the online meeting place for all who love our amphibians and reptiles
Home Page Live Forums Archived Forums Site Search Identify Record Donate Projects Links
Forum Home Forum Home > Herpetofauna Native to the UK > Grass Snake
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - Natrix - the longest!
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Natrix - the longest!

 Post Reply Post Reply Page  123 11>
Author
Message
Robert V View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 06 Aug 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 1264
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Robert V Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Natrix - the longest!
    Posted: 25 Sep 2004 at 12:09pm

 

Last wednesday, I saw the longest grass Snake that I have ever seen (and believe me, I've seen hundreds). I've just got the photos back from the developers and have reduced it so as to try to fit the thing on here. The previous longest female that I have caught and measured with a traditional tailors tape alllowing the grassie to run through my fingers slowly was 49 inches or 1.256 Metres.

There was no time for maxed out macro lenses or tripods on this, she was way too fast, I was a bag of nerves when I saw her and in a area of forest that I'm not familiar with. So I just took the shot knowing it was huge. Long after she had gone I measured the old rotting silver birch tree base as indicated and it was 13 (thirteen) inches. On the screen I've tried scaling it with the tape using the tree as an idicator (the best i could do in the circumstances) and come up with anything between 6 foot 3" to 6foot 6" or 1.92 -2.0 metres to the tip of the tail also shown with an arrow!!!

The late Malcolm Smith gave 'maximums' of 1.83 metres for females in 1969 and to think, thirty odd years later we still have one to match it leaves me simply astounded. I would never have believed it if I hadn't seen it, so for your pleasure....Be amazed.

RobV
Back to Top
administrator View Drop Down
Admin Group
Admin Group


Joined: 01 Jan 2007
Status: Offline
Points: 10
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote administrator Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Sep 2004 at 1:14pm

Rob, I've received the picture this end but photobucket.com is refusing to load it, probably just a lot of people using the site on this wet Saturday afternoon. I'll try again later.

 

Back to Top
evilmike View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 15 May 2004
Status: Offline
Points: 85
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote evilmike Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Sep 2004 at 1:20pm
cant wait to see that, a good free site to use is www.fotki.com for hosting piccies.
Mike Lister BSc hons Ecology & Env management
Back to Top
administrator View Drop Down
Admin Group
Admin Group


Joined: 01 Jan 2007
Status: Offline
Points: 10
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote administrator Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Sep 2004 at 1:48pm

and as if by magic....Rob's piccy.

Biggest grassie I ever saw was on Hindhead in an area of water meadow as Tony has observed, no idea of length she was coiled and off like a shot. I still can picture her head though, out of all proportion to any natrix I had seen before or since. I still wonder if I'll ever see one like that again one day.

Back to Top
evilmike View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 15 May 2004
Status: Offline
Points: 85
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote evilmike Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Sep 2004 at 6:13pm

one word i think 'crikey' what a specimen

:)

 

Mike Lister BSc hons Ecology & Env management
Back to Top
Robert V View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 06 Aug 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 1264
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Robert V Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Sep 2004 at 7:52pm

 

I've got the taste for it now mike, I want to find one even bigger! haha.

RobV
Back to Top
Robert V View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 06 Aug 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 1264
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Robert V Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Sep 2004 at 7:55pm

 

Tony, is the water meadow you mention the same as a river flood plain? Don't think i've got any of those nearby.......unfortunately. Did keith manage to catch his one and if so did he take any pics? R

RobV
Back to Top
herpetologic2 View Drop Down
Forum Coordinator
Forum Coordinator
Avatar

Joined: 15 Jun 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 1511
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote herpetologic2 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Oct 2004 at 10:54am

Great specimen

I have heard that there was a 6 footer found last year in Bedfordshire (I think) We are trying to track down the photos as it was captured and it was in the hand with a massive head ----still havent seen the photos though they are in existence

In the old london news papers in the 1850's a 9ft grass snake was found in Colchester - perhaps a slight mistake perhaps the number was the wrong way up?

 

Back to Top
rickanstis View Drop Down
New Member
New Member
Avatar

Joined: 04 Aug 2003
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 6
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote rickanstis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Oct 2004 at 11:45pm

Wow what a picture; you really get a feel for the size of this beauty. I had a report in 2002 of a 6' plus nn run over on Ranmore Common in Surrey, with exact location. By the time I got there (VERY fast) there was just a lot of marks on the roadside grass where something had been - either recovered and gone, or taken by scavengers, I'll never know. The guy who made the report was entirely credible and adamant about the length being 6' plus - he was a plumber, and said he knew how to estimate length of long pipes accurately. At the time I was wholly unconvinced. But now, I wonder ...                           Rick Anstis, Surrey ARG 

with best wishes
Rick Anstis
Secretary, Surrey Amphibian and Reptile Group
7 Arundel Road DORKING RH4 3HY
Back to Top
Robert V View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 06 Aug 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 1264
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Robert V Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Oct 2004 at 8:47pm

Rick,

a few years ago I saw a huge snake in the canal system that runs round the reservoirs in Chingford. I thought then that it was well over six feet but it was extremely dark in colour and in the water I couldn't get a photo to show it. It may have been an escaped pet, but now I doubt it. I think tony is right. When they get to this size they get extremely hard to catch and I've a feeling there are bigger examples out there. R 

RobV
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  123 11>
  Share Topic   

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Forum Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 11.06
Copyright ©2001-2016 Web Wiz Ltd.

This page was generated in 0.109 seconds.