Details
Coronella austriaca
Smooth snake is a discreet European snake of dry grassland and heathland with smooth scales. Populations are often local and depend on the condition of heath and grassland habitat.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It inhabits dry grassland, heath, woodland edges, rocky slopes, and open mountain sites. Main habitat types in this guide are grassland, forest, mountain.
Typical length 50-90 cm, weight 50 g-150 g. It is small and slim, with smooth scales, dark blotches, and a stripe through the eye.
It is diurnal and usually solitary. It often stays under vegetation or stones and searches quietly for lizards and small animals.
It is carnivorous. Lizards, small snakes, young rodents, and invertebrates may be subdued and eaten.
It is live-bearing, with females giving birth to developed young in late summer.
Although still widespread in places, it remains sensitive to habitat change. Populations are often local and depend on the condition of heath and grassland habitat.
