are other measures such as spray cans good enough?
> Or only when you've discovered it and can attack directly?
> 
> I know that in Australia you want one sort of spider in the bathroom because it keeps other and more dangerous spiders out... I guess that's not needed in Spain?


the only way would be to hermetically seal the house

neat & clean will make no difference at all...........

in fact, geckos are often encouraged - they eat the mosquitoes :clap2:


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## Twain

Love the geckos so don't mind them at all.
And understand that snakes are not that big of a problem either. Spiders too I guess?
But that centipede got me a bit worried.


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## dunmovin

Twain said:


> Love the geckos so don't mind them at all.
> And understand that snakes are not that big of a problem either. Spiders too I guess?
> But that centipede got me a bit worried.


they are only little things, not the 5 to 8 inch nightmare kind you get in South East Asia (which look like they have fallen off the set of a bad horrror movie)


you can see the difference


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## baldilocks

and don't forget the pine processionary caterpillars!


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## Twain

dunmovin said:


> they are only little things, not the 5 to 8 inch nightmare kind you get in South East Asia (which look like they have fallen off the set of a bad horrror movie)
> 
> 
> you can see the difference


Ah, that's better 
Those large ones I never want to see.


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## Twain

baldilocks said:


> and don't forget the pine processionary caterpillars!


Maybe Barcelona is better for me than the rural part of Spain 
I do love the 24/7 citylife, but even more a quiet rural place with great views.


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