Britain’s rarest snake is thriving in Devon, England, after a successful reintroduction project. Experts are celebrating as smooth snake numbers reached record highs, 16 years after conservation efforts began.
The snakes were reintroduced to Devon in 2009, when 17 were relocated from a site in Dorset, England. The species had been missing from Devon for 50 years. Last year, conservationists counted 39 smooth snakes at Pebblebed Heaths in Devon, a 25% increase from the previous high of 31 in 2023, according to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).
Smooth snakes are non-venomous and harmless to humans. They are a grey or brown, about 60 or 70 centimetres long, and are named for their flat, smooth scales. The snakes have a heart-shaped marking on their heads, and each…
